A Beginner’s Guide: What Does TT Mean in Betting

Team total betting is available at major sportsbooks, and you can place a wager by following these steps:

1. Register for an account with a licensed sportsbook
2. Deposit funds in your account
3. Navigate to the event you're interested in. If you are having difficulty finding it, use the search function.
4. Look for team totals markets. Depending on the sportsbook, they may have their own category or be listed under 'Team Props.'
5. Make your wager.

Example: If the New York Yankees have a team total line of 4.5 runs in a TT bet, and you think they'll score five or more runs, you would bet the over. On the other hand, if you think their total runs scored will be four or fewer, you'd bet the under.

If you think they might score six or more runs, you could also seek out an alternate team total line with longer odds.

Factors to Consider When Betting on Team Totals

Several key factors should be considered when you're looking to make team total bets. 

The first thing that is important to understand about TT bets is the offensive capabilities of the team you are betting on. Depending on the sport, you can use several resources to find average scoring outputs for any teams you want to wager on, but it can pay to go deeper.

There are occasions, particularly early in seasons when all statistical data comes from small sample sizes, where how much a team has scored isn't necessarily predictive of their future output.

For example, perhaps a soccer team has been extremely inefficient offensively early in a season, but it has consistently won the possession battle, and its top striker has been injured.

When the striker returns, this team's scoring output may change radically as it now has the player best equipped to convert the opportunities created by the fact it has the ball far more than its opponents into goals.

Injuries and luck can play a role in warping the predictive ability of past results.

Never Neglect the Defense

While team total wagers are theoretically bets on how just one team will perform, it's critical to be aware of a defensive effort's effect on the final score.

Even if you are backing a seemingly reliable offensive team when that group comes up against an opponent that does an excellent job of suppressing scoring, that is worthy of your consideration.

Detailed research may help you better understand how an offense's strengths and weaknesses compare to those of a particular defense, but make sure you consider both sides of the equation.

Team Total Betting Strategies

Crafting strategies for betting on team totals requires research and analysis that will vary by sport and situation.

That said, there are guiding principles that apply to most team total betting, such as the basic structure of matchups below:

This is an oversimplification, but the idea is that the most predictable outcomes will likely stem from matchups where there is an imbalance between the offense and defense. When the units are evenly matched statistically, it will take deeper research to determine who has the edge.

Of course, sportsbooks are aware of these dynamics, which affects how they set lines, but looking for mismatches can be a helpful strategy for team total betting.

Here are a few other general principles to keep in mind:

• Research team performance: Analyze recent games, scoring trends, and head-to-head matchups to make informed decisions. It's tempting to look at season-long numbers to gauge how good teams are at scoring or suppressing runs, but sometimes that can be deceiving. Teams evolve significantly over the course of a season. The Houston Astros pitching performance from 2024 is a good example. In the first two months of the season, the team did a poor job of keeping runs off the board, allowing 4.50 runs per game (10th-worst in the majors). From June 1 on, they conceded just 3.77 runs per game, MLB's second-best rate. Being aware of trends like that is immensely helpful in team total betting.
• Consider multiple factors: Don't rely solely on a team's average points per game, even if it seems like the most intuitive statistic to focus on. Winning team total bets is often about finding teams that exceed or fall short of sportsbooks' expectations the most. For example, in 2024, only three MLB teams scored fewer runs than the Miami Marlins, but Miami went over on team total bets 55.5% of the time, the fourth-highest rate in the league. The Marlins offense was terrible, but it still got consistently underestimated by sportsbooks. Making team total bets is more complicated than just identifying the best or worst offenses.
• Shop for the best odds: Different sportsbooks may offer varying team totals and odds. Compare options to find the most favorable lines. You can do this manually or use online odds comparison tools. The difference may be modest for an individual bet, but over time finding the most favorable odds may have a significant effect on profitability.
• Keep detailed records: Track your bets, including the reasoning behind each wager, to identify patterns and improve your strategy over time. Whether you want to create a spreadsheet or prefer a low-tech solution like a notebook, having a detailed betting history can help you make better and more responsible gambling decisions.
• Manage your bankroll: Set a budget for your wagers and avoid risking more than you can afford to lose. This is a critical principle for any responsible gambling strategy. The conventional wisdom on bankroll management suggests that you shouldn't use more than 5% of your total on any individual bet.

When betting on team totals, there are several common mistakes to be aware of:

• Overreacting to recent form without considering the bigger picture. A team that has scored a lot in its last few games may seem like it is a no-brainer to exceed its total, but this ignores opponent quality and unsustainable hot streaks.
• Not accounting for key player injuries or returns from injury. A star player's presence or absence can make a big difference in a team's scoring, and overlooking this can lead to bad bets.
• Blindly following public betting trends without doing their own research. There are times when trends you may see in public on social media or elsewhere are helpful, but blindly tailing bets of others leads to poorly considered wagers.
• Not paying close enough attention to the odds: You may feel confident in a bet on a specific team to clear a certain run total, but it's important to understand whether the odds present worthwhile value. If a bet feels too good to be true, there's a good chance it is.

Baseball offers unique opportunities for team total betting due to its structure—teams' pitching and hitting are totally separate entities—and the abundance of statistical data available. 

In baseball betting, team totals are expressed in runs scored, and sports bettors can wager on whether a team's score is over or under a specified number of runs.

Factors such as the starting pitchers and the team's offensive performance against left-handed or right-handed pitching should be considered when betting on baseball team totals.

For instance, if the Los Angeles Dodgers were facing the Chicago White Sox in 2024, it might seem like a good opportunity to back the Dodgers' team total, considering Chicago ranked 26th in the majors in ERA. However, the White Sox had one ace pitcher, Garrett Crochet, who had a 3.58 ERA. On days when Crochet was starting, a team total bet on whoever was facing the White Sox was a totally different proposition.

Which hand a pitcher throws with might not seem relevant on the surface, but it makes a big difference to certain lineups. As an example, in 2024, the Atlanta Braves had the fourth-best OPS in the major leagues against left-handed pitchers (.773) but ranked 17th against right-handed pitchers (.708).

Ballpark Effects

One critical component of team totals baseball betting is how ballparks significantly impact run scoring. Due to the differing dimensions of ballparks and the climates of their locations, MLB odds vary greatly depending on where games are being played.

For example, if you are betting on a team that's known for hitting home runs, it's important to understand the ballpark they are playing in before placing a bet. Baseball Savant has a statistic for this known as 'Park Factors' that it defines like this:

Statcast park effects show the observed effect of each displayed stat based on the events in the selected park. Each number is set so that “100” is the average for that metric, and the park-specific number is generated by looking at each batter and pitcher, controlled by handedness, and comparing the frequency of that metric in the selected park compared to the performance of those players in other parks.

Over the last three seasons, there are five ballparks with a Park Factor of 115 or more on home runs:

Having information like this in mind can be the difference between winning and losing team total bets on baseball.

We’ve explored the fundamentals of team total (TT) betting, highlighting what it entails and how it can be applied across various sports. Here are the main takeaways:

Team Total Betting Defined

• TT betting allows you to wager on the number of points, goals, or runs a single team will score, making it a focused alternative to betting on the full scope of a game.
• Commonly structured as over/under bets, sportsbooks often offer alternate lines with varying odds.

Factors to Consider

• A team’s offensive and defensive strengths must both be analyzed. Injuries, recent form, and matchup dynamics are crucial.
• For baseball, unique variables like ballpark effects and pitching matchups play a significant role.

Strategies and Cautions

• Research is key—evaluate recent trends, matchups, and advanced metrics like Park Factors in baseball.
• Avoid common pitfalls like overreacting to recent performance or blindly following public trends.
• Bet responsibly and manage your bankroll to ensure sustainable betting habits.

Final Thoughts

Team total betting offers a unique angle for analyzing games, blending statistical trends with situational awareness.

By focusing on a single team’s performance, it provides bettors with a simpler yet strategic way to engage with sports. Success comes from preparation: understanding team tendencies, evaluating game-day variables, and leveraging the wealth of resources available for analysis.

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