Betting on totals instead of picking the winner?

[Questat]

Are there many bettors here who prefer betting on totals rather than choosing who will win the game?

I’m talking about over and under bets. Like in the NBA, if you bet over 210.5 and the total score already goes above that number, your bet is already won. You don’t need to care who wins the game anymore. That’s different from betting on the winner as even if your team is leading big, it can still be scary until the final buzzer. We have seen teams blow big leads before, so a 20 point lead does not always feel safe.

For those who bet on totals, why do you like it?
Do you find it more entertaining, or do you think it is more profitable than predicting the winner?

[iv4n]

For those who bet on totals, why do you like it?
Do you find it more entertaining, or do you think it is more profitable than predicting the winner?

I like it because I don't care who wins or loses. I'm only interested in goals... And yes, sometimes it's more fun to bet on goals than on winners/losers.

But the other part of your question is tricky... It's hard to predict goals as it's hard to predict the winner. Many times the bet is lost because of one goal on either side, and you ask yourself: Couldn't City or Real score at least one more goal? I guess they could, but they didn't, and the bet is lost... So when you ask which one is more profitable, the answer is: just don't bet at all, since you don't understand what gambling is. If you wish to be profitable, you need to choose something else to do... maybe invest in oil or gold, just move away from betting on sports.

[Japinat]

Betting on totals does not seem as easy as it looks, yes you can already win if the total is surpassed by the actual score even if the game is still live, but what if you bet on the other side, the under, then you are just hoping the game will not go to overtime so you still have a chance.

I think totals, moneyline, and point spread are all designed to give gamblers more choices on which market they will choose, but there is really no gambler who is profitable by focusing on one market alone.

As for me, I mix moneyline, spread, and total, but I like spread more since it is more challenging and I like to cheer for the team I bet on while watching the game, I cannot really cheer on totals.

[casey15]

For myself, betting totals can be a little less stressful than picking a side sometimes especially with sports like basketball where there is a lot of momentum. It's possible for a team to dominate most of a game and then blow it in the last few minutes but with over/under you don't care who wins it, just about the scoring and pacing of the game
But then I do not necessarily believe that totals brings in greater profit. They are merely another market to analyze and  instead of focusing on which team is more dominant, you just have to focus on the efficiency of one side's offense against the other's defense, any injuries on either side, the speed of play, and so on. In the long run, it will really come down to which of the two markets offers value from the bettor's perspective.

[Fivestar4everMVP]

Are there many bettors here who prefer betting on totals rather than choosing who will win the game?

I’m talking about over and under bets. Like in the NBA, if you bet over 210.5 and the total score already goes above that number, your bet is already won. You don’t need to care who wins the game anymore. That’s different from betting on the winner as even if your team is leading big, it can still be scary until the final buzzer. We have seen teams blow big leads before, so a 20 point lead does not always feel safe.

For those who bet on totals, why do you like it?
Do you find it more entertaining, or do you think it is more profitable than predicting the winner?

I do bet in totals but I don't do this as frequently as I do with betting on who will win the match.
And I have to agree that betting on who to win the match is often not as profitable as many think because, first is that it comes with a great deal of stress where you will remain anxious and possibly worried until a match comes to an end, and sometimes, the team you bet on to win the match might be leading in and in the very last minute of the match, the opponent will score a goal that will immediate ruin your bet ticket, the is few of the disadvantages of betting on who to win the match over totals.

The reason why I don't bet on totals that frequently is because it's a market I am yet to fully understand, and also at times, for someone who is doesn't watch match that frequently, it hard to accurately predict how many goals can come to a match.
But then, I will study this more and try to start betting on totals more than I do with who wins a match because I have a feeling totals will be more profitable.

[khatarnak]

For those who bet on totals, why do you like it?

it is all about value.

Sometimes I look at a game and have no clue who wins. In those cases I'd rather look at the handicap or over/under markets.

I don't really care which market I'm betting on. I just go with whatever looks like the better bet.

[swogerino]

Are there many bettors here who prefer betting on totals rather than choosing who will win the game?

I’m talking about over and under bets. Like in the NBA, if you bet over 210.5 and the total score already goes above that number, your bet is already won. You don’t need to care who wins the game anymore. That’s different from betting on the winner as even if your team is leading big, it can still be scary until the final buzzer. We have seen teams blow big leads before, so a 20 point lead does not always feel safe.

For those who bet on totals, why do you like it?
Do you find it more entertaining, or do you think it is more profitable than predicting the winner?

I almost never bet on any team to win and again will iterate here that the game between Switzerland vs Qatar just confirms this theory to work better. I usually bet on goals but most of the time on both teams to score as that is the only bet that keeps your hope of winning the bet alive even if the result is 0-0 on the 75th minute of the game for example. Predicting the winner is more difficult as there is where surprise results happen all the time.

[Gozie51]

Are there many bettors here who prefer betting on totals rather than choosing who will win the game?

At some point I was trying to understand what you mean by totals, but I think it is better to add total goals to it for easy understanding. At least, in football, that's how you can understand it.

I’m talking about over and under bets. Like in the NBA, if you bet over 210.5 and the total score already goes above that number, your bet is already won. You don’t need to care who wins the game anymore.

It was after reading the body of your post that I understood your point well.

For those who bet on totals, why do you like it?

It is easier with total goals for me than who eventually wins or lose the match. With over or under, you know your target and most times it is met even before the game is over. If you meet your expected goals, the rest of the match becomes fun. However, if for under goals then you have to wait for the end of the game especially if you are betting on FT.

Do you find it more entertaining, or do you think it is more profitable than predicting the winner?

It is more easier to win with betting for over or under goals. Most people have won with this kind of betting than they have won with win or lose. Win or lose is quite tasking and not always giving possible win, it comes with options like 1,2,12,1x or 2x.

So if under or over goals produce more winning, it means it is more profitable than win or lose options. Particularly, I prefer betting for goals options like 0.5, 1.5, 2.5 than win or lose because it reduces chances of losing and anxiety.

[rachael9385]

Betting has to do with picking the options you want to bet on based analysis being carried, personally I prefer to bet on totals than picking either the home or away team to win even when it seems like one of them has a high chance of winning, when I notice that both teams are good with attacking I go with the over Market.

[Cryptomultiplier]

Are there many bettors here who prefer betting on totals rather than choosing who will win the game?

I’m talking about over and under bets. Like in the NBA, if you bet over 210.5 and the total score already goes above that number, your bet is already won. You don’t need to care who wins the game anymore. That’s different from betting on the winner as even if your team is leading big, it can still be scary until the final buzzer. We have seen teams blow big leads before, so a 20 point lead does not always feel safe.

For those who bet on totals, why do you like it?
Do you find it more entertaining, or do you think it is more profitable than predicting the winner?

I have always preferred betting on totals because I don't get to overthink or over analyze previous results in depth because I am looking for the highest possible winner in a certain match.
Although I do little of NBA betting, I focus more on sports betting where it is overs or unders for me and a few straight wins having known the underdog and their poor performance display from previous matches.

Betting on totals is quite favorable to those bettors like myself who bet according to possession counts, goal efficiency on the offensive and their defense capacity and pace.
Who wins or losses in the match is not too much a concern to me as long as my goal aggregate before '90 has clicked green.

[giammangiato]

Betting this way is less stressful for me, every now and then I do it when I don't feel like thinking too much about the teams playing, I have to say it's not as simple as it might seem to guess, but I can confirm that I have won several times, if memory serves I believe that out of 8 plays made this way 2 or 3 I have won them, to be sure I should check the historian.
But in general it's fine, I don't consider it a strategy but a way of betting random every now and then, that's funny yes.

[len01]

The most common answer is that those who bet on totals avoid a surprise when the underdog pulls off a late surge. Especially gamblers who frequently bet on soccer often bet on totals because in soccer, underdogs often beat the favorites.

I personally often choose that option as well, but I more frequently bet on total corners and place live bets during the match to increase my chances of winning.

[Boiboi20]

For myself, betting totals can be a little less stressful than picking a side sometimes especially with sports like basketball where there is a lot of momentum. It's possible for a team to dominate most of a game and then blow it in the last few minutes but with over/under you don't care who wins it, just about the scoring and pacing of the game
But then I do not necessarily believe that totals brings in greater profit. They are merely another market to analyze and  instead of focusing on which team is more dominant, you just have to focus on the efficiency of one side's offense against the other's defense, any injuries on either side, the speed of play, and so on. In the long run, it will really come down to which of the two markets offers value from the bettor's perspective.

I get your point betting on total can sometimes feel easier because you don’t have to worry about which team wins just how the game is likely to play out in basketball especially a team can look dominant for most of the game and still lose in the closing minutes.

That said i don’t think over under bets are necessarily more profitable they are just a different way of looking at the game instead of focusing on the stronger team you are paying attention to things like scoring trend defensive match up injuries and the pace of the game in the end profit comes down to finding value in the market you are  betting on not whether it is total or picking a side.

[Boiboi20]

For myself, betting totals can be a little less stressful than picking a side sometimes especially with sports like basketball where there is a lot of momentum. It's possible for a team to dominate most of a game and then blow it in the last few minutes but with over/under you don't care who wins it, just about the scoring and pacing of the game
But then I do not necessarily believe that totals brings in greater profit. They are merely another market to analyze and  instead of focusing on which team is more dominant, you just have to focus on the efficiency of one side's offense against the other's defense, any injuries on either side, the speed of play, and so on. In the long run, it will really come down to which of the two markets offers value from the bettor's perspective.

I get your point betting on total can sometimes feel easier because you don’t have to worry about which team wins just how the game is likely to play out in basketball especially a team can look dominant for most of the game and still lose in the closing minutes.

That said i don’t think over under bets are necessarily more profitable they are just a different way of looking at the game instead of focusing on the stronger team you are paying attention to things like scoring trend defensive match up injuries and the pace of the game in the end profit comes down to finding value in the market you are  betting on not whether it is total or picking a side.

[Pandu Geddon]

Do you find it more entertaining, or do you think it is more profitable than predicting the winner?

If it's said to be more profitable, that's not really the case. But indeed, sometimes the odds are better. Still, the chances of winning can't be guaranteed either.
I think my choice of bets will depend on the teams playing. Sometimes I bet on goals, and sometimes I also bet on the winner. But I rarely guess the final score. It's very difficult even though the odds are quite high.

[danherbias07]

In the past, I was intrigued with the total points over and under and actually won a good amount, but as it goes on, I'm kind of having trouble predicting them, so I switched back to picking the game winner.

It's fun. If you always watch the games, you will really understand it.

For example, back when the Denver Nuggets won the championship, they would win the game if their total score was 120+. They actually had a good record of that. A sure win when they score that high. Since they are winning most of their games, all a gambler would do is predict the total score of their opponent, and it's probably lower than that, with some doubt that it's a close game. Probably a blowout.

The Pistons also had a record back in the day as they got their championship (Billups, RIP, the Wallaces, and Prince). Most of their wins came from opponents unable to reach 100 total points. It's a low-scoring game since they are a defense-oriented team. It's probably "Total Under".

Yeah, I think what got me into it is the love for the game.

[ralle14]

It's one of my alternatives together with the team total whenever I can't trust myself to pick a winning side. I mostly pivot to this market because the pattern is more obvious compared to picking the better team in the match.

For me, nothing beats a match winner ticket when it comes to entertainment, but with totals, it's a toss-up because it can quickly suck the fun out when they play unexpectedly.

[crwth]

I would also bet on totals just because the odds are better than for other types of bets. It's like the aggregate and the average data. It's usually based on analytics and cannot be significantly influenced by the casino.

I would sometimes do some correlation bets, like do some of my favorite teams + over. It's a double whammy if I am correct lol.

[Wakate]

Betting on under and over on the numbers of goals that will come out in a match is another good option I have been using to make money from gambling. We don't have to be betting on who is going to win a match which we know that the team who chooses to win can still lose the match at any point in time or play a draw match. Betting on sport has so many options and to be on a safe side, I often bet on the number of goals that could be the outcome in a single match.

[Slow death]

In my case, I don't have a preference for which market I'm going to bet on; it all depends on the data I can obtain and the conclusion I reach after analyzing it. When it's a difficult game to predict the winner, but it appears to have fewer goals, then I'll bet on fewer goals. But if it's a game that appears to have many goals, then I'll bet on many goals. There are cases where, after analyzing the game, I see that I couldn't get clarity in the 1x2 market, or in the over/under goals market, so I look at the Asian handicap market and bet on it when the odds are right.