In this guide, we will introduce you to the Over/Under meaning. This important bet type has been a constant feature for many sportsbooks, and bettors always take advantage of it.
What is the Over/under Meaning in Betting?
The over/under bet is part of the primary wagers you will find on a game between two sides. Others are Moneyline and point spread.
Also known as totals, over/under predictions allows bettors to choose whether a particular statistic will be higher or lower than the wager. On the other hand, Moneyline and Spread focus on who the final winner will be.
As a result, you can find 1xBet meaning in betting when you wager on 1xBet.
You will find the over/under bets on football betting and a bit of NBA betting. Another common feature is that it involves the total scores of the two teams.
Here, you win the bet if the number of points scored goes higher or lower, as you predict.
With the over/under betting market, you’re not betting to predict what the final score of the match will be. Instead, you will predict whether the total number of goals or points scored in a game will be lower or higher than what a bookmaker sets.
Hence, placing wagers on the over, you believe the total goals, runs, or points will go higher than the number the bookmaker set. On the flip side, the under bet means the totals will be under a particular margin.
The sportsbook will refund your wager if the number of goals or points strictly hits what the bookmaker has set.
This is known as a push, and it often happens in basketball or when the point set by the bookmaker is a whole number. This is a simple over/under meaning, and you will find examples like Over 1.5, Over 2.5, Over 3.5, Under 1.5, Under 2.5, Under 3.5, and so on.
To help you understand further, let’s go through some examples.
Over/Under Bet Examples
As football is popular in Zambia, we will use this important sport as an example to explain the different over/under markets. Here, you need to choose if there will be more or fewer goals in a match than the number the sportsbook sets.
Remember that the final winner of the game is not your concern. You only need to ensure that both teams score combined higher or lower goals in your prediction.
You will find different markets for this bet type across different sportsbooks in Zambia. They include:
Over 1.5 goals Meaning
Over 1.5 goals meaning in betting means the teams must score at least 2 goals here. It does not matter if one team scores all or if both share the goals.
Over 2.5 goals Meaning
For the over 2.5 goals meaning, the total number of goals in a game must be three and above. Again, it doesn’t matter if one team scores 3-0 or shares it like 2-1.
Over 3.5 goals Meaning
The over 3.5 goals meaning market means the match must have at least 4 goals or more. This includes from the start to the end of regular time because extra time does not usually count.
Over 4.5 goals Meaning
As you may expect, over 4.5 goals meaning in betting implies there must be over 4 goals in the game. You need a combined 5 goals in the match for your bet to win.
Under 1.5 goals Meaning
The under 1.5 goals meaning in betting market is the opposite of the over 1.5 goal market. Here, the match must have a maximum of 1 goal in the match for your bet to win, allowing a score of 1-0 and 0-0 to win your bet.
Under 2.5 goals Meaning
For the under 2.5 goals meaning, the game must not end with up to 3 goals for the wager to win. Anything above, and you will lose your Under 2.5 goals bets.
Under 3.5 goals Meaning
In the under 3.5 goals meaning betting market, you will predict that the game will end with less than 4 goals for your bet to be successful. A scoreline of 3-1, 4-0 or above means your bet has failed.
Under 4.5 goals Meaning
The under 4.5 goals meaning in betting market requires a maximum of 4 goals to win. As a result, the game must not end with up to 5 goals or else your bet will lose.
Over/Under and 1×2 Meaning in Betting
Most Zambian bettors often confuse the over/under markets with the 1×2 meaning in betting. Both are popular among Zambian sportsbooks and come with competitive odds, too, but they are different.
The 1×2 market is available on football games and involves placing a wager on the match’s final result in three possible outcomes; home wins, away wins, or a draw.
It is also known as a full-time result, three-way bet, or match betting where “1” means home team to win, “X” represents a draw, and “2” means away side to win.
As for the Over/Under betting market, you are not concerned with the match outcome. You only need to predict how many goals they will score.
This will be if the goals will be higher or lower than what the sportsbook offers.
On the other hand, you have to forecast the match’s outcome for the 1×2 betting market, i.e. if the home team wins, the away team wins or the game ends with a share of the spoils.
Over/Under Meaning in Betting Review
Since the over/under markets means the sum of total goals in the game, you have some influence over the game. Here are some of the pros and cons this market offers bettors.
Pros of Over/Under Betting
- Both teams work for your Success. Selecting this market for your bet slip means you don’t have to depend on one side to achieve a win. Where the goals come from is not your concern. It just has to happen. This is better than a forecast on the outcome of a match where they can be only one winner or it ends in a draw.
- Increased Fun and Excitement. Bettors who choose this market, especially those betting on the Over betting market, experience a higher level of excitement. Players can follow the match through live streams and check match statistics for an update. Besides, you can win your bet at any time during the match, which makes it more interesting.
Cons of Over/Under Betting
- It defeats the aim of football. Football fundamentals basically rest on what the final match outcome will be. Whether a match ends in 5-0 or 2-1, 3 points are a significant aim. Hence, you may not get the entire joy a football match brings since you only focus on the scoreline.
- You can find out if your bet ends in a loss quickly, especially if you wager on the under 1.5 goals market and two or more goals have already been scored in the first half.
Over/Under Meaning in Betting FAQ
Now that you understand what Over/Under meaning is, you can take advantage of our predictions. You may also find the below answers to the frequently asked questions about the betting glossary useful.
In football betting, the over/under market specifies the total number of goals to be scored in a game. Players don’t have to wager on the final outcome. Instead, you will bet on whether the number of goals will be lower or higher than the set mark by a bookmaker.
In basketball and NBA betting, generally, bettors are concerned with the total points both teams score in a game. It is also popular and one of the most straightforward markets for basketball betting.
Yes, you can bet on both over/under betting markets, but you have to place them on different sportsbooks if you want to wager on Over and Under betting markets on the same game. However, if you are betting on different games, you can choose Over for the first game and Under for the second game.
If there is an exact scoreline of what the bookmaker has set, it is called a push, and nobody wins. The sportsbook will refund your wager back to your account.