How To Bet Totals

If you can count than you can bet totals. It really is that simple. Actually you also need to be able to add. You can add two numbers together right? Good, then lets taking about betting totals.

Another common name for betting totals is betting the over/under. That’s actually a better name for it because it describes exactly what you’re doing.

Almost every game that receives a point spread or a money line also receives a total. This is a number devised by the sportsbook that should be close to the combined final score of the game. The bettor’s job is to determine whether the actual combined score will go Over or Under that posted total.

Here’s an example of how a total would be posted at a sportbooks for a CFL game.

Saskatchewan +8.5 (-110) o55.5 (-110)
Montreal -8.5 (-110) u 55.5 (-110)

See the 55.5 listed next to the point spread? That is the total for this game. If you want to bet the total for this game you can either bet that the combined score will go Over 55.5 or fall Under 55.5.

CFL fans have probably already figured out this is the total from 97th Grey Cup. The final score of that game was Montreal 28, Saskatchewan 27. If you add those two numbers together you get 55. That means anyone who bet the Under was paid on their wager and anyone who bet the Over lost.

Let’s say the Roughriders had made their last-second field goal attempt and won 30-28. The combined score then would have been 58 and anyone who bet the Over would have been paid.

There’s one other part to total betting and that’s the other number next to the total in brackets. In the example it is the -110. This is the commission or the juice charged by the sports book for taking the bet. On both an Over or an Under wager you would have wager $110 to win $100. Different games and different books often have different juice so make you know what you’re risking before making a wager.