A "Tie" Bet Results in a "Push"

Published on September 11th, 2020 8:33 pm EST
Written By: Dave Manuel


The ins and outs of the Over / Under bet in American football.  WHat if... So let's say that the Detroit Lions are playing the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football.

Due to some key injuries, you believe that the game will be a low-scoring affair, as both of the team's top offensive weapons are hurt.

The over/under line is set at 54 points exactly, and you decide to bet the under. You bet $110 in order to have the chance of winning $100.

After a back-and-forth contest, the game ends with a 34-20 victory for the Detroit Lions.

Great - what happens to your wager? After all, the game didn't go under or over the total, and there was no third option.

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If you bet on an over/under and the game ends exactly on the total, you'd have a "push".

With a "push", the sports book returns your original bet.

So, in the example listed above, you would receive your $110 back from the book, and everybody who bet on the over/under at that number would break even, including the sports book.

In most cases, the total will have a half point added to it.

So, instead of a total like 54 points, you might have a total like 54.5 points. This would remove the possibility of a "push".

This half point can be crucial and is the reason why you should always shop around your favourite sports books for a line for a game, as the difference between 54 and 54 1/2 points could easily be the difference between breaking even and losing a bet.

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