How to Make Soccer Over/Under Bets

Soccer over/under bets is a commonly found gambling product that is offered by most soccer betting sites in the online space currently. Over/under wagers are a prediction made by the gambler whether the total score made by both playing teams will in fact, exceed or be lower than the predicted posted total for the match.

How Its Calculated

Before the match begins, bookmakers will try and extrapolate what they believe will be the aggregated score of both the teams at the end of the match. For example, in a Chelsea v/s Liverpool match, if bookmakers feel that the match will be high scoring with both teams having an offensive approach to the game, they will post a higher total. In case the posted total for the game is 8, gamblers can take a call as to whether they feel that the actual aggregated score will be more than or less than this number.

Soccer over/under bets are thus, independent of the outcome of the match and pertain to just the total number of goals scored by the teams. Thus, it is a popular gambling product and commonly believed to be slightly easier than wagering on the actual outcome of the match.

Defensive or Aggressive Styles

While fixing upon a total for the game bookmakers take into consideration several factors. One of the most important criterion is the playing style of the teams-aggressive or defensive. Bookmakers look at previous games’ data and match statistics to look at how many goals were conceded by the team and how many scored. They also look at the overall efficacy of the offense and defense players of both teams. Taking all of these into consideration, bookmakers post a total for the game. Totals can be posted for other events or incidents in the match as well.

Lets View an Example

For example, bookmakers could post the total number of corners that will be given or the total number of penalties called. In every total bet, there is scope for a suitable soccer over/under bet. Unlike point spread betting where gamblers do not get any money in case their team does not win within the predicted point range, some bookmakers offer a tiered payout to gamblers for over/under betting. The payout in this case often depends on how far he is from the posted total for the game. The practice of offering a staggered payout is more prevalent in the UK than in any other part of the world. In the rest of the world, including the US, these bets do not offer a payout in case the over/unders are not on target.

Live Over/Under Bets

One of the attractive aspects of soccer over/under bets is that bookmakers would often be prepared to offer live pricing to gamblers for them. Live pricing of the bet changes as the match progresses and the general trend of scoring and playing becomes slightly clearer. The odds keep shifting allowing gamblers to minimize loss or alternatively, maximize profits. Gamblers can also take advantage of useful arbitrage opportunities during live pricing, since they would have purchased the bet at slightly better or worse odds before the match began.