Over Under Soccer Betting
Totals bets for goals scored are usually set at over or under 2.5 goals. Soccer is the sport where you will be seeing different payout odds for the over and the under. You also sometimes will have the option of betting at multiple different lines for soccer. One game might give you the opportunity to bet at over/under 1.5, 2.5, and 3.5.
- The final basic lesson for how to bet on soccer is predicting the amount of goals scored in each game, or the over/under. Let's return to the Champions League final for Bovada's over/under odds.
- When betting totals, you aren’t betting on just one team. You are wagering on the combined points scored in the game. For example, if the over/under in the Green Bay-Chicago game is 42.5 and you bet on the over, you need at least 43 points scored in the game to win. Conversely, if you bet the under, and the score exceeds 42 points, you lose.
- Over/under 2.5 goals is the most common market as far as the football matches are concerned, meaning that you can bet on over 2.5 goals to be scored (you win if there are three or more goals scored) or under 2.5 goals (you win if there are two goals scored or less).
One of the most popular modern day betting markets is the number of goals in a game – usually the Over/Under 2.5 goals line.
This sometimes confuses people who are new to football betting as there is obviously no such thing as half a goal!
So what exactly are you betting on when it comes to Over or Under 2.5 goals?
Allow me to explain.
What Does 2.5 Goals Mean?
The term 2.5 goals is used because you are betting on one of the following:
- 2 goals or less being scored (The Under 2.5 goals market)
- 3 goals or more being scored (The Over 2.5 goals market)
The number 2.5 is used because it falls in the middle of both markets.
You either think a game will be a low scoring one with 2 goals or less OR you think there will be goals a-plenty, with 3 goals or more.
If you bet on less than 2.5 goals and the game finishes 0-0, 1-0, 0-1 or 1-1 then your bet is a winner.
Yet if bet on less than 2.5 goals and the game finishes 2-1 or higher, then your bet is a loser.
And as the number of goals on average in a football game hovers around the 2.5 marker (although this varies based on trends, leagues and time of year) then its the usual market on offer.
Over/Under 1.5, 2.5, 3.5 and More!
The Over/Under 2.5 goals market isn’t the only option available to you though. If we look at the odds for this sample game, we can see a whole range of Over/Under goal lines:
The majority of bookmakers (43) are pricing up the Over/Under 2.5 goals line, but there are also a number at Over/Under +0.5, +1.5, +3.5, and so on.
Although they sound confusing, some of these these lines are actually relatively easy to understand as follows:
- Over/ Under 0.5 goals means you want either 1 goal (over) or more or no goals (under).
- Over/ Under 1.5 goals means you want either 2 goals (over) or more or 1 goal or less (under).
- Over/ Under 3.5 goals means you want either 4 goals (over) or more or 3 goal or less (under).
Other Common Over/Under Goal Lines
The Over/Under lines don’t stop there, as you can often regularly bet on a whole range of other similar markets.
Many bookmakers for example will offer an Over/Under 2 goals betting market. The difference between this and the Over/Under 2.5 goals line is that you get your money back if the game has exactly 2 goals.
Finally to make this just a little more complex, you can also split your stakes by using the Over/Under 2.25 goals market. One half of your stake will go on the 2.5 goals line and the other half on the 2 goals line.
I appreciate this might sound complex so to help explain more, here is a quick summary guide to the different Over/Under lines and what it all means!
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(updated on March 26, 2017)
Most bookies offer 3 choices of total goals: 1.5, 2.5 and 3.5. But some offer a wider range of options, like 2, 2.25, 2.75, 3, 3.75 and so on, that are a bit harder to understand and that confuses a lot a people.
Total Goal Over 2
You win the bet if more than 2 goals are scored and lose it if only 1 or none goal is scored. If exactly 2 goals are scored the bet is refunded.
Examples:
0-0, 1-0 or 0-1: Lose
1-1, 2-0 or 0-2: Push (bet is refunded)
2-1, 1-2, 2-2 or any other higher score: Win
Total Goal Over 2.25
In this case, you are placing half a bet on over 2.0 and the other half on 2.5. If the total goal of the match is 2 goals, you lose half your original bet (the other half is a push). If the total is more than 2 goals you win the bet, and if it’s less than 2 goals you lose the bet.
Note: sometimes you’ll see O2,2½ which is the same as O2.25!
Examples:
0-0, 1-0 or 0-1: Lose
1-1, 2-0 or 0-2: Lose half your original bet
2-1, 1-2, 2-2 or any other higher score: Win
Total Goal Over 2.5
In this case, there is no push option because a game cannot end with a total of 2.5 goals. It’s simple: you win if the total is 3 or more goals and you lose if less than 3 goals are scored.
Examples:
0-0, 1-0, 0-1, 1-1, 2-0 or 0-2: Lose
Soccer Betting Under Over 2.5 Goals
2-1, 1-2, 2-2, 3-0, 0-3 or any other higher score: Win
Total Goal Over 2.75
In this case your placing half a bet on 2.5 and the other half on 3.0. If the total is 3 goals you win half your bet (the other half is a push). You win your bet if more than 3 goals are scored and lose it if less than 3 goals are scored.
Examples:
0-0, 1-0, 0-1, 1-1, 2-0 or 0-2: Lose
2-1, 1-2, 3-0 or 0-3: Win half your bet
3-1, 1-3, 2-2 or any other higher score: Win
Total Goal UNDER 2
You win the bet if less than 2 goals are scored and win it if only 1 or none goal is scored. If exactly 2 goals are scored the bet is refunded.
Examples:
0-0, 1-0 or 0-1: Win
1-1, 2-0 or 0-2: Push (bet is refunded)
2-1, 1-2, 2-2 or any other higher score: Lose
Total Goal Under 2.25
In this case, you are placing half a bet on over 2.0 and the other half on 2.5. If the total goal of the match is 2 goals, you win half your original bet (the other half is a push). If the total is more than 2 goals you lose the bet, and if it’s less than 2 goals you win the bet.
Examples:
0-0, 1-0 or 0-1: Win
1-1, 2-0 or 0-2: Win half your bet
2-1, 1-2, 2-2 or any other higher score: Lose
Total Goal Under 2.5
In this case, there is no push option, because a game cannot end with a total of 2.5 goals. It’s simple: you lose if the total is 3 or more goals and you win if less than 3 goals are scored.
Examples:
0-0, 1-0, 0-1, 1-1, 2-0 or 0-2: Win
2-1, 1-2, 2-2, 3-0, 0-3 or any other higher score: Lose
Total Goal Under 2.75
In this case your placing half a bet on 2.5 and the other half on 3.0. If the total is 3 goals you lose half your bet (the other half is a push). You lose your bet if more than 3 goals are scored and win it if less than 3 goals are scored.
Examples:
0-0, 1-0, 0-1, 1-1, 2-0 or 0-2: Win
Over Under Football Betting Tips
2-1, 1-2, 3-0 or 0-3: Lose half your bet
3-1, 1-3, 2-2 or any other higher score: Lose
This table sums up all the possible outcomes:
| Total Goals Bet | Total Goals Match | Bet Result | Total Goals Bet | Total Goals Match | Bet Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Over 0.5 | 0 | Lost | Under 0.5 | 0 | Won |
| Over 0.5 | 1 | Won | Under 0.5 | 1 | Lost |
| Over 0.75 | 0 | Lost | Under 0.75 | 0 | Won |
| Over 0.75 | 1 | Half Won | Under 0.75 | 1 | Half Lost |
| Over 0.75 | 2+ | Won | Under 0.75 | 2+ | Lost |
| Over 1 | 0 | Lost | Under 1 | 0 | Won |
| Over 1 | 1 | Push | Under 1 | 1 | Push |
| Over 1 | 2+ | Won | Under 1 | 2+ | Lost |
| Over 1.25 | 0 | Lost | Under 1.25 | 0 | Won |
| Over 1.25 | 1 | Half Lost | Under 1.25 | 1 | Half Won |
| Over 1.25 | 2+ | Won | Under 1.25 | 2+ | Lost |
| Over 1.5 | 0 & 1 | Lost | Under 1.5 | 0 & 1 | Won |
| Over 1.5 | 2+ | Won | Under 1.5 | 2+ | Lost |
| Over 1.75 | 0 & 1 | Lost | Under 1.75 | 0 & 1 | Won |
| Over 1.75 | 2 | Half Won | Under 1.75 | 2 | Half Lost |
| Over 1.75 | 3+ | Won | Under 1.75 | 3+ | Lost |
| Over 2 | 0 & 1 | Lost | Under 2 | 0 & 1 | Won |
| Over 2 | 2 | Push | Under 2 | 2 | Push |
| Over 2 | 3+ | Won | Under 2 | 3+ | Lost |
| Over 2.25 | 0 & 1 | Lost | Under 2.25 | 0 & 1 | Won |
| Over 2.25 | 2 | Half Lost | Under 2.25 | 2 | Half Won |
| Over 2.25 | 3+ | Won | Under 2.25 | 3+ | Lost |
| Over 2.5 | 0, 1 & 2 | Lost | Under 2.5 | 0, 1 & 2 | Won |
| Over 2.5 | 3+ | Won | Under 2.5 | 3+ | Lost |
| Over 2.75 | 0, 1 & 2 | Lost | Under 2.75 | 0, 1 & 2 | Won |
| Over 2.75 | 3 | Half Won | Under 2.75 | 3 | Half Lost |
| Over 2.75 | 4+ | Won | Under 2.75 | 4+ | Lost |
| Over 3 | 0, 1 & 2 | Lost | Under 3 | 0, 1 & 2 | Won |
| Over 3 | 3 | Push | Under 3 | 3 | Push |
| Over 3 | 4+ | Won | Under 3 | 4+ | Lost |
| Over 3.25 | 0, 1 & 2 | Lost | Under 3.25 | 0, 1 & 2 | Won |
| Over 3.25 | 3 | Half Lost | Under 3.25 | 3 | Half Won |
| Over 3.25 | 4+ | Won | Under 3.25 | 4+ | Lost |
| Over 3.5 | 0, 1, 2 & 3 | Lost | Under 3.5 | 0, 1, 2 & 3 | Won |
| Over 3.5 | 4+ | Won | Under 3.5 | 4+ | Lost |
Hope this have help you understanding any doubts regarding totals in soccer!
If you have any questions leave a comment!