Over-under bets, also called total bets, are a wager on whether a statistic from a game will be higher or lower than a quoted value. They are most commonly used in relation to the number of points scored in a sports match. And you’ll win if you correctly predict that the total points scored will be less or more than the prediction of a sportsbook.

How do I place an over-under bet?

Find the game or match you wish to be on in the sportsbook. If the game or match has an option to make an over-under bet, it will show in the sportsbook. Here’s an example of how it looks for badminton.

In the match on top, you can bet that the total point during the match (overtime not counted) will be over or under 78.5 at the odds of 1.88 resp. 1.82.

What counts as a win/loss?

Let’s have a look at a soccer game. Soccer usually doesn’t have a lot of goals compared to other sports.

In the example above, we are betting that by the end of the game, the combined number of goals the teams have made is more than 1.5. Below are examples of possible results and whether they will count as a win or a loss based on our bet.

Ceara SC CE – SC Corinthians SP: 1 – 0 (total goal is 1, so our bet is lost).

Ceara SC CE – SC Corinthians SP: 0 – 1 (total goal is 1, so our bet is lost).

Ceara SC CE – SC Corinthians SP: 2 – 0 (total goal is 2, so our bet is a win).

Ceara SC CE – SC Corinthians SP: 1 – 2 (total goal is 3, so our bet is a win).

Ceara SC CE – SC Corinthians SP: 0 – 0 (total goal is 0, so our bet is a loss).

Let’s say we had made our bet at “Over 2” instead. Would that change anything? Yes, some things would have changed.

Ceara SC CE – SC Corinthians SP: 1 – 0 (total goal is 1, so our bet is lost).

Ceara SC CE – SC Corinthians SP: 0 – 1 (total goal is 1, so our bet is lost).

Ceara SC CE – SC Corinthians SP: 2 – 0 (total goal is 2, so our bet is a push).

Ceara SC CE – SC Corinthians SP: 1 – 2 (total goal is 3, so our bet is a win).

Ceara SC CE – SC Corinthians SP: 0 – 0 (total goal is 0, so our bet is a loss).

When the result is the exact same number as we bet over or under, it’s a push. A push means we neither won nor lost, and our stake is returned.

Why do the total points in the over-under change?

The sportsbook aims to have an equal amount of bets on both sides. The sportsbook will begin the bets at a number they predict will be the most likely. As bettors start betting on one or the other side, the points and odds change as a way to balance the bets. When the bet amount is exactly even, the losing side will cover the cost of the winning side.

What happens if the outcome is exactly the same as the total over-under points?

In some sports, the actual outcome can be the same as the sportsbook predicted, neither over nor under. If this happens, all over-under bets for the game are void and will be refunded to the bettors. As the example shows, BC.game allows you to bet over or under 78.5. In badminton, you can’t score half-points, so the risk for the actual outcome to be 78.5 is non-existent. If we look at the soccer example above, we could bet over or under 2, which means that the result can be the same as the breaking point for over-under at that bet.

Find out more about various types of bets: Betting at Creepybits

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