Total Games
Total games strips the winner out of the equation. Instead of picking a player, you bet on how long the match runs — Over or Under a games line that Scorebet sets, in this example 23.5 for the whole match. Hold-heavy matches stay short; scrappy, break-trading matches run long.
This is a read on style and surface, not on who is better. Big servers on grass tend to hold all day and decide sets in tie-breaks, which keeps the count down and tilts the value toward the Under. Two baseline grinders on a slow court trade breaks, drag sets out and push the count up, so the Over earns its price. Scorebet also offers the same over/under on a single set — the 1st Set Total at 9.5 here — for a faster result.
If you’d rather back one player’s workload rather than the combined count, the home and away total games market splits the line per player. And when the match is lopsided enough that the games line is the real story, pair this read with the handicap.
Place it on Scorebet, step by step
- 1Open the match and the Total tab
Open a tennis fixture and tap the Total (4) tab. You'll see Total Games (whole match), Home Total, Away Total and 1st Set Total.
- 2Pick Over or Under
Choose Over if you expect more games than the line, or Under for fewer. The whole-match line in this example is 23.5.
- 3Add to the slip
Tap your chosen odds — the button turns yellow and the pick lands in your Betting Slip.
- 4Stake and place
Enter your stake, check the returns, then tap Place a Bet. It settles once the relevant set or match is complete.
Example: total games prices
| Selection | Odds | R100 returns | Wins if… |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Games Over 23.5 | 1.92 | R192.00 | 24 or more games played |
| Total Games Under 23.5 | 1.79 | R179.00 | 23 or fewer games played |
| 1st Set Over 9.5 | 1.62 | R162.00 | 10 or more games in set one |
| 1st Set Under 9.5 | 2.16 | R216.00 | 9 or fewer games in set one |
Wimbledon grass courts favour fast matches. Strong servers hold easily, so Under 23.5 games is a common play when two big servers meet.
A best-of-three on a slow surface between two grinders pushes the count up. Lean Over when neither player has a big serve and breaks are likely both ways.
Frequently asked
Does it matter who wins a total games bet?
No. Total games only counts how many games are played across the match. You can have the losing player and still win an Over, because the bet settles purely on the game count against the line.
Why do grass-court matches favour the Under?
Fast surfaces like Wimbledon grass reward big servers, who hold serve easily and force quick sets and tie-breaks. That keeps the game count down, which is why Under lines are popular when strong servers meet on grass.
How does a tie-break count toward the total games line?
A tie-break adds exactly two games to the count — one for the set's winner and one for the loser — no matter whether the breaker is won 7-0 or 18-16. So a tight 7-6 set contributes 13 games, and a serve-heavy match full of tie-break sets stacks up fewer games than it feels like, which is the classic trap that lands Unders on grass.
Why does a lopsided match make the total games line hard to call rather than easy?
A mismatch can break two ways on games — the favourite either breezes 6-1 6-1 for a low count, or the underdog holds serve enough to lose 6-4 6-4 and keep the count respectable. Because both a blowout Under and a competitive-loss Over are live, the games line on a one-sided match is often more of a guess than on an even one, where the shape is more predictable.