What Moves Over/Under in Sports Betting?
With over 100 million people now able to legally place a sports bet in this country, more bettors than ever are flooding into the market. For those betting on sports for the first time, there are many concepts worth exploring that will impact the way and on which side they will be placing their bets.
One common bet, the over/under, has particular factors that move it up and down from when posted until the start of the game. Let’s take a look at a few of those reasons.
What is the Over/Under?
Commonly referred to as a “total,†that’s exactly what the over/under is; simply the sum of two teams’ scores in a particular sporting event or game. For example, if Team A scores 24 points and Team B scores 30, the game’s over/under (total) is 54. Depending on what the over/under was set at, the sum of the two scores would fall either “over†or “under†the posted number.
What factors move the Over/Under?
While things such as pace, offensive/defensive efficiency, and other offense/defense metrics are baked into the opening over/under, many factors can move it before the sporting event starts.
One common factor when it comes to games played outside is weather reports. For example, in American football, the over/under tends to move lower when snow/rain is in the forecast, with the more accumulation, the bigger the move. For baseball, the direction of the wind can play a factor in where the over/under moves based on more balls leaving (or staying in) the stadium.
Another factor is injuries, with injuries to key players often moving the over/under. In basketball for example, if reports surface that a team’s top scorer will be missing a game unexpectedly, you can predict the over/under to head downwards. Similarly, the unexpected or last-minute absence of a star quarterback in football will send the over/under down, as fewer points will be expected to be scored.
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Johnny is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Johnny, check out his archive and follow him @JohnnyCovers.