What is an over/under or total wager?
When someone chooses to wager on the over/under (aka total), what they are betting on is that the total combined scores of both teams will be either over or under a certain number. If someone is betting the over, they are simply betting that the combined total points scored by both teams in the game will be over a certain number. If someone is betting on the under they are banking that the combined scores of both teams participating in a game will be under a certain number.
For example, if the over/under is 47 for a game between Alaska State and Wyoming Tech then all the bettor is betting on is whether the combined score of both teams for the game is over or under 47.
Like all sports betting, one of the keys to winning is getting the best odds and the way to get the best online sports betting odds is to compare them in an easy-to-read format. I use this site to compare odds and it also has some nice links and offers for sportsbooks who may have the best current odds and I don’t have an account set up yet. There are also the best sportsbook bonus offers listed there as well. Get to see all of the online sportsbook odds by going here.
Grading the over/under wager
Because of the simplicity of the over/under wager, grading these wagers is fairly easy as well. If the bettor is choosing the over in our above example and the final score is 27-24 then the bettor would be a winner as the combined total scores of the two teams would be 51 and the combined score (the total) would just need to be higher than 47.
If the final score was 24-21 the bettor on the over would be a loser as the total combined score of both teams would be under 47. On this same note, if the bettor had the under, and the game total was 47 and the final score was 24-21 the bettor would be a winner as the total is lower than 47. If the bettor took the under and the final score was 27-24 the bettor would lose their wager as the total combined points scored is higher than 47.
In over/under wagering some of the same rules apply that apply to other types of wagering; there can be ties or pushes and we sometimes see a half of a point in the total. Like the point spread bet (Betting the point spread is explained in this article) if there is a push, the bet is once again declared as a no-action.
If we see a half of a point listed the same over/under rules apply that the final combined score of both teams must be either over or under that number to be a winner, it is ensured that there will be no push on that wager.