Total or over/under bets is a popular type of wagers where you don’t need to guess the winner. You just predict the number of goals in a football match, rounds in a UFC fight, games in a tennis match, etc. What is more, you don’t bet on an exact quantity — you just guess whether the number is bigger (over) or smaller (under) than the number set by a bookmaker.
We describe it all in detail in our dedicated totals betting guide. However, if you’re already good with the general idea, it’s time to dig deeper. If you want to get the best out of over/under betting, we have a few insider total betting tips and strategies for you.
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Keep Defense in Mind
Let’s quickly recall the options of totals betting. You can bet on overs predicting that a certain event (such as goals scored) will take place more times than the bookmaker suggests. Alternatively, you can wager on unders if you believe something will happen fewer times than suggested.
While many bettors like to bet on overs, hoping to rally the team for points, this isn’t always the best way to use totals betting. This type of totals betting focuses on the offense of the teams and is mostly used when a strong team meets a weak team.
While focusing on offense will help you to understand how keen players and teams are to score points, you may be underestimating the importance of defense. Betting on overs can seem like a failsafe plan if you think your team is going to be a high scorer, but understanding a team’s defense will help you to know at what level those goals or points might be capped.
When you consider defense, don’t just look at how one team defends against the other. Sure, you may have two very defensive teams and this may seem like it will keep the goal score down, but who is defending who on an individual level?
Take Willy Boly or Conor Coady of Wolverhampton Wanderers. Both of these players are extremely strong defenders and will help keep scores down significantly. However, say that Boly is defending Jamie Vardy of Leicester City — the top goalscorer in the Premier League. While Boly is good, Vardy is better, which somewhat negates Boly’s defensive score. In this sense, maybe when betting on unders, you need to put your cap higher.
The strategy whereby you consider each team’s defense is called handicapping totals bets. This strategy is best used when you have two very strong teams that have good defensive sides. In this respect you are betting that the total number of points or goals will be under a certain number. By betting that the points will be under, you are essentially handicapping the score. For example, say that you bet a football match will finish with no more than three goals, you’d be under 3.5. This means you’re handicapping the set total to no more than three goals.
There are several techniques for working out the top number of goals that are likely to come in a game but it takes a bit of studying. This is a particularly popular way of betting when wagering on American football and basketball. The top tips for handicapping are:
- Look at how tough the defense of each team is. If two teams have a good defense, the goals will likely be low. If one team has a weak defense, it is harder to guess how many goals might be let in.
- Consider injuries on the team. If a defensive player has been injured or if a substitute is being played, more goals are likely to be let in. However, if a key striker is injured or not playing, it’s easier to handicap the number of points.
- Does the team run out the clock? Look at the past history of the team. Some teams will get themselves comfortably ahead and then fall back to defense to run a game out. If you are betting on one of these teams, try to work out what goal difference they fall back on. Perhaps once they have a two goal lead, they retreat. This will help you figure out who keeps the score low and to what extent they will keep it.
- Consider the underlying motivation of the teams. If there is a long-standing rivalry between two very defensive teams, you’re likely to have low scoring.
Think About the Weather
In American football, strong winds can cause a 2-3 point drop in a game. Equally, in soccer, sudden temperature drops can cause the ball’s pressure to decrease, making the ball slightly flat. Moreover, in both sports, sudden rain affects the pitch quality, changing the gameplay.
It’s important to understand that predicted weather is factored into the odds of a game’s outcome. However, sudden weather changes are not. This is especially useful when betting overs and unders, especially if you are betting live in the game. A sudden rainfall or increased wind can reduce the number of goals or points that can be scored. Capitalize on this if the weather suddenly changes, betting on lower unders.
Know the Coach
The way a coach or a manager plays his side is really important with overs and unders, especially if there is a mismatch between a team’s ability. For example, Manchester United is historically an offensive side, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer keeping to that tradition. In one of their matches against Tranmere Rovers where Manchester United won 6-0, they could have easily scored 3 goals and fallen back to defend for the rest of the match. However, that’s not how their coach plays the team. In this sense, knowing the coach and his plans for the team helps you to know whether a game will be high or low scoring by how offensive or defensive the coach likes to play them.
Equally, think about the tournament they are playing. If a coach is focusing on one tournament over another, he will play different squads. Say, for example, that a soccer team’s coach is focusing on the Premier League rather than the FA Cup, they may play a lesser side in the FA Cup. This may lead to lower scores in these games.
Popular Choices of Bet Types Among Parimatch Players
Feel free to check out our list of most popular bet type choices among our players here, at Parimatch:
- Half-time/full-time
- Handicap
- 1×2 (3-way)
- Moneyline (to win)
- Total (over/under)
- Both teams to score
- Double chance
- Draw
- No draw
- Odd/even
- Correct score
- Late goals
Summary
Now that you know what to look for in your total bets, it’s time for some practice. As Africa’s top online sports betting app, Parimatch is proud to offer the widest range of over/under bets for our customers.
Not only do we give our users a plethora of sports to choose from when it comes to over/under betting, but we have also created a super user-friendly mobile betting app and sleek, intuitive interface for a frictionless betting experience.
Read More
- Betting on Late Goals
- Futures Bets Explained
- 7 Professional Betting Tips
- VIP Betting Tips
- How to Bet And Win Every Day
FAQ
What is total even in betting?
In betting, “total even” refers to a specific type of wager where the total number of goals, points, or other scoring units in a sports event is predicted to be an even number. This type of bet is commonly offered in markets like over/under or total goals. If the total number of scoring units in the event ends up being an even number, the “total even” bet is considered a winning outcome.