How Does Over Under Betting Work?

Over Under betting is a popular betting market that is used in almost all sports these days.

The bookmaker will set a specific statistic for a sporting event, for example, the amount of goals that might be scored in a football match, or the amount of runs in a cricket match. This is sometimes referred to as the ‘line’.

When you bet on the Over/Under market you are not betting on what you think the exact outcome will be. You are betting on whether you think the outcome will be over or under the line which has been pre-set by the bookie.

Basically, anything that can be counted can be used in Over Under betting – points, goals, runs, frames, centuries, saves, assists, tackles etc. so the markets are vast.

So, how do Over-Under bets work in different sports? How do you place an Over Under bet? What are the pros and cons of Over/Under betting? Let’s take a look.

How Are Over Under Bets Calculated?

The first step in the Over/Under market is for the bookie to determine the line and the subsequent betting odds. Let’s look at a potential upcoming football match.

The bookmaker may set out Over Under markets for the match around factors such as goals, corners, shots on target, fouls or booking points. In some cases the bookie can take it much further, setting out lines for throw-ins, offsides, tackles or even free-kicks.

Using their knowledge and experience, previous match statistics, current form, and lots of data analysis, the bookie will come up with the specific betting lines and the odds for each.

Some markets may be standard for each match and only the odds will change, for example, Total Match Goals. Generally, most football matches will have options for the Total Match Goals market to be Over/Under 1.5, 2.5, 3.5, 4.5 or 5.5 for example.

However, some Over-Under lines will be specific to each game and the two teams competing. For example, two teams that have a history of creating lots of corners may have an Over/Under line of 11.5 corners, while other teams who don’t create a lot may have an Over/Under line of just 7.5 corners instead.

The Over-Under markets can, therefore, vary according to the specific match, so you should take this into consideration and look at all options when deciding your Over Under betting strategy.

As with all types of betting, the odds will reflect how likely the bookmaker thinks the outcome will happen. Low odds suggest that it is more likely to happen, while high odds suggest it is less likely. But as we know with sports betting, anything can happen!

Example Of Over Under Bets

For now, let’s stick to football and look at some examples of Over/Under bets and their odds.

Total Goals

In the example above, the number of potential goals is listed on the far left column. The Over column is in the middle with the relevant odds listed underneath and the Under column is to the right with its relevant odds listed beneath.

The total goals number is presented in decimals of 0.5 to remove the possibility of the exact number of goals being hit. Obviously half goals can’t be scored so this forces the bettor to select under or over.

If you’re confused with the decimal, just work out the next whole number either side of it. So, Over 1.5 goals means 2 goals or more, and Under 1.5 goals means one goal or less.

Remember, the Total Goals outcome is taken from the combined score of both teams in the match. So it doesn’t matter what the actual result is, or who won, just how many goals were scored in total.

You will also find similar markets for Home Team Total Goals, Away Team Total Goals and First Half Total Goals.

Corners

In this example, the bookie is predicting there to be close to 10.5 corners in the match. Again, this is shown as a decimal in order to avoid an exact number of corners being won. So you are basically betting on whether you think there will be 10 or less corners in the match (Under) or 11 or more corners in the match (Over).

The odds for Under 10.5 are lower so this suggests it is slightly more likely, but it is a very hard market to call. Remember, this market is looking at the overall total combined number of corners by both teams in the match.

You will also find similar markets for Home Team Corners, Away Team Corners and First Half Corners.

Booking Points

Yellow cards are very common in football matches, otherwise known as ‘bookings’. Red cards aren’t as common but do happen more often than you think.

This Over Under market doesn’t work off how many cards are given, but how many booking points are accrued instead. Red cards are worth 25 points and yellow cards are valued at 10 points.

The example shows an Over-Under betting market of 42.5 booking points in a match. For a match to accrue 43 booking points or more it would have to involve at least five yellow cards (5 x 10 points) or one red card and two yellow cards (25 red points plus 2 x 10 yellow points).

You may also find similar Over Under betting markets for 47.5 and 52.5 booking points.

Over Under Bets In Different Sports

Over Under Betting is not just a popular market in football, there are tonnes of different Over Under markets in just about every sport you can bet on. Let’s take a look at a few examples:

Tennis

Tennis betting has a few different statistics that make it suitable for Over Under betting. Not only can you place an Under Over bet on the overall game, but you can usually bet per Set and sometimes per player too.

The Total Games Over Under market would be how many games will be played throughout the full match. Obviously this differs in a tennis match due to the unusual scoring system.

For the Total Games market you might find options such as Over/Under 22.5, 23.5, 24.5. Plus, you can also bet on how many games will be in Set 1 and Set 2, for example, Over/Under 6.5, 7.5, 8.5 etc

Some bookies also offer a combined bet where you can pick your match winner along with the Over/Under total games market. The example below shows a match between Frances Tiafoe and Cameron Norrie. The bet enables you to pick who you think will win the match and whether the match will have over or under a certain number of games.

Alternative Over Under betting markets in tennis include Total Tie Breaks in the Match, Total Aces and Total Breaks of Serve.

Darts

Over-Under betting in darts betting relates to statistics such as how many Legs will be in a match or how many 180’s will be thrown. In huge events such as the PDC World Darts Championships there’ll be many more Over/Under markets available relating to scoring and checkouts too.

You can usually find Over Under markets that relate to both the overall match and the individual players. For example, Total 180’s in the Match might offer Over-Under 1.5 to 10.5, while you can also bet on Luke Littler to throw Over/Under 2.5 180’s.

You can find out more about darts scoring here.

Cricket

Cricket betting offers numerous Over Under betting markets relating to runs scored and boundaries. You can also get very detailed with cricket betting in terms of innings, overs, players, wickets and even individual deliveries.

For example you can bet on whether there will be Over or Under a certain number of runs scored per innings, per player, at the fall of the first wicket or in the first over.

Alternative Over/Under cricket betting markets include the Highest Individual Score, the Most Runs in a Single Over or the Number of Wickets Caught in the Match.

NFL

Over Under betting in American Football is vast, as there are so many individual statistics that are measured.

Everyone knows about touchdowns, but there are also Over-Under markets for field goals, passing yards, rushing yards, receiving yards, tackles, and sacks, just to name a few. You can also place Over Under bets on the longest or shortest touchdown too.

Most of these Over Under betting markets are available per match and per player too.

Basketball

Basketball Over Under bets are as vast as the NFL when it comes to options. Many of the markets centre around points e.g. Total Game Points, Team Point Totals or whether a specific player will score Over-Under a point threshold.

However, there are also markets centred around steals, turnovers, blocks, threes and assists.

How To Place An Over Under Bet

Placing an Over Under bet is extremely simple. The hardest part is often navigating through the many markets that are available.

Make sure you’re betting on the exact market that you want and remember you’re not placing a bet on the actual exact figure.

For example, if you are betting on the total goals in a football match to be over 2.5, then it doesn’t matter what the individual score is, which team wins or who scores the goals. All that matters is that between the two teams, the combined score shows that 3 goals or more have been scored.

Once you have found the right market you want to bet on, simply click the relevant odds and it will automatically appear in your betting slip. You then just enter the stake you want to bet and confirm the bet.

Tips On Placing Over Under Bets

Betting on the Over Under market can be quite profitable so it is definitely worth considering if you don’t bet on it currently. As well as multiple and varied markets to choose from, it is also quite an open option, you don’t need to be exact with it.

Here are our top tips on placing Over/Under bets:

History lesson

Looking at data from previous matches or players performances can help a lot when placing Over/Under bets. Luckily, in today’s data driven society, there is plenty available online.

Ideally, you are looking for trends – do the teams in question usually score a lot of points or goals? What is their goal match average? What are the previous head-to-head results of the two teams? These are all questions that can help provide some background and perspective to hone your Over Under betting strategy.

Get Up To Date Intel

Factors such as current player form, injuries, suspensions and change in formations can all influence the statistics in a game. Keep up to date with current news and information about your chosen teams and it will help you make more informed decisions.

Odds Check

Over Under betting markets are actually difficult for bookmakers to predict so there are often some discrepancies when it comes to odds.

Betting comparison sites such as Oddschecker can help you find the best odds for the market you want to bet on. You can search for the specific market of your choice, e.g. Over 2.5 goals in a specific match and it will tell you which bookie has the highest odds.

In many cases, the odds can be quite different between the Under and Over markets, but yet the actual match margins are small.

For example, if the Over 7.5 corners odds are 2.80 and the Under 7.5 corners odds are 1.85 then this is quite a big odds margin. However, the actual difference between the two options is just one single corner. You may decide the extra odds are worth it in this scenario.

Pros And Cons Of Over Under Bets

If you’re thinking of placing Over Under bets then it's worth looking at the positives and negatives before you do.

Pros

Wide and variable markets – you don’t need to be specific in terms of choosing a team to win, or what the exact score will be, or who will score the goal. The Over Under market is much more open and allows more winning possibilities. In many cases it offers multiple variables so you can pick the one you want to bet on

Simple – Over Under betting is basically a 50/50 choice, you’re simply betting on whether the outcome will be over or under the specified line set by the bookie

Doesn’t require research – although research and information can help you when making bets, it's not essential in the Over/Under market. The bookie has already done the work, they’ve set the line and the odds, you just need to pick which side

Prolonging the fun – betting on an overall statistic such as points, goals, corners, runs etc will keep your interest in that match right till the end. This is especially true of the Over market as there’s always a chance of a late score coming in

Ideal for Bet Builders – Over-Under markets are a good Leg of a bet builder because they are so wide and open, but can help to increase the overall odds

Cons

Odds – because Over Under markets are 50/50, they don’t always offer the most competitive betting odds. The exception is for bets which offer more obscure lines, for example, over 4.5 goals in a football match which rarely happens

Unpredictable – the Over Under market can be widely unpredictable. So many factors can happen within a sporting event – a red card, an injury, a penalty, etc that can change the course of the match entirely no matter how much research you have done

Extra Time – in most cases Over Under betting doesn’t include extra time. This is certainly true of football. So if a match goes to extra time, then any actions that happen in ET, won’t count towards your bet. This isn’t always the case in other sports though, so double check at the bookie when you place your bet.

Over Under Betting Summary

Over Under betting is simple, varied and fun to do. You can do some research to help you choose your Over Under betting strategy, but it's also not necessary. The bookmaker runs the numbers and sets the line, you then just have to choose whether to bet Over or Under it.

That’s why the Over Under market is great for beginners as well as regular sports bettors, plus it’s a good addition for bet builders too.