Total betting

This is a high total for the National Football League NFL , and you might think that the defensive strength of these teams will prevent that many points from being scored. You would therefore place an over-under bet that the score will be lower.

Then: If the Bills win 44 points , you win If the Chiefs win 58 points , you lose In the rare case that a score is exactly the same as the quoted value, the bet is called a push, and all over-under bets are refunded. Though this bet is most commonly made with the combined score of the two teams, many other statistics can be used, including: In American football, a player's or team's total rushing yards or attempts, down conversions first or third , interceptions, completions, field goal percentage, etc.

In basketball, a player's or team's total assists, blocks, turnovers, steals, etc. In baseball, a player's or team's total number of home runs, RBIs, etc. Over-under bets are popular with people who are new to sports gambling because they work in a simple way.

Over-under bets are among the most popular wagering options in sports betting, behind point spreads and moneylines. Over-under bets can be good for beginners, says Steven Petrella , deputy editor of The Action Network, a sports media company, and in some ways might be better than point spreads or moneylines because they're more intuitive. The aim of a sportsbook is to have an equal number of bets on either side of the over-under for a given game.

They will therefore post what they think is the most likely value for the over-under. However, sometimes there may be an imbalance between the number of bets on over, and the number on under. In this case, the sportsbook will try to even out the numbers. They can use two strategies to do this: Change the over-under value itself.

If this was originally 45, and too many people have bet over, it might be adjusted to 46 to encourage others to take the under bet. Change the odds. A sportsbook could lower the odds on the under to , for instance, and raise those on the over to This will also encourage bettors to go with the under. When it comes to paying out, a standard bet on a total is treated just like a point spread.

The sportsbook will take its cut, and then pay out to the winners. This will be displayed as odds. It can get a little more complicated. In low-scoring sports like hockey, soccer, and baseball, a sportsbook will often adjust the juice before moving the total number. If the Red Sox win , under bettors win.

If they win , over bettors win. In , the Supreme Court gave U. It is still fully illegal in 17 states, including California, Massachusetts, and Texas. In four other states, there is some form of pending legislation.

If the over-under hits on the exact number, that's called a push. There is no winning bet, and all wagers are refunded to bettors no matter whether they took the over or the under. Why Do Totals Change? A sportsbook might change the total to keep the number of over and under bets even. The total in any given sporting event is a combined score of both teams.

The total for these games is a number that is set by oddsmakers based on how they envision a game will unfold from a scoring perspective. You have to pick if the total score will be lower or higher than the number set by oddsmakers — the people at betting sites who set the lines and odds. At the sportsbook, the odds would be laid out like this: Conversely, if the game ended , that would be a pooled score of 47 points, meaning the game went UNDER.

Generally, totals betting lines are numbers ending with a half-point.

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They hope half the bettors think the line is too high, while the other half think the line is too low. If they can accomplish this, they can make a profit without any risk to them. The concept is straightforward but throwing in an example never hurt. Different Types of Total Bets Almost every single sport available for wagering will have a posted total that you can choose to bet on.

To keep it simple, I will use the Red Wings and Lightning example to explain each of these options. Some sportsbooks offer a 1. If you are playing team totals, the Red Wings may have a team total of 2. Anyone placing a total bet had the option to wager on the total points in the game going over or under The Chiefs won — a total of 59 points — putting the game over the total. Anyone who took the over won their bet. Anyone on the under lost. Navigate to your desired sport Click on the over or under in the game module the over will always be listed on top to highlight your bet.

Head to the bet slip on the right side of the page on your phone, it will pop up automatically. A standard bet on a total is treated just like a point spread.