Bet The Over Meaning

For other uses, see Over–under (disambiguation). An over–under or over/under (O/U) bet is a wager in which a sportsbook will predict a number for a statistic in a given game (usually the combined score of the two teams), and bettors wager that the actual number in the game will be either higher. A totals bet is a wager where you will predict that an occurrence will be over or under a certain threshold. You can probably guess why they are called over/unders now. For example, you could bet on the over/under total points score in a basketball game. The bet might be over/under 165. Over and under 2.5 work in the same way as the over and under 2.5 goal market. The difference here is what happens to your bet with the under and over three goal line market. When betting on whole numbers in the Asian goal line market, such as over 3, if the match finishes with exactly that amount of goals the bet will be a refund. The over/under bet is the most popular of the so-called “special” bet types, apart from those associated with the final result. The standard (and often implied) number is –110, meaning a successful bet of $110 would net $100 profit. This is the “juice” or “vigorish” (aka “vig”) for the house or sportsbook.

As a fan, you don’t care if your team wins by a point or 100. A win is a win, though that 100-point win would be a little easier on the nerves.

In sports betting, how much a team wins by is usually all that matters.

The most popular way to bet for the two most popular sports, basketball and football, is with the point spread, also known as the “side.” Most baseball, hockey and soccer bets are on the moneyline, which is betting on a team to win straight up with adjusted odds. Football and basketball have moneyline bets available too, but most people will take the point spread.

The concept can be a bit confusing if you’ve never dabbled in sports betting before.

Why bet with the point spread?

The point spread was created to attract more action on a game. When the San Francisco 49ers are expected to blow out the Arizona Cardinals, it’s not enticing to lay $300 to win $100 on a moneyline. But when the 49ers are 11-point favorites and each side is -110 odds? That’s much easier.

In that example, the 49ers are spotting the Cardinals 11 points before the game starts, at least for bettors. The 49ers have to win by 12 or more points to cover the spread. If the Cardinals win or lose by 10 or less, that side wins the bet. If the game lands on 11, like a 21-10 49ers win, it’s a push and all bets are refunded. If you see a -11 that means that team is favored, and +11 means you’re taking the underdog.

Nothing sharpens your math skills better than trying to figure out how big your lead as a bettor is if you have a 22.5-point basketball underdog that is losing 90-72.

The problem with the point spread can be when a team — which really doesn’t care that you bet the favorite at -11 — has a 14-point lead but gives up a meaningless score at the end to win by only seven points. They’re still happy with the win. You, as a bettor, are not.

Point spreads lead to bad beats

The most infamous example of a bad beat with the point spread probably came in the 2004 Final Four at the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.

What Is Bet

Duke was a 2.5-point underdog against UConn. The Huskies rallied late and took a 79-75 lead on a free throw with 3.2 seconds left. The game itself was over; Duke couldn’t score twice in a few seconds. But Duke guard Chris Duhon pulled up for a running 3-pointer just over the half-court line and banked it in at the buzzer. Duke lost 79-78, but bettors who had Duke and 2.5 points won. March Madness is a huge event for bettors, and reports at the time estimated that Duhon’s “meaningless” shot resulted in a $30 or $40 million swing in Nevada. UConn players celebrated at the final buzzer. UConn bettors doubled over in pain. That’s the difference between betting the moneyline and the point spread.

Baseball and hockey have point spreads too, the “run line” in baseball and “puck line” in hockey. It’s generally 1.5 with odds adjusting accordingly. Taking a big baseball favorite at -1.5 runs can make the odds more palatable. Of course, betting the New York Yankees at -1.5 to bring down the odds from -190 to -110 isn’t too fun when they win 4-3 and you don’t cash a bet.

Betting on the point spread is the most common way to wager on sports. And the first time you take a favorite that wins the game but doesn’t cover the spread, you’ll understand every bettor’s heartbreak.

What Is Over 2.5 Goals?

Betting on over or under 2.5 goals is won of the most popular markets to football betting. It allows you to predict the total of goals in a game without having to pick a winner of the game.

• For an under 2.5 goal back to win the match must finish with two or less goals.
• For an over 2.5 goal bet to win the match must finish with three or more goals.

You don’t need to predict the correct score, just whether or not three or more goals will be scored.

Unlike the win draw win market, with the over 2.5 goals markets there cannot be a draw. The bet will either win or lose depending on the final score.

Why Not Just Use Over 3 Goals?

Over 2.5 goals are used to make it easier for punters as it avoids confusion.

If the term “over 3” was used then there would be confusion as to what would happen if the match finished with exactly 3 goals.

Bet The Over Meaning

Over 2.5 goals helps to avoid this discrepancy. The match finishes with three goals in that means the bet is won as three is greater than 2.5.

It’s the same case with the under three goals markets. If the match finished with exactly 3 goals, people would be confused as to whether or not their bet has won. By having the .5 it avoids confusion as to what happens with whole numbers.

What is Over 3 Asian Goal Line?

The Asian goal line market is much different. Over and under 2.5 work in the same way as the over and under 2.5 goal market. The difference here is what happens to your bet with the under and over three goal line market.

When betting on whole numbers in the Asian goal line market, such as over 3, if the match finishes with exactly that amount of goals the bet will be a refund.
For example, in a game between Chelsea vs Tottenham, if you were to back the over three goal line market and the match finished three nil, but that would be a refund as the match finished with exactly 3 goals in it.

The Asian goal line market can offer increased safety in betting as bets can often be refunded. However, this can result in less winning bets, as if the game doesn’t finish with the right amount of goals, the bet will be a refund.

For example, if you backed over 2.5 goals between Chelsea and Tottenham and the match finished three nil your bet would be a win.

However, if you backed over 3 in the Asian goal line market and the match finished three nil your bet would only be a refund, as you would need more than three goals to be scored for the bet to win.

What Is The Difference Between Over 2.5 Goals and Over 2.5 Goal Line?

The over 2.5 goals and the over 2.5 goal line market are the same. They are essentially the same bet.

Why Are The Odds Different?

The odds are different as they are different markets and the bookmakers systems will adjust the odds depending on the amount of money that has been placed on these markets.

Often the over 2.5 goals market is more popular, so the more people betting on it will push down the odds. This is why you might notice that the over 2.5 Asian goal line market has better odds.

Over 2.5 goals betting strategy

Many people will like purely on statistics to win these type of bets. By looking at previous results of each team you can quickly see the average amount of goals in the games. If each team regularly has a high number of goals per game both scored and conceded, then it is likely that there will be high number of goals in their game.

However, checking statistics is only the beginning.

What Does Bet The Over Mean

You also have to analyse the type of game that is going to be played. For example, imagine if Manchester city were playing against Chelsea.

In the previous 10 games against other teams they might have been winning three nil, four nil, and five nil each week. So their average goals per game might be something like 3.5.

However, the match itself might be quite a stale affair, with both teams defensively cancelling each other out. As a result, the match might end 1-1.

1. Team News

It’s also important to check team news before you bet on a match. Sometimes a team might be very reliant on the main striker. If this striker is injured, suspended, or currently in a bad run of form, then this can affect the outcome of the match and the team that you expect to score many goals may fail to do so.

2. View The Line-Up

Consider a top of the table clash between two big teams. If it is at an important stage of the season where three points are badly needed by each team, the manager may opt to field a strong attacking team. Checking the line-up and understanding this will give you the insight as to whether or not there is likely to be many goals in the game, as opposed to when teams field a defensive line-up, which would assume will result in a bore draw.

3. Home Or Away

You must also check if a team scores or concedes the majority of their goals at home or away. For example, Barcelona may regularly score many goals at home, however, if they were to play away in the Champions League they may be more intimidated playing away from home in front of a feisty opposition crowd.

You must therefore always check what type of game it is, as teams can regularly play with much more determination in cup games, and it may be a much tighter affair compared to an open and flowing game against low opposition.

Other Goal Markets – Over 1.5 Goals, Over 3.5 Goals

Popular matches will allow you to bet on more than just over and under 2.5 goals. Bookmakers offer extensive betting markets will likely allow you to bet on anything between over 0.5 goals and over 5.5 goals.

Whilst markets such as over 1.5 goals will be low in odds, they are much more likely to produce winning bets as is very common for a match at least two goals in the game. Combining two, three, or more of these bets can produce a multiple or accumulator at good value odds. These types of bets are very popular as it requires little research, and with the vast amount of football games available to bet on each day, there is usually plenty to choose from.