Total Runs are a way to wager on mlb baseball without having to select a winning team. If you are wagering on total runs, you have one simple task: you must decide whether the total amount of runs in the game will be over or under the posted total. If you see a “.5″ in the total, it is put there to prevent ties. Think of the “.5″ as the invisible line between the numbers.
Over 7.5 1.95
Under 7.5 1.95
Take a look at the example posted above. You have two options: over 7.5 runs, or under 7.5 runs.
If you were to wager on the “over” in this situation, the total runs must be 8 or higher in order for you to win your wager. The reason for this is because a game ending in 7 runs would be under 7.5 runs because of that “.5″. Remember that “.5′s” are put there to prevent ties, since there is no possible way to score half of a point in baseball, therefore the game must either go over or under 7.5 runs.
If you wager on the “under”, you will win so long as the total runs are 7 or less, as 8 runs puts you over the total. If the game ends in 1,2,3,4,5, or 6 runs, you’re a winner if you bet on the under! If the total runs reach 8 or higher, you would have lost if you were betting on the under.
Note that sometimes there may not be a “.5″ posted in the total. The total does not always necessarily contain a “.5″. The total may read something like:
Over 9 2.09
Under 9 1.87
In this situation, there is a possibility for a tie, as there is no “.5″. If the game ended in exactly 9 runs, regardless of whether you wagered on the over or the under, your wager would be a “push” (aka a tie) since the game did not go over nor under 9 runs. Therefore to win a wager on the over, the total runs must be at least 10 or higher, while a wager on the under would win so long as the game ends in 8 runs or less. Remember, in this situation, the game ending in exactly 9 runs would result in a tie regardless of whether you bet over, or under, and your wager would be refunded by your sports book.