When asked what does 0.5 mean in betting terms, it is the lowest threshold from the over/under goals markets in football. A wager on 0.5 means either one or more goals are scored by either team in a game or none at all, depending on whether you bet over or under. Not only that, but it’s also set for other football markets, such as assists. You can even use over/under 0.5 for wagering on other sports and betting options. We’re going to explain everything that you need to know about this topic.
One of the most popular type of markets for football betting, are over/under goals markets. A threshold is set and you can bet on whether the amount of goals will be over this total, or under.
These markets start with 0.5 goals and there are also ones for higher amounts of goals. The reason that these thresholds include a half-goal, is to ensure that there are only two possible results in the market, which are over or under.
If there was a market for betting over/under 1 goal, then there would be three possible results. Under 1 goal, which would be a goalless match, exactly 1 goal, or over 1 goal, which would be a match with 2 goals or more. The half goal makes sure that there are only two possible outcomes.
We will now address the point of what does under 0.5 mean in betting. If you bet under in an over/under 0.5 goals market, then you are predicting that there will be less than 0.5 goals in the game. If a single goal or more goes in, then your wager loses.
That means that you are essentially betting on the game being a 0-0 draw. You should therefore find that 0-0 in the correct score market with online bookies and under 0.5 goals have the same odds. This is only logical when you consider how traders create odds.
The only exception is if you were using a betting exchange, where the prices are set by the punters. In that instance, rather than getting standard betting odds like with a fixed odds bookmaker, they could be slightly different, but even then there prices should be broadly the same and any difference will be negligible.
According to FootyStats, four Premier League teams had under 0.5 goals in more than 10 per cent of their matches during the 2022-23 season. It’s very revealing that these included high-profile clubs like Chelsea and Liverpool. Even more interesting is the fact that Newcastle United had the highest percentage at 18 (seven games), but recorded a top four finish.
So what does over 0.5 mean in betting? If you bet on overs on an over/under 0.5 goals market, you are predicting that there will be more than 0.5 goals in the game.
That means that you are essentially betting on whether there will be goals in the game. If there are 1 or more goals in the match, your bet will be a winner.
As you might imagine, and based on how betting odds work, the prices offered on over 0.5 goals tend to be pretty slim. Whether there’s only one goal in the match, or any other scoreline, this bet will see you rewarded. There is only one result that can see you lose this bet, i.e. 0-0, and every other final score will see you win.
While goals have been a factor that punters have been able to bet on for some time, assists markets are a relatively new innovation from bookmakers.
With over/under assists markets, you are betting on how many assists there will be in a match. Again, there are various thresholds, starting with 0.5 and moving on to 1.5 assists, 2.5, 3.5, etc.
Assists markets add a little more complexity than the over/under goals markets. Not every goal is assisted, if it’s scored from the penalty spot, there’s a touch from an opposition player or an own goal for instance.
So, while betting on under 0.5 assists in football means that you will be a winner if the score is 0-0, a game with one goal, two goals or more, could also produce zero assists. This means that the odds are generally a lot closer than is the case with over/under 0.5 goals.
It’s not just total goals and assists that football fans can bet on with this sort of market. If you’re wondering what does 0.5 mean in betting on other football markets, here are some examples that you will find through sports betting sites today:
We’re now going to give you a couple of useful tips that will help you win betting on under 0.5 goals.
When betting on a goalless match or half, you are essentially looking for instances when the teams’ defences will be stronger than the attack. Keep an eye out for games when a team has a key attacker unavailable. Sides can often be very reliant on one striker to score the bulk of their goals; so, if they’re missing, it can have a big impact on their potency.
Another aspect to research is when teams tend to score/concede. If you find a team that tend to score later on in the game and they are up against a team that can initially keep things tight, you could have a trading position. In this circumstance, you can back under 0.5 goals meaning that the longer the game goes on as goalless, the bigger the Cash Out offer will be. With the odds for under this threshold tending to be big, you can get a decent return.
Here are some tips that will help your profitability when backing over 0.5 goals.
As we’ve mentioned, odds can be very slim for over 0.5 goals meaning that it can sometimes be relatively pointless to back it as a standalone bet. Yet it can be an interesting option to add to a Bet Builder, particularly if it is in opposition to one of your selections. Backing over 0.5 goals as one of your picks, while including other popular betting markets that would suggest a low scoring game, such as under 6.5 shots on target, is what savvy punters do and will give you some value.
While the odds of over 0.5 goals will start off very slim, they will gradually increase in the live betting coverage of a game, the longer it goes on without a breakthrough. This means that it can pay to keep an eye on this market, in-play. If a game gets to within 10 minutes of conclusion and the score is still 0-0, then the odds of overs will be pretty big. The more patient you are, the more value that could be available.
As we stated earlier, over/under goals betting market thresholds start at 0.5 goals and then gradually increase. Here are the other options that you should be able to bet on at most bookies.
Yes, they do. By now, the question of what does 0.5 mean in betting, should be clear to you. In which case, you may be considering which bookmaker to sign up with, to place such a bet. The good news is that your choice will almost be limitless. Over/under markets are extremely popular and with any betting sites that cover them, they will be starting at 0.5 goals as a threshold.