888 sports book question

[Nomahoners]

Im looking at the nhl ‘ total goals for home team - regular time ‘

They have odds for the over of 3 and 3.5 aswell as on the under side, odds for 4 and 3.5

I dont understand. Cant have a 1/2 goal. The odds for the .5 are higher. Id appreciate an explanation.

 

[OzExorcist]

It's pretty standard across most sports to use half-points for lines.

You're right of course, there's no such thing as a half-goal or a half-point, but that's exactly why they do it: to avoid ties / pushes.

Say you want to bet over:

If you bet over 3 and they score exactly 3, your bet is a push*
If you bet over 3.5 and they score exactly 3, your bet loses because 3 is under 3.5

If you bet over 3 and they score 4 or more, your bet wins
If you bet over 3.5 and they score 4 or more, your bet also wins because 4 is over 3.5

The odds for the 0.5 are higher because you're taking a bigger risk (ie: you don't have the safety blanket of a push if they score exactly 3).

The 0.5 just ensures that, win or lose, the bet always has a result that's not a tie.

* check the betting site rules on how they handle a push / tie. Most of the time you should just get your stake back, but some places treat ties as a "partial dividend" instead where you actually end up taking a small loss.

 

[Nomahoners]

If i bet over 3 and they score 3 i would have thought thats a loss not a push. 3 is not over 3. Im not saying you are wrong but the definition of over is more than not equal to.

 

[Risto234]

If i bet over 3 and they score 3 i would have thought thats a loss not a push. 3 is not over 3. Im not saying you are wrong but the definition of over is more than not equal to.

I'd like to know which magnificent bookie counts over 3 goals bets as loss if the particular team scores exactly 3 goals ...

 

[OzExorcist]

If i bet over 3 and they score 3 i would have thought thats a loss not a push. 3 is not over 3. Im not saying you are wrong but the definition of over is more than not equal to.

If you'd be willing to accept that outcome, then every sportsbook in the world would love to have you as their customer

Trust me, the result should be a push.

The only time a bet like that should be graded as a loss is if they also gave you the option to bet on the tie as well. In this case, if you had the option to bet on under three, exactly three, or over three.

That's pretty rare in total or line markets though. Where you'll see a setup like that most often is betting on soccer matches, where draws are common so you can bet on Team A, Team B or the tie, and bets on Team A and Team B lose if the match is tied.

 

[Nomahoners]

Appreciate the knowledge gentlemen. It will make my gambling easier. The only gambling im familiar with is through BC lotto corp and there are no pushes. Just winners and losers, ties go to the house.

 

[Imran520]

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