Totals betting is one of the most straightforward and most exciting bets you can make on almost any sport. Working as sort of a 50-50 bet, it has been a staple of every sportsbook ever since, attracting bettors that both make single bets and accumulators.
Even today, this kind of bet is one of the most popular alongside moneyline. What does total mean in betting, how to bet on totals, and what are the strategies? Read on to find out!
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Withdrawal limit
A totals bet is one of the simplest ways to bet on sports. You’re not betting on the winner, but instead, on whether the total score of the match will be over or under a certain threshold. That’s why a totals bet is oftentimes called an over/under bet instead of totals over (TO) and totals under (TU).
Since these bets have only two outcomes, the totals amount is set at half a point. For example, at 2.5 goals in football or 193.5 points in a basketball match.
But, over/under bets can be made on other aspects of the match - number of free kicks, rebounds, yards taken, or wickets hit. It’s all at the discretion of the betting sites you’re playing at. Furthermore, these special events can have a third option - exact - which is hardest to predict but comes with the best betting odds of the three.
Over/under bets can also be called goal lines when you’re betting on football and can even be displayed as a separate betting option if they’re set at round (ex. 2.0) values. Lastly, totals bets can also be made for certain periods in the match, not just the regular time.
Since over/under betting is one of the most common types of betting today, most sportsbooks offer them for pretty much every sporting event and they’re very easy to find.
To place an over/under bet:
And that’s it! Now it’s just a matter of waiting for the match to end and seeing whether your prediction was correct.
In most cases, you can’t get a push when you bet on totals since there’s typically a “hook” or the .5 at the end of the total number. Considering it’s impossible to score half a goal, a game has to end with a total score going either below or above that number.
Let’s say you're betting on a football match between Barcelona and Real Madrid. The sportsbook offers a totals line in their sportsbook at 1.5 over/under.
Here are possible results depending on what you bet on and how the match ends:
Football betting is arguably the most popular choice when betting on totals. It’s a low-scoring sport, meaning that it’s fairly easy to predict how many goals the teams will score during regular time. Aside from total goals, you can also bet on:
Totals betting in basketball is exhilarating considering typical matches nowadays regularly go over 200 points, especially if we’re talking about the NBA and college . NBA is very interesting because you can also bet on:
If you prefer over/under betting on the NFL, you’ll find plenty of opportunities there. The whole season is filled with total betting thrills, including betting on total wins, touchdowns, rushing yards, and individual player achievements. Of course, betting on single-match totals remains supreme.
Cricket is definitely an interesting sport for over/under betting as it has a multitude of events and matches can last quite a while. You’ll typically find these options when betting on cricket:
Totals are the most straightforward in tennis betting. Typically, betting sites offer just betting on total games in a match. That being said, tennis is more interesting for in-play betting, as you can bet on set totals or player game totals.
The biggest reason to bet on totals is that it’s one of the most straightforward betting types. There are only two potential outcomes, so it’s great for beginners who are still learning the ropes and exploring moneyline betting sites.
Additionally, total betting doesn’t include just final scores. You can bet on different periods of the game, as well as different events, making it a versatile betting experience. These bets can even be combined into if bets, accumulators/parlays, and other combination slips.
Are there any downsides to total betting, then? Nothing is perfect and there are a few important things to remember before you start betting on totals:
Bet on under. It may seem strange to root against scoring, but statistically, the totals under results happen a bit more frequently, especially in football. Furthermore, most fans bet on overs, making the under odds better and, thus, your potential payout higher.
Keep tabs on sports news. Tracking whether the players are injured or underperforming lately is a valuable piece of information for choosing whether to bet on over or under. Following the latest news is always a good idea in sports betting, so you can make informed decisions.
Compare odds across several sportsbooks. This should go without saying, but it’s well-known that bookies offer different odds and you ought to to try to get the best bang for your buck. Oftentimes, you’ll be able to find not just better odds, but more varied betting offers this way.
Know common totals for sports you’re betting on. Betting is data-driven and analyzing typical results in recent matches can help you immensely. Each sport has a certain total score range, so even if you don’t know the teams, you can still approximate how the matches will end.
Now that you know the basics, ins and outs, as well as the tactics, it’s time to head on to one of the totals betting sites and make your first totals bet.
