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In the world of sports betting, one of the most popular types of wagers is the over/under bet.
But what exactly does "over-under" mean in betting? Simply put, it involves betting on the amount of things that will happen in a game, be this goals, corners, fouls and much more.
The Basics of Over/Under Betting
To kick off our journey into over/under betting punters need to understand what a ‘line’ is.
A ‘line’ is simply a total set by the bookmaker. This can be something like 2.5 goals, 9.5 corners, 3.5 fouls or something similar.
In over/under betting players simply need to predict whether there will be more or less than the line set by the bookmakers, giving us the over/under respectively.
For instance, in a football game, if a bookmaker sets the goals line at 2.5, a bettor has two options.
They can bet 'over' if they believe the combined score of both teams will be three or more.
Alternatively, they can bet 'under' if they think the combined score will be two or less.
In essence, the beauty of over/under bets lies in their simplicity. They allow bettors to focus on the game's intricacies, rather than figuring out which team will win or lose.
This adds an enjoyable layer of strategy to sports betting, beyond the mere, and often difficult to predict, result.
Over/Under Markets
There are truly loads of different over/under markets out there now, as the method of betting has readily grown in popularity.
These can vary by bookmaker but here are some of the main ones players can usually find:
- Goals
- Corners
- Cards
- Player Shots/Shots on Target
- Some bookmakers however extend this much further to:
- Team Corners
- Total Fouls
- Total Shots/Shot on Target
- Free Kicks/Goal Kicks
- Offsides
- Throw Ins
The bigger, more established sportsbooks will often offer the widest set of over/under markets for users to play on, however virtually all of them will have some form of it on offer.
Real-Life Examples of Over/Under Bets
To get a clear grasp on over/under bets, let's look at some real-life examples.
Imagine a football game between Arsenal and Manchester City.
The bookmaker might have set a line of 2.5 for Erling Haaland shots on target.
This means the bettors must predict if the total shots on target had by Haaland will be more or less than 2.5.
If players believe he will have three or in the match, they would place an 'over' bet.
Conversely, if we anticipate him to struggle to hit the target, we would opt for an 'under' bet. Say that he ends the clash with just two to his name, the 'under' bets triumph.
Let's consider another ‘over/under’ market for the same game.
The bookmakers may set the corner line at 9.5. This means they believe there will be around 9 or 10 corners in the match.
If punters believe there will be 10 or more corners, they opt for the over. If they think there will be nine or fewer they take them under.
The match will then play out and the number of corners earned by both sides is totted up.
Should this be more than 10 or more the over will of course win.
Should this be less than 9 or less the under will be victorious.
Over/Under can appear a touch complicated on the surface, particularly with the decimal places used by bookmakers to denote the line.
However, it is as simple as just predicting how many goals, corners, shots, fouls or cards there may be in a game.
Team Over/Unders
What we covered above were match over/under, whereby players are betting on how many things will occur over the course of 90 minutes.
Team over/under simply means how many occurrences a single team will earn, instead of both sides combined in the match.
The same rules apply. Ie the amount of goals, cards or corners will be earnt, it just applies to one team.
So a bet on ‘Manchester City Over 2.5 Goals’, means City will have to score three or more goals.
Likewise a bet on ‘Arsenal Under 4.5 Cards’, means Arsenal needs to earn four or fewer cards in a match.
The team over/under opens up a whole new range of possibilities for bettors, and are perfect for these lopsided games where one team is likely to dominate.
Punters can get involved with this match, only needing to worry about one side for their bets, instead of two.
The Best Betting Sites for Over/Under Betting
bet365
bet365 arrived at the top of our list, thanks to their fantastic range of over/under markets.
These cover everything from the regular goals and corners to the specialised team-based ones, as well as player shots, shots on target, passes and much, much more.
They cover all of the ones mentioned in the list above, but then even extend this to some Asian over/unders which opens up the betting massively.
The interface for access to all of these different markets is also remarkably simple, with drop-down windows allowing for seamless switching between match and team bets. Others require players to switch between windows, but bet365 simplifies this process massively.
The range of markets and ease with which bet365 players can bet on these makes them a great option.
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William Hill
William Hill makes it supremely easy for their players to get involved with their wide-ranging over/under markets.
This is thanks to their dedicated window, with every single one of their offerings on there. Goals, corners, cards, passes and even fouls can be found here with specialist prices for their team based on over/unders also.
All their odds and varying markets can be found in one place for any given game, and this is perfect for anyone looking to play the over/unders, with loads of choices and options, which could even offer some inspiration.
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SBK
SBK are an app-only betting site, but made waves recently as we crowned them as having the best football odds in the UK.
Our 15 strong groups of experts broke down over 1.2 million points of data and arrived at the conclusion that SBK has the best prices for football right now.
This of course covers their over/under markets, making them perfect for anyone looking for this style of betting with some fantastic prices.
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Sky Bet
Sky Bet come in on our list for similar reasons to William Hill, thanks to their dedicated over/under window for each and every football match they offer.
The range of markets on here is impressive, covering all of the above-mentioned markets, with the incredibly popular single-player over/unders like shots, passes and more covered.
The prices they offer for these are extremely competitive and players will not be disappointed in how they impact their bet builders should they choose to add these in.
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Betfred
Betfred round out our list, and whilst they perhaps do not have the same range of markets offered by the others, their odds are nothing to be sniffed at.
For the biggest games of the footballing calendar, Betfred can be relied upon to have some of the best prices around, which can make their over/under markets very valuable to players.
- Get your Betfred promo code
Over/Under Betting FAQs
What is over/under betting?
Over/under betting is simply where punters attempt to predict if there will be more or less than a certain number of things in a match.
Bookmakers will set a line, be this 2.5 goals, 9.5 corners and the like. Players will then get to pick if there will be more or less than this amount by a single side or across the whole match.
What is over/under 1.5 in betting?
All this means is that the bookmaker has set the line at 1.5. Therefore the over would win if there are two or more of these things. The under would win if there is one or less.
Does Over/Under count in extra time?
No, over/under bets will normally only cover the full 90 minutes of a football game.
Some bookmakers may offer players the ability for their bets to go into extra time, but this will usually be located under a different market. This may be called something like ‘Over/Under Goals including ET.
How to bet the under in a match?
Betting an under on a match is remarkably easy. Just head over to the betting site of your choice, find their football markets and choose the over/under market.
Once done, simply choose the under option, add it to your betslip and place the bet. These can be placed as singles, as part of an accumulator or even a bet builder.