This betting option focuses on the match’s total score. It displays that at least three goals will be scored, no matter which team wins or the match ends in a draw. This wager is typical for football but is also found in other sports such as hockey.
Meaning of Over 2.5 and How It Works
This wager belongs to the ‘over/under’ and ‘totals’ betting line that predicts whether the score of a match will be more than two. This means if you bet on over 2.5, you win if the total number of goals scored by both teams is three or more. Wagers are placed for the full-time, without any overtime or penalty shootouts.
In Football
This total is widespread here, as it is average if you take the number of goals scored in matches. During the 2022-23 season, for example, the English Premier League averaged 2.9 scores per game, while La Liga averaged 2.5.
For a total of over 2.5, three goals or more must be scored in the game. There can be two outcomes:
- the match ended in a nil-nil draw or was not productive (e.g. 0-0, 1-0, 1-1, 2-0) – the bet loses;
- more than two goals have been scored (e.g. 3-0, 1-2, 2-2, etc.) – the wager is successful.
Total is also used in wagering on the number of substitutions, cards, offsides, etc.
In Hockey
This total for the whole match is used less often in this sport, as more goals are scored. Nevertheless, you can choose it for one period of the match and the odds will be higher. For example, in scoring leagues like the NHL, this total is common for 2 and 3 periods.
Over 2.5 in Other Sports
Esports
In disciplines, such as Dota 2 or Counter-Strike 2, you can bet this total, but on maps, not on goals. For example, in ‘best-of-3’ matches, a team needs to win two games of three. The bet is successful if the teams play all three games in the match (in this case the score will be 2-1). On the contrary, if the meeting ends on two cards, i.e. with a score of “2-0” in either direction, the bet will be lost.
Tennis
This total can be also found in tennis matches where the participant needs two sets to win. Then you can bet on the total of sets more than 2.5. The bet will succeed if the winner will be revealed in the third set.
Basketball
Sometimes, this bet also appears in basketball. In this sport, you can bet on the individual indicators of a particular player: the number of assists, rebounds, losses, and steals. A basketball player must do the selected action three times or more.
Advantages and Risks
The pros of this type of total are that it is common, especially in football, and it has high odds.
However, this total has quite high risks, especially for championships with low results, as you need more than two goals for the bet to be successful. For example, in the South African Premier Division in the 22-23 season, only 2.1 goals per game were scored on average.
Strategy on Total Over 2.5
A successful strategy for over 2.5 goal wagers involves analysing various factors such as team statistics, recent form, tactics, and historical data. Here’s a simple strategy:
- Pick an event and study the statistics of the head-to-head meetings of the teams.
- Choose teams with a history of high-scoring matches.
- Consider the game context: factors like the importance of the match, injuries, weather conditions, and strategy may be relevant.
Example of a Successful Strategy
Let’s consider the games of the teams Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Why: Both teams are attacking and their head-to-head meetings are often resultant and with plenty of goals.
History: Out of the last 10 official meetings, 9 had more than two goals, and the stake ‘over’ was successful.
Context: El Clásico is a major event, so players are highly motivated and all matches are played in front of full stands. As teams compete to win La Liga, standings are also important.
Even so, there are exceptions, and not all games are high-scoring. A Copa del Rey match in March 2023, for instance, saw Real playing at home and being the favourites (with the odds of 1.89). As well as Robert Lewandowski being absent, Barcelona chose to play defensively. Therefore, Barça did not concede and did not score, but still won because Militao Eder scored on his own goal. In this case, the bet over 2.5 lost.