Nearly all online bookmakers these days over the over and under bet on their websites and it’s a betting option that is worth considering especially on football matches.

The over and under bet-sometimes known as betting the total-is a bet placed on the predicted outcome of a certain event. That outcome is normally the total number of combined points/goals scored in any particular match. In the UK the bet is available for sports like Rugby, tennis and most popularly football.

As with most bets the more you know about the sport, or the teams involved will help in making the decision over which over under bet to place. A bet of this type can be placed with no prior knowledge of the sport however and won’t put the bettor at a massive disadvantage.

The over under bet isn’t a complex bet to understand and involves only two options. For example say Liverpool are playing West Brom and the bookmaker is offering an over or under bet of 2.5 goals. The over 2.5 goals is at 4/5 and the under is 13/8. What the bettor has to predict is whether the total goals in the game will be more than 2.5 (Over) or less than 2.5 goals (Under). If you think Liverpool will win 3-1 then you would back the over 2.5 goals. If you think Liverpool will only win 1-0 then you would back the under 2.5 goals.

The 2.5 goals is the normal bet available from most bookmakers for football bets, but some do offer under and over’s at 1.5 goals and 3.5 goals.

The over and under bets can be available some weeks in advance of big events (cup finals, the super bowl etc) but punters need to be wary of placing this type of bet too early. Injuries to key players, suspensions and loss of goalscoring form can mean big shifts in the market can sometimes take place if a lot of money is placed on one of the two teams. Because of this it may be better to place your selection close to the start of the event.

The over and under is a simple bet that offers a decent alternative to a straight win especially if the odds on a win are prohibitive.