Result/Total Goals Betting Market Explained – Under/Over Bets

Result/Total Goals Betting Market Explained

In this market, you’re betting on the total number of goals scored in a 90-minute football match as well as the match winner.

Although most bookies lean towards offering a goal line of 2.5, certain fixtures provide players with additional options. This means that instead of betting on under/over 2.5 goals (where you’d need greater or fewer than 3 goals), you could bet on 3.5, 4.5, or even 8.5 goals. It all depends on the strength of one team and the weakness of the other.

For games where there are two evenly matched sides, you can expect a goal line of 2.5 to be available. In fixtures between strong, imposing outfits and teams battling relegation, you might see goal lines standing at 4.5 or more. 

A ‘goal line’ represents the number of goals required for your bet to win. If the goal line sits at under 2.5/over 2.5, all bets on ‘under’ would need exactly two or fewer goals to return a profit. On the other hand, wagers placed on ‘over’ need exactly three goals or more to win. This premise applies across the board. 

To be concise – the ‘Result/Total Goals’ market lets you bet on the goal line and the match winner. There are three ‘Result’ options to choose from:

• Home Win
• Draw
• Away Win

Result/Total Goals Meaning

Here’s an official description of the ‘Result/Total Goals’ market according to popular UK bookmaker SkyBet.

Sky Bet’s Official Description

You’re betting on: the winner of the match combined with a prediction on whether the total number of goals will be above or below the stated total.

For example, let’s say you wanted to bet on Manchester City vs Chelsea. You believe City will win the match and there will be more than two goals in the affair. As such, you would carry out the following:

• Open the games’ markets.
• Select ‘Result/Total Goals’ from the listed options.
• Click on ‘Manchester City/Over 2.5 Goals’.
• Enter your stake and confirm the wager.

If City win and two or more goals are scored overall, your bet wins. It does not matter whether Chelsea score once, twice, three times or more as long as City win and the goal line is beaten.

Terminology Explained For Result/Total Goals 

The best way to come to terms with a new market is by fully understanding each word in the market’s title. This way, you know exactly what the market means. Only by splitting the title into different sections is this possible.

The first word in this instance is ‘Result’. The ‘result’ of a match is also known as the ‘final outcome’ and it conveys details concerning which team won, as well as the final score. Result-based betting is arguably the most popular form of online wagering in the sports betting industry, making it important for all users to understand exactly what this word means. 

If Liverpool beat Arsenal 3-0, then the ‘result’ has gone in Liverpool’s favour. This is how you can determine which team came out on top by looking at the ‘result’ of the matchup.

Now that’s covered, we can move on to the second half of the market title. ‘Total Goals’ refers to the absolute number of goals scored during the match and is imperative to whether or not your bet has won. ‘Total Goals’ betting comes in many forms, with most bettors opting to take a punt on ‘2.5’ selections as they offer great value for money. However, you can bet on additional goal lines by shopping around with different bookmakers and fixtures. 

The ‘Total Goals’ section of this market is equally as important as the ‘Result’. Only when the two real-life outcomes line up with your selection will you receive returns on a bet – so it’s vital that you know what you’re betting on. Throwing money at a bet on Burnley vs Everton for Burnley to win and ‘Over 5.5 Goals’ is unrealistic for even the most optimistic of punters, which is why you should avoid such wagers. It’s also why bookies steer clear of this sort of offering selection, as bettors will actively avoid losing money on selections that are unlikely to take place.

You’d be far more likely to win by betting on Burnley to win and ‘Under 2.5 Goals’. Winning scorelines for this bet are as follows:

• Burnley 1-0 Everton
• Burnley 2-0 Everton

Any other scoreline would result in a loss for your wager. That’s how the ‘Result/Total Goals’ betting market works.

Result/Total Goals Betting Strategy

The key is to remain diligent. Losing your cool and falling into the trap that is temptation will see your stake tossed into the wind, akin to an autumn leaf during a thunderstorm. It might look like a lovely, sunny day at first; once you venture outside it begins pouring with rain. If only you’d checked the weather, you’d have known to have stayed at home.

It’s a loose analogy, but the main takeaway is similar. The sunny day is the fantastical odds and the thunderstorm represents the crushing blow to your bankroll once it becomes clear the result won’t go your way. The weather app on your phone is the strategy you should have developed to avoid such an issue.

But we’re here to help. In this section, we’ve listed a few key strategy ideas to point you in the right direction.

Pick Realistic Outcomes

In betting, there are few things more exciting than placing a bet on a selection with high odds and potential returns. This is even more pronounced when you feel that a selection could realistically take place. 

But more often than not, bookies offer substantial returns on selections that are unlikely to happen. Hence the sky-high prices. Thankfully, the ‘Result/Total Goals’ market is generous with regard to the odds displayed on most bookmakers’ websites, boasting upwards of 2.00 (1/1) on most picks. For this reason, there’s no excuse for choosing bets that will only come true one-in-a-million times. 

You’ll get paid nicely if your wager wins anyway, so why bother with unrealistic, hopeful punts? The best thing you can do is ignore outlandish bets and settle for down-to-earth wagers. 

Here’s an example in a game between Chelsea and FC Salzburg:

• SkyBet are offering Salzburg to Win and Over 3.5 Goals at 34.00 (33/1).
• SkyBet also has Chelsea to Win and Over 3.5 Goals at 2.88 (15/8).
• A £20 bet on the former returns upward of £650, while the latter pays out £57.50. 

A bet on Chelsea to win and Over 3.5 Goals at 2.88 is the wiser choice, as the Blues are heavy favourites and playing at home. Moreover, FC Salzburg have scored three or more goals in the Champions League just once in the last nine matches. For them to win with more than 3.5 goals in the match, they’d need to bag at least three times. 

So stick to your guns and do what’s right. Select bets with a realistic chance of happening, the payout is worth your while.

Accumulators Offer Massive Payouts

Go on Twitter after a Premier League weekend and search for winning bets. A common theme among successful punters is the utilization of the ‘Result/Total Goals’ betting market, with bookies handing out incredible odds on many selections.

This is primarily due to the market offering decent odds in the first place. Singles can be hugely profitable in the ‘Result/Total Goals’ market, making accas even more worthy of your money. Here’s an example accumulator at SkyBet consisting of ‘Result/Total Goals’ bets for September 16th – 19th, 2022, in the Premier League.

• Fulham vs Nottingham Forest – Home & Over 2.5 Goals at 4.00 (3/1)
• Manchester City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers – Away & Over 2.5 Goals at 1.80 (4/5)
• Newcastle United vs Bournemouth – Home & Over 2.5 Goals at 2.20 (6/5)
• Tottenham Hotspur vs Leicester City – Home & Under 2.5 Goals at 4.50 (7/2)

The total odds for this accumulator came to a whopping 187.11 (18611/100). A £10 bet pays out £1,871.10. Given recent results, none of the selections are unrealistic or out of order. This is just a taster of what’s possible when you bet on this market.

Best Bookmakers & Odds For Result/Total Goals

There are plenty of renowned bookmakers in the UK offering excellent prices on the ‘Result/Total Goals’ market. We couldn’t possibly go through each one, but there are some that must be mentioned as their consistency concerning prices, refreshing of odds, and how early they upload new selections should not be missed. 

The bookmakers we can recommend to you for this market are:

• SkyBet – Potentially the best option for odds
• William Hill – Great range of bets
• Betfair – More goal lines offered for this market than most competitors

To find the market on each sportsbook, simply log in to your account and select the game you want to bet on. From the event page, scroll down until you find any of the following options:

Full Time Result & O/U (SkyBet)

Match Result and X or More Goals in the Match (William Hill)

Match Odds and Over/Under X Goals

FAQs