How to Bet on Win Totals in Ohio

As you’re likely aware, over/unders are a popular wagering choice. What you may not know is that they offer options well beyond single-game betting.

One such option is betting on season win totals of individual teams. If you’re looking to predict how well a team is going to perform throughout the year, this bet could be for you. Below, we dive into wagering on regular season win totals in Ohio.

Where can I bet on season win totals in Ohio?

With sports betting in Ohio on its way to launching, you will have plenty of legal options to choose from.

Check the table below for online sportsbooks to choose from in Ohio. If you see one you like, simply click on it to head to its website, where you can register for an account, claim whatever Ohio sportsbook promos are available and start betting.

Not sure which is the right one for you? Check the in-depth reviews on this site for each of the sportsbooks you can choose from in the Buckeye State. There is likely something that will fit your needs.

Betting on regular season win totals

Futures bets are a popular aspect of the sports betting hobby, and betting on season win totals is an option that’s available for most of the major team sports. The idea is simple: Oddsmakers will project a number of wins for each team, and you can wager on a team’s win total going over or under that projection. Here’s a potential example:

Cincinnati BengalsOver 9.5
Cincinnati BengalsUnder 9.5

In our fictional example, the oddsmakers have set the line at 9.5 wins. Will the Cincinnati Bengals win over that total (10 or more) or under 9.5 (nine or fewer)?

This has become one of the most popular futures bets if only for the reason that it allows bettors to postulate on individual teams and how well they will perform. From the time the playoffs come to an end to the start of a new season, pundits, bloggers and your coworkers are all going to have thoughts on how teams are going to perform. You can take your opinions and turn them into potential moneymakers.

Which sports let me bet on win totals?

While Ohio sportsbooks won’t offer season win totals for every single sport out there, they do cover the majority of them, especially at the professional level in North America.

The most popular sports are going to get most of the love at sportsbooks, and that is the same for futures bets. You’ll be able to bet on regular season win totals in the following sports:

  • NFL: The undisputed heavyweight champion of the sports betting world, NFL betting gets all the attention. Sportsbooks don’t waste any time posting lines for pro football futures, including NFL win totals, so you’ll be able to get in on the action pretty quickly after the Super Bowl comes to a close.
  • NCAA football: Nearly as popular as its professional counterpart, college football draws a lot of attention from the betting public. You’re not going to get the college football lines as quickly as you do with the NFL, but you can usually start finding them in the late spring and early summer, depending on your sportsbook. An important factor to keep in mind is that some sportsbooks count conference championship games and even bowl games in the season win totals. You can find out how your sportsbook handles that by reading the NCAA football section in the terms and conditions.
  • MLB: You can usually find pretty early lines for regular season MLB win totals. Many sports bettors use those early MLB betting lines as a measuring stick for their own research on potential World Series runs.
  • NBA: Be patient when waiting for NBA lines from your sportsbook. Nearly all oddsmakers are going to wait until after the NBA draft and free agency have come to a close before they release their NBA win totals predictions.
  • NCAA basketball: With over 300 men’s college basketball programs out there, you’re not going to find futures wagers available for all of them. That’s just not going to be feasible for any sportsbook. However, you’ll still have more than enough college basketball bets to choose from as sportsbooks do dive fairly deep when they are working up their NCAAB regular season win lines.
  • NHL: This one will throw you off if you’re not sure what you’re looking for. Instead of win totals, NHL hockey betting will be on regular season point totals. The way the league works is on points, with two points for a win and one for a loss in overtime. Make sure to keep that in mind when placing your bets.

Strategies for betting on season win totals

Looking for some tips and strategies? Below we outline three key areas when it comes to betting on total wins for a season. Of course, this isn’t all you should pay attention to, but it can make for a good start:

  • Previous season: Make sure to consider how a team did in the previous year when you’re researching for futures betting. Let’s take a look at the Cleveland Cavaliers. While they may have had some success in the past, followed by some rough patches and then some success again, the upward trend really started after some young talent gained some experience. On the other side of that coin, you might find a team that did really well, but it was full of veterans who have been declining in recent years. You can track those trends by looking over previous data to get an indication of whether a team is trending up or down.
  • Offseason: For some teams, this is when the magic happens, and it is imperative that you keep tabs on the moves a team makes when you’re considering a futures wager. Did a star get traded? Did an unexpected free agent join the team? Was the draft particularly beneficial to the team you’re researching? Championships are won through hard-fought games, but the real architect for a successful run is often what happens in the offseason. New coach? New talent? An absolute stud of a pick at No. 1 in the draft? There are many reasons why keeping track of offseason moves is important.
  • Preseason: Sure, you could look at the preseason and say that you can’t really judge a team based on its performance during what are essentially scrimmages. The importance isn’t so much a team’s record, but rather how the newest edition of that team looks, especially if it made moves in the offseason. Also, do key players look healthy? It doesn’t matter if we’re talking about MLB spring training or preseason contests in football. You can gather valuable information by keeping tabs on teams prior to the start of the regular season.

If you’re waiting to make your bets, be sure to keep track of team news, and especially injuries. Remember that the longer you wait, the more clear the overall picture for the season is going to be, and that will translate to lines shifting at your sportsbook. The earlier sports betting lines are generally more lucrative, but also far harder to predict. You need to determine if you want to have a higher risk for a higher reward, or if you would prefer more confidence by waiting until things begin to play out.

Are overs or unders easier to win with?

Let’s be honest: If we knew that answer with 100% certainty, we would be stuffing our pockets full of cash and laughing our way to the bank. However, there are trends that you can follow to see how things typically play out.

Most experts are going to tell you that the under is easier to win with. Why? Because things tend to go wrong as a season gets underway. Star athletes get hurt, head coaches get fired, the league suspends players for performance-enhancing drugs — the list goes on and on.

Murphy’s law dictates that if something can go wrong, it will. Ask any head coach of any sports team in the world and you’ll likely receive some level of agreement.

Because of that, bettors tend to look at the under as a more likely scenario. That doesn’t mean it is always the right choice, but it is definitely worth considering when you are doing your homework.