Future bets are very popular with certain people because they can bet money on future events rather than making a bet right now. Season win totals is one of these future bets that is very popular. For a season win total bet, a sportsbook picks the number of wins that a certain team will make during the season. You pick that the actual number of wins will be higher or lower, and make your wager on it.
At the end of the season, the actual number of wins is compared to that number. If you picked right, then you get paid. If not, then you lose. It’s a very easy and simple type of bet to make, and it doesn’t take a lot of research to make an accurate bet.
What are season win totals bets?
The season win totals bets, also called over-under bets, are very interesting wagers that you can make. They are also good for novice bettors to take, because they can be easily guessed on and can allow you to get some skin in the game for your favorite sports team. You can pick this depending on the odds of your favorite team, and you can find them at various sportsbooks.
They fall under future bets, so you will be able to find season win totals odds underneath the future bets sections of the sportsbook. Once you find the season win totals for the team or teams that you would like you to bet on, follow the rules of the sportsbook and place your sports wager.
How do win totals bets work?
Futures bets are wagers on events and things that will happen in the future, rather than something that is happening now. You place the wager on day one, and then have to make some wagers on the future events. Many bettors really enjoy this because it is a single wager with a very long lifespan.
They can also have money spread out and at multiple games without needing to worry about researching and analyzing different games. Win totals bets allow for every bettor to have the chance to make a lot of money by betting on things in the future, and they also get a very high payout at the end.
Most futures bets, including win totals bets, are often placed at the beginning of the season. This will usually depend on the sportsbook, where some books might have future bet odds available on day one, while others will have their odds placed on different days.
Future odds can, and probably will, change often through the course of the game. Depending on the number of wins and losses a team suffers or how well they are playing, then the number of matches they might win will either go up or down. Additionally, players can be injured, taken out for the season, or traded, and that in turn affects their team and the future bet odds. Future bet odds are focused on the chance that something will happen, but what they are focused on might not be the thing that happens.
It isn’t just the events of the games and sports teams that change the types of odds that a futures bet might hold, but also the money put on the line by the people betting. For example, if a lot of money is wagered on one specific team to win a certain number of bets, then the sportsbook might hedge bets to limit their liability.
When do season win totals lines come out?
The times that all of the season win totals lines come out will vary depending on the sport being discussed. For example, in the NFL most people love to bet season win totals and they are very popular, so all sportsbooks open up those betting lines early to get everyone inside and betting on their favorite team and their odds.
For the NCAAF, betting season win totals is another very common type of bet, so most sportsbooks open the lines later in the year, such as in the spring and summer. Other sportsbooks will post them closer to the kickoff starting date.
In Major League Baseball, the regular-season win totals come out early. Everyone needs an early indication of what teams might struggle this season and what teams are going to make it to the World Series.
The season win totals always come after the final draft and the free agency has been completed in the NBA, but for the NCAAB the schools that have betting options will open things up early.
Finally, the NHL doesn’t use season win totals, but rather they use regular-season point totals. Teams will receive two points for every single win that they get and one for every loss. The sportsbooks and oddsmakers will post overs and unders on point values rather than wins. Still, it’s easy enough to convert the two, where a team with six points is being bet on to win three games.
When are season win bets paid out?
With the future bet taking all season, most people wonder when they will get paid due to a successful wager. This depends on the sport, but for the NFL you will be paid before the last game in the playoffs. The payment date will be dependent on your state, your sportsbook, and the sport in question.
In most cases, however, the wagers are paid at the end of the regular season, once everything is over. However, the payment will change based on the number of games played and the world situation. For example, the COVID-19 pandemic shattered the sports world and forced a complete overhaul of the schedule, and that changed a lot of bets and even voided a few. For example, in NBA bets in the state of Nevada, any bets for teams that didn’t play the full number of games were voided and refunded.
Most of the time a major event, like a worldwide pandemic, needs to happen in order to change and void bets. The number of games played per season needs to be changed, and that rarely happens unless it is under some special circumstances.
Key factors to consider when betting win totals
Betting win totals isn’t just about dumb luck or guessing numbers, but instead about science and patterns. You can use past data to make some pretty accurate predictions about how your team will do this year, all by looking at how they did previously. For example, if one team won their past three games and has been doing very well score-wise, you should bet the over.
If another team is filled with rookies and past their prime veterans, along with a losing streak, then you might want to focus on betting the under. While there’s a chance that they could come back for this next season, it is unlikely.
Additionally, don’t just look at the regular season, but the off-season as well. Teams make lots of moves in their offseasons, and you need to start doing your homework during the off-season. Some teams might fire a head coach and replace retiring team members with new stars, bringing them up the ranks and towards stardom.
You also need to take a look at the various injuries your team suffers, and how those will go about adjusting the odds of the game. It doesn’t matter whether the injury is a long-term or a short-term one, but more about who it happens to. If your star running back injures his leg and is out for the game, even for just one game, it can throw your entire game off and can impact your bet.
If you want to make sure that you get out ahead of off-season or preseason injuries, then wait until the last minute to cast your bets. You want to make sure that any problems happen during the regular season, rather than having to deal with making the bet early and handling the consequences of that.
How to determine/calculate strength of schedule
The strength of schedules is the difficulty of your team vs. another team. You just need to have the winning percentage of your team, and it helps you determine how tough your schedule is when compared to another team. The formula only requires three things, with the first being the winning percentage (W%), the second is the opponent winning percentage {OppW%} and then the team game played. {TmGP]
All three of these numbers can be plugged into a simple formula to find the strength of schedules, where the opponent winning percentage is added to the overall opponent winning percentage and then divided by three to get the SoS. There are a few more formulas and numbers, but that is the gist of it.
You can find the strength of schedule for all teams on various websites, simply by googling the term ‘strength of schedule.’
Even without a strength of schedule, you can look at the projected schedule for the team you want to root for, and see what it looks like. If they are going to be playing against a lot of weaker teams, they will obviously win more often. However, if they are running the gauntlet and going against several tougher teams, then problems might start to arise.
Win totals in major sports
Regular season win totals have become some of the most popular betting markets at online sportsbooks and are particularly prominent within the NFL, NBA, and MLB.
NFL win totals bets
In order to illustrate how season win totals work in the NFL, we have some examples for you. A sportsbook opens and the Denver Broncos are scheduled to have a season win total of 12 with an over -145 and an under +110
If you think that the Broncos will win 12 games or more during the preseason, then you will bet over, and will need to put down $145 to make a $100 dollar profit. If you think they will do less, then you should put under, and will need to put down $110 to make a $100 profit.
Another NBA bet could be the Minnesota Vikings at eight, with an over of -110 and an under of +130. Most people would then choose to bet under, because they can make more of a profit if the Vikings win fewer than eight games.
NBA win totals bets
For the NBA, most websites have a current and a projected win score, with both features promptly displayed for you. Then you can bet over or under on those teams. For example, if the Chicago Bulls have a 28.5 (29) season win total with -122 over and +100, then you will need to spend $100 on under to get a $100 profit, and $122 on over to get a $100 dollar profit.
For the Los Angeles Lakers, they might have a 48.5 (49) season win total with -142 over and +116 under. It’s up to you to make your choice and see what will get you the most profit.
MLB win totals bets
Major League Baseball has a 162 game-long season, so you need to make sure you are placing your MLB bets wisely. Otherwise it is going to be a very long season for you if things start to go wrong. The Los Angeles Dodgers are currently the top pick for the championship at a 103.5 season win total, and they have -115 at both their over and under. You’ve got a fair shot at making some money with going either over or under, so that’s going to be a tough call to make.
The Pittsburgh Pirates have a 59.5 game win streak, but also have a -115 as both their under and over. You’ve got fewer games to worry about, and stand a chance at getting some money back either way. Study the Pittsburgh Pirates and then make sure that you’ve got all the facts before you put money down on the full season.
Season win totals seem very easy on the surface, but also can prove to be tricky and difficult if you don’t take your time and do your research carefully. Make sure to put the time in before getting too far in and just making wild guesses.