Betting Total Lines at Online Sportsbooks

Along with pointspreads for football and basketball along with moneylines for baseball and hockey, the total line is one of the most popular bets placed at online sportsbooks such as Vice. It does not matter which team wins the game and which one loses, it all comes down to how many points, runs or goals are scored.

The total line is based on the combined final score. The bet is the OVER or UNDER on that total. Any points, runs or goals scored in a game that needs overtime or extra innings to determine a winner count in the final combined total score. For hockey, one goal is added to the winning team’s final score if the game was decided in a shootout.

The total line can have a wide variance for football and basketball games given how much scoring takes place in these sports. The range of the total line will be limited for lower scoring games in baseball, hockey and soccer.

The total line for a typical NFL game can range from the high thirties to the high fifties in points. NBA games have a range of around 20 points at well. Two defensive-minded teams may have a total in the 190’s while two high scoring teams could top 235 as their total line.

When it comes to total lines for MLB games, a pitching duel between two team’s starting aces could be as low as 6 ½ runs. Total line can top 10 or 11 runs when two high-scoring teams face one another. NHL games have one of the smallest variance between total lines with a low of five and a high of 6 ½ goals. The total line for a soccer match usually falls between two and four goals.

Betting the total line applies to a wide range of sports and sporting events. Anytime points are involved, there will be some sort of total line set. In golf, you can bet the OVER/UNDER on the winning score in total strokes. In tennis, total lines can pertain to the total amount of individual games or sets played in a best-of-three or best-of-five match.

Another extension for betting the total line are set increments of time. NFL and NBA total lines can be set for each quarter or half of play. In this case, any points scored in overtime do not apply to the fourth quarter or second half betting line. Hockey has betting totals by period and baseball uses a five inning total line as a halfway point in the game.

One of the main reasons why any total line is a popular bet is the overall versatility. Individual prop bets can bet set using any number of total lines. How many touchdown throws, three-point buckets, home runs are popular betting options that revolve around a set total line.

Total lines are a big part of betting futures. The OVER/UNDER on a team’s total wins for a season is a good example. This can also apply to player futures. The OVER/UNDER on a quarterback’s total passing yards is a popular total line bet.

Another big reason why total line bets are so popular is ease of use. All you are really doing is making an educated guess of one of two choices: the OVER or the UNDER. You can spend as much time as you want handicapping the outcome or just flip a coin.