Introduction in Over/Under Bets

One of the most common bets that we can found in Bookmakers are those bets called under/over bets. These bets consist of predicting if a match result will be a larger or a smaller number than a fixed figure. For example, considering a bet like this in a match played by Real Madrid and FC Barcelona, we could bet regarding the number of goals. On the one hand, an over bet would be betting that if we add up the goals of both teams, the total number of goals is over 2. On the other hand, an under bet would be that the total number of goals is under 2, so there are two possibilities of winning this bet: the first one is that during the match none of the teams scores any goal; the second one is that only one of teams scores one goal.


Under/over bets are wagers in which a bettor places a bet that consists of predicting a number in a given game. This number is usually the result of adding up all the goals scored by the two teams. Bettors should bet that the real number in the game will be either higher (this would be an over bet) or lower (this would be an under bet) than the number they predict.


Although in this kind of bets the most common is betting on the number of goals that can be scored during a football match, bettors can also bet on the number of corners, number of fouls, amount of yellow or red cards… Moreover, under/over bets are not only available for football matches, but also for other sports. For instance, in a tennis match, it is possible to make bets regarding the number of sets that are going to be played.


In this kind of wagers bettors can bet on a large number of possibilities, what means that there are several potential results with which they can win the bet. This is because the bet is not only in a fixed results. When betting on an over/under bet you are given a number. In the example explained below the bettor wants to make a bet in relation with the goals scored by both teams in a football match, and the bookmaker sets number 2.5 as the cutting line, so the bettor must predict if the result will be over 2.5 or under this number.

The cutting line may seem striking: two comma five goals. But it makes a lot of sense. This decimal number is used to make clear how much goals we are betting. On the one hand, if an under 2.5 goals bet is made, you can win the bet if there is no goal, 1 goal or 2 goals, in other words, 2 goals are scored at the most. On the other hand, if an over 2.5 goals bet is made, you can win if 3 or more goals have been scored, so you can win the bet if the match ends with 2-1,0-3, 2-2…; in an over bet the important thing is that the total number of goals is higher than 2.5. In this case, only the goals scored during the 90 minutes that the football match lasts is taking into account for the bet, goals after that time (extra time or penalty shoots)are not valid for the result of the bet.

Example: In a match Real madrid are playing against FC. Barcelona and bookmarkers offer £1.50 per pound for under 2.5 goals bets and £1.30 for over 2.5 goals bets. Considering that you bet 10 pounds on an under 2.5 goals bet, if after the 90 minutes the match ends with 0 ,1 or 2 goals in total, you will win the bet and get £15, so you make a profit of £5 (15 – 10). If the match ends with 3 or more goals in total, you lose your bet.


To sum up, there are lots of options, you only have to look for the most interesting one for you. The mechanics are always the same: you are given a number and you have to decide if the result will be higher or lower than the given number. You have 50% probability to win the wager.

What is your opinion?


Author Information

Thomas Singer