How Over / Under bets work – Explanation & Example

An Over Under bet is a fairly simple bet. In this type of bet, you are betting on the number of goals a team will score during the match. More specifically, you have to predict whether a team will score more or less than a certain score (or number of goals). So you don’t have to predict an exact score in this type of bet.

How does an Over / Under bet work?

In an over bet, you bet that a team will score more goals or a higher score than a certain number. In football, a commonly used ‘over bet’ is 2.5. In this case, you win your ‘over 2.5’ bet if the team of your choice scores three goals or more. If your team has scored two or fewer goals, you lose the bet.

An ‘under bet’ assumes the opposite principle. Here, you bet that a team will score fewer goals than a certain number. If you bet on Under 2.5, the team of your choice cannot score more than 2 goals, otherwise you lose your bet.

With most bookmakers, own goals count towards the Over or Under bet. Be sure to check beforehand whether this is the case with your bookmaker.

Of course, you can also bet Under and Over bets on other sports. For example, you can bet on a basketball match that a team will score Over 105 or Under 105 points. You can likewise bet Under or Over on the total number of goals that both teams will cumulatively score.

Tips for Over and Under bets

Read the rules carefully

Before placing an Under or Over bet, you should read the bookmaker’s terms and conditions. Check whether own goals count towards the Under and Over bet. You should also check whether extra time counts. If so, it is more likely that several goals will be scored in the match and you should opt for a higher Under bet.

If you want to place an Over Under bet, you should also compare the different bookmakers. That way you can get the most out of your bet when you have placed a correct bet.

Analyse both teams well

When placing an Over or Under bet, it is always a good idea to analyse both teams thoroughly. When doing so, focus on several factors. Examples: is the team you want to bet on in shape? Are there injuries in the defence? How is the striker doing? Has the team just finished a Champions League match or do they have to play one next week? Etc.

All these things can affect the final number of goals scored in a match.

Example of Over and Under bets

Here is an example of Over and Under bets, to better understand this bet.

Suppose PSG and Club Brugge are playing each other in the Champions League. PSG are playing at home and are in top form. Club Brugge have a few injuries in addition to their weak play. You gamble that PSG will score 4 goals or more. In that case, you place an ‘over 3.5’ bet for PSG.

The reverse is also possible. Club Brugge do not have good strikers and play out against a much stronger team. You think Club Brugge will score a maximum of 1 goal, so you bet Club Brugge Under 1.5.

Do you want to bet on the total number of goals? Then you can choose Under 5.5 or Over 4.5 for this match, for example.