# Over/Under gambling **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 2, 2009, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/over-under-gambling/487956 "2009-03-02T02:21:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2009, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/over-under-gambling/487956/1 "2009-03-02T02:21:00Z")
What happens to over/under wagers when the score of a game equals the exact amount set by the sports book? Do all bettors win? Do all bettors lose? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2009, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/over-under-gambling/487956/2 "2009-03-02T02:42:53Z")
Don’t they usually include a half-point in the figure to make this impossible? ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2009, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/over-under-gambling/487956/3 "2009-03-02T02:43:05Z")
I think it’s called a push and everybody just gets the money they bet back, no winners or losers. ---
**Author:** ![hende](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/aca169/32.png) [@hende](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hende)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2009, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/over-under-gambling/487956/4 "2009-03-02T02:43:23Z")
The bet is returned, regardless if you bet over or under. ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2009, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/over-under-gambling/487956/5 "2009-03-02T03:03:58Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Don’t they usually include a half-point in the figure to make this impossible? Often, but not always. In a push, the bet is returned, perhaps with the vigorish deducted (I don’t gamble other than Lotto, so I may be wrong about the vig…) Joe ---
**Author:** ![whatami](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/85f322/32.png) [@whatami](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whatami)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2009, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/over-under-gambling/487956/6 "2009-03-02T04:41:24Z")
> [@wheresgeorge04](#): > > Often, but not always. In a push, the bet is returned, perhaps with the vigorish deducted (I don’t gamble other than Lotto, so I may be wrong about the vig…) > > Joe No vig on a push. Wins only. ---
**Author:** ![JXJohns](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jxjohns/32/469_2.png) [@JXJohns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JXJohns)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2009, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/over-under-gambling/487956/7 "2009-03-02T04:53:06Z")
In a straight bet, a push is push. Typically no juice is paid. If one were to parlay a few o/u bets together and one of them pushed, you would lose the parlay bet. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2009, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/over-under-gambling/487956/8 "2009-03-02T17:27:37Z")
> [@JXJohns](#): > > In a straight bet, a push is push. Typically no juice is paid. So, wouldn’t the sportsbook be better off to always have a 1/2 point to prevent a push? ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2009, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/over-under-gambling/487956/9 "2009-03-02T23:38:21Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > So, wouldn’t the sportsbook be better off to always have a 1/2 point to prevent a push? Not if an over-under of, say, 45 resulted in substantially more bets on the over and an over-under of 46 resulted in substantially more bets on the under. In that event the bookie risks a large loss in either case and may prefer to take the chance on a push which results in no vig, but has no risk of a large loss. ---
**Author:** ![Cyberhwk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7993a0/32.png) [@Cyberhwk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyberhwk)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2009, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/over-under-gambling/487956/10 "2009-03-03T00:25:22Z")
> [@OldGuy](#): > > Not if an over-under of, say, 45 resulted in substantially more bets on the over and an over-under of 46 resulted in substantially more bets on the under. In that event the bookie risks a large loss in either case and may prefer to take the chance on a push which results in no vig, but has no risk of a large loss. Yeah, but how often would a one point swing really effect wagering to that effect? ---
**Author:** ![Raygun99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Raygun99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raygun99)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2009, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/over-under-gambling/487956/11 "2009-03-03T00:28:13Z")
In football? A lot, due to the discrete nature of scoring. For example, an o/u of 48 is a big difference than one of 49, because of how points are scored there. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2009, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/over-under-gambling/487956/12 "2009-03-03T00:39:53Z")
> [@OldGuy](#): > > In that event the bookie risks a large loss in either case and may prefer to take the chance on a push which results in no vig, but has no risk of a large loss. Alright. But Just to keep the Mods happy, lets assume we’re talking about legal gambling in Vegas. Anyone have any stats as to how often over/under bets result in a push?