Today, there are a huge number of markets for any kind of sports in the list of bookmakers. No one feels the lack of choice – even fans of rare sports will find something to bet on, not to mention football, hockey or tennis fans. One of the most popular markets in all sports is the total – the number of actions taken in a game. A variation of such a market is the total “even-odd”. What is it, how to bet on an even and odd total, what are the secrets, strategies and “pitfalls” – we will tell you about everything in this article.
What does “total even/odd” mean in betting
Some betters compare even/odd bets to guessing the color of roulette (red or black), but the validity of such an assessment is questioned. On the one hand, bookmakers in most cases really evaluate the even and odd total as equally likely outcomes. On the other hand, in some cases the probability of passing one of these totals will be noticeably higher than 50%.
What is an even/odd market? Its essence is fully reflected in the name. To pass the “total even” bet in the match, two teams in total must make an even (divided by 2 without a remainder) number of any actions (most often goals in football, pucks in hockey or games in tennis). For example, a bet on “even” will play if 4 goals are scored in football (scores 2:2, 3:1, 4:0), in hockey – 6 goals (5:1, 4:2, 3:3), in tennis, 20 games are scored (6:4, 6:4 or 7:5, 6:2). An important nuance for betting on football is that the score 0:0 is considered even.
For the “total odd” bet to play, the number of the same actions from the two teams must be odd (not divisible by 2 without a remainder). For example, in football, scores 1:0, 2:1, 3:2 (1, 3, 5 are odd numbers), in basketball – 100:85, 90:67 and many others, in handball – 40:35, 37 :34 etc.
Here are some of the features of this type of bet:
- Even/Odd bets are not just for the whole match. Offices offer to bet on a specific period / time / set, as well as on the individual achievements of team players;
- in some sports, in addition to goals, you can bet on an even or odd total of statistical data. For example, in football – for kicks, corners, warnings, fouls; in tennis – for aces and double faults; in basketball – for rebounds, assists, interceptions, block shots;
- there can be no return on the bet on the total “even/odd”. Teams will necessarily finish the game or the selected segment with one of two outcomes;
- Of course, even if the bookmaker evaluates the odds of odds and evens equally, they will not offer odds of 2.0. It’s all about the bookmaker’s margin – because of it, quotes for equally likely outcomes will be in the region of 1.85-1.9;
bets on “even” and “odd” are accepted both in prematch and live; - the higher the total, which is expected by the bookmakers in the match, the closer the odds for “even/odd”;
- bets on even and odd totals are calculated based on the results of the regular time of the match. If it ends in a draw, the bet on “even” plays, and extra time and penalty shootouts do not count.
Examples of bets on the total “even/odd”
Let’s analyze several bets on this market, which are offered by legal Russian betting shops. First, let’s take a look at the odd/even bet in the football match between Manchester United and Liverpool in the Premier League 2022/23.
Example #1. You made a bet of 1000 r. on the total match total “even”. On the screen, the market is designated as “total even – yes”. The coefficient is 1.86. Note that in this match, the bookmaker estimates the probability of an even total slightly higher than an odd one – 1.9 is offered for the opposite outcome. For the bet to play, the teams must score 0, 2, 4, 6, etc. in total. goals – in this case, the winnings will be 1860 rubles. It does not matter who exactly will be different – both teams or one. Equally arrange accounts 2:2 and 4:0.
Example #2. In the same match, you bet 1000 r. to the even individual total of Manchester United. For this outcome, the coefficient is 1.7, while for the opposite one – 2.02. In this case, this is due to the fact that Liverpool is the clear favorite of the match, and Manchester United has big problems in attack at the start of the season (only 1 goal was scored in two matches with the modest Brighton and Brentford). That is, the office gently pushes us to the idea that Manchester United probably won’t score a goal.