How does the over/under work?

Factual Questions
1

I know next to nothing about sports betting. So in the most simple terms, how does the over/under work? My team tonight is rated -3. Does that mean they’re supposed to lose by 3?

Thanks

2

Yes but that’s the spread or line. If your team lose by less than 3 they win. The over/under is for total points scored in the game.

3

I think over/under means total points scored by both teams combined.

If two notably high-scoring football teams are playing each other, for instance, the over/under might be something like 67 points. If two notably low-scoring football teams are playing each other, the over/under might be something like 38 points.

4

A -3 means your team is favored by three, not the other way around. The over/under can be for any statistic, but usually it’s for total points combined by a team in a game. But you can, if you want, have an over/under bet on, say, how many points a certain player will make in a game.

5

Oops. Of course. They have to win by 3 or more. Hope no life savings have been invested.

6

It is a little counterintuitive, but, to help the OP, think of -3 or +3 as points you subtract or add for the team you’re betting on. If you bet on the -3 team, the team needs to win by 4 for to win the bet, 3 pushes the bet, a win by 2 or fewer or a loss loses the bet. A lot of lines will be expressed with a .5 at the end (like -2.5 or -3.5) to avoid the push.

7

There you go. Thank you. Like I said sports betting is not my high point, and you did keep it understandable. Thank you again.

8

Now ask them to explain the cross :smiley:

9

Not exactly right. If the line is -3, and you bet on the favorite, your team has to win by MORE than 3, not just 3. If the favorite wins by 3, then the bet is a “push”, or tie, and you get your wager back. You will sometimes see lines like 6.5. Teams can’t score half-points, so there will be no tie, or push, with this line. If the favorite wins by 7 or more, favorite bets win. If the underdog wins or stays within 6 points, the underdog side wins.

As for over/under, that means total points scored by both teams.

10

With OP’s question answered, a side-note may be in order.

There’s a simple trick that may lead to profits playing the over/under. First, consider parlay betting. If team A is even-money(*) to beat the spread against B, and team C even-money against D, your bookie may let you place a parlay bet – you put up $1000 and get $4000 back only if both A and C win. This seems fair: the chance that two 50% events both occur is 25%, if the events are independent. (In effect you’re placing a $2000 bet on the 2nd game if and only if you win the first game, but you don’t need to place a 2nd phone call.)

So, place such parlay bets with your bookie until comfort has been established. Now parlay the winner and over/under in thse same game. For example, if team B has excellent defense, then winner and over/under will be correlated: Team A is favored if it’s a high-scoring game because that means B’s defense failed. You can place bets on A to win and the Over (or B to win and the Under); either of these parlays will have better than a 25% chance.

It does no good to place the bets independently. But, some bookies or betting opponents may let you place the bet as a parlay, whereupon it can become very advantageous.

(* - Nevermind if you’re getting 10-11 instead of even-money; the principle is the same.)

Disclaimer: Betting is illegal where prohibited by law.