Over/under betting explained

An over/under, also called a total, is a bet on the combined score of both teams, not on who wins. The sportsbook sets a number, say 47.5 in an NFL game, and you bet the Over, meaning 48 points or more, or the Under, meaning 47 or fewer. A 24–21 final adds up to 45, so the Under wins no matter which team won the game. Each side carries its own price, often near −110, which sets what it pays.

What happens if the total lands exactly on the number?

If the total is a whole number, such as 45, and the teams combine for exactly 45, the bet is a push: your stake is returned and nothing is won or lost. Half-point totals such as 45.5 exist to rule that out. Inside a parlay, a pushed total is usually dropped and the rest of the ticket paid on the remaining legs.

Why the two sides aren't always −110

When money comes in on one side, a book can move the number, from 47.5 to 48.5, or it can leave the number and change the prices. Small adjustments are usually made in price: Over −115, Under −105. The Over now costs more to win the same amount, and the Under costs less. The total margin barely changes; it has just been redistributed.

Team totals

A team total is an over/under on one team's points alone, such as Chiefs Over 26.5. It lets you bet on a view about one side of the game, a strong offense or a weak defense, without needing the other team to cooperate. Team totals are priced like game totals and push the same way on whole numbers.

Totals for halves, quarters and periods

Most books also offer totals for part of a game: the first half, the first quarter, the first five innings in baseball. Each is a separate market settled only on that part. A first-half total of 23.5 and a full-game total of 47.5 are different bets and their prices must never be compared with each other.

Does overtime count?

For full-game NFL and NBA totals, overtime normally counts toward the total. Hockey is the sport to be careful with: some books settle a plainly labeled hockey total on regulation time only and mark the version that includes overtime and the shootout separately. Read the market name, and when two books are involved, make sure both are settling the same thing. Settlement rules goes through the differences by sport.

Totals in other sports

Baseball totals are in runs, typically in the 7 to 10 range, and some books tie them to the listed starting pitchers; listed pitchers explains what happens when one is scratched. Soccer totals are in goals, and Over 2.5 goals, meaning 3 or more, is the most common market. Soccer also uses quarter lines such as 2.25, which split your stake half on 2 and half on 2.5, so a game with exactly 2 goals is half a push and half a loss for the Over.

Finding the best total

The Odds Board's totals view shows every book's price for each total on one row, boxes the best, and puts a Fair price beside it so you can tell whether the best is actually worth taking. The Odds Board walkthrough uses an NFL Over 47.5 as its worked example, down to what ten cents of price is worth on one bet.