When people think of get-rich-quick schemes, one of the first things that come to mind is gambling and betting. But at the casino, the odds are always in favor of the house. That’s why you need to try sports betting, where one well-placed bet can net you millions and millions of dollars.

Bets range from Moneyline to totals. But another common strategy is over-under betting. Over-under bets have the benefit of being less risky while still having strong potential for a meaty payout.

Keep reading as we discuss the seven things you need to know about over-under betting.

1. Understand What Over-Under Betting Is

Over-under sports betting is as simple as it sounds. You are betting that one team or another is going to be over–or under–a certain threshold. 

You’re essentially placing a bet on the total scores of both teams. For this reason, they call this a total bet as well.

But like with all things, it’s simple to understand and hard to master. Games are complicated beasts, and it’s rare to have a landslide game where your total bet will be a major success.

However, the benefit of under and over betting is that it doesn’t matter who wins or loses. Think of these bets as “unbiased.” What it comes down to in the end is how the game flows.

All that matters is that you choose one or the other. Choose over if you believe your team will be scoring a lot. Bet under if you believe the enemy team will have a strong defense and keep points out of their baskets or goal arcs.

Sports betting states will influence where and how you should bet. Check out some of the best sportsbook promotions before you settle on a platform.

2. Have an Understanding of the Matchup Between Offense and Defense

Often in sports gambling, the biggest deciding factors are the team MVPs. This might be a strong offense that is known for slam-dunking time after time. Or, they have a defense that never fails to swat away any would-be dunks.

For example, one team might be very good at passing, and they’re against a team that does hardline offense. The offensive for that team might fall to pieces if their enemy is good at outpassing them. 

An undefeatable MVP may crumble in the face of the right opponent. Keep this factor in mind since an under/over bet is particularly prone to bad matchups where one team has a wash match. 

3. Keep Track of Player Injuries

One good injury can put a key player out of the running for an entire season. Many falsely assume that this means the enemy team will be at a huge advantage as a result. But often a single player has little to no effect on the overall score.

However, one thing that will weigh heavily on the outcome is a team with multiple injuries. Some of these injuries may not be enough to keep a player off their feet. Or, multiple players have to sit it out, limiting the time they’re on the floor.

An injured team is a great team to bet on for the under. It’s safe too, since a change in the lineup ruins their established chemistry, too.

4. Weather Is Always a Factor

With baseball and football, weather can and will be an influence on players. Sunshine may only get in the players’ eyes, but rain and snow are often enough to change the course of the game.

For example, wet conditions can make the course slippery without stopping the game. This reduces a team’s ability to do tricky passing attacks. They’ll have to adjust their strategy accordingly, reducing their effective strategy.

5. Bet Against Teams With New Lineups

We make the mistake of assuming that a game is all down to a few key players, but nothing could be further from the truth. Scoring is a team effort, often with the team setting up a score for a single MVP player.

New team lineups, such as when key players get poached off, give you the prime time for under betting. As the team finds its rhythm, capitalize on its losses. Over-under betting is ideal during their first few low-point games.

6. Know the History, but Don’t Lean on It

Sportsbooks assemble their betting thresholds based on a glut of data. They have years of statistics and thousands of data points to go off of. That’s how they assemble bets that avoid giving you odds that are too good to be true.

While you should know your team’s history, don’t rely on a winning or losing streak. Many teams have the reputation of scoring very low, or very high. This makes them a prime target for an over/under bet.

Sports are dynamic, and we’ve seen fortunes change at the drop of a hat. If you limit yourself to a winning or losing mindset, you deprive yourself of big breaks when that paradigm changes.

7. Listen to Seasoned Betters

An over/under bet can be tricky. As we’ve said before, it’s deceptively simple. You would think that most people could make a profit by having two choices with generous odds.

Never neglect your masters, though. Sports gambling has a long, storied history that has not been kind to those who are hardheaded. Listen to the wise and do your best to learn from them.

Try Out Over-Under Betting Today

Over-under betting is dead simple in theory, but devilishly tricky in practice. The basic concept is to bet on a threshold–who scores over, and who scores under. In practice, you will need to factor everything in from injuries to the weather on the day of the match.

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