Moneyline Vs Spread
One of the most common types of sports betting lines when wagering on a game is the moneyline. You will see moneyline odds for every game and every sport played for the most part. While some games that have a very large spread but stray away from offering a moneyline, it is still one of the most popular styles of betting. A moneyline is a type of straight wager where the bettor wagers simply on who will win the contest, straight up – without any spread involved.
- Moneyline: Patriots (+150) vs. Kansas City Chiefs (-175) The moneyline in this instance should, above all, should appeal to anyone who believes the Patriots are going to win. Underdogs always payout more than 1-to-1 (New England is 1.5-to-1 here) while all point-spread bets typically return -110.
- Money Line – How it Works. Here is a typical money line for a game in the NFL: Green Bay Packers +180 Pittsburgh Steelers -200. When a sportsbook sets a money line, they’ll base the odds on the probability of a team winning the game, and in the majority of cases.
- Moneyline odds are based on a $100 wager, with the favorites getting a negative number (-) and the underdogs getting a positive number (+). A favorite at -140 moneyline odds means a $140 winning wager wins you $100 in profit. An underdog at +140 moneyline odds.
The easiest way to think of moneyline betting odds is that you are only betting on who wins the game. It does not matter how many points or goals they win by, all that matters is who wins. If you see a - (negative) symbol then that team is the favorite and the team with the + (plus) sign is the underdog. Keep reading below to understand how moneyline odds work or visit the homepage of ExplainBettingOdds.com to read about odds in general.
If you are at all familiar with sports betting, you will know that there is a stark difference between moneyline and point spread bets. Although both of these bets are placed on the outcome of a game, one is focused simply on the end result, whereas the other measure the degree of success. Spread betting is any of various types of wagering on the outcome of an event where the pay-off is based on the accuracy of the wager, rather than a simple 'win or lose' outcome, such as fixed-odds (or money-line) betting or parimutuel betting. A spread is a range of outcomes and the bet is whether the outcome will be above or below the spread. Spread betting has been a major growth market in.
Understanding How Moneyline Betting Odds Work
The moneyline is used exactly the same no matter what sport you are betting on. All you must do is select who you believe will with the matchup without any other thought behind you. By taking the favorite, a bettor would have to risk more money than what their expected return would be. Because there is no point spread involved to handicap the game, the oddsmakers and books handicap the payouts to ensure their book stays balanced. Betting on the underdog will result in a much better payout, as the oddsmakers have deemed this team less likely to lose. As you take action on either the favorite or the underdog and select the moneyline, a ratio of $100 is used to represent the payouts.
Seems pretty easy right?
Well, it's definitely easier than betting the point spread, in which a team has to cover a spread installed for a match up however you should know that moneyline wagers do not payout the same as a wager against the spread. Keep reading to learn more about payouts when betting on the moneyline.
Understanding Payouts When Betting On The Moneyline
The biggest differences on the moneyline though, aside from no point spread, is the payout. The idea behind a point spread is to bring the two teams in a match up to a more even playing field. If a team is better than the other, the points given by the favorite brings the underdog to a more even field. That is not the case on the moneyline.
Simply put, you will have to risk a whole lot more money on a favorite to profit. On the flip side though, if you bet on the underdog, the potential profit is a lot bigger on the moneyline than betting on the point spread. That is because the likelihood of the underdog winning is slim on the moneyline.
Explanation Of How Moneylines Work In MLB
- Atlanta Braves -300
- Philadelphia Phillies +200
This is an example of a moneyline you could see in Major League Baseball. The Braves are matching up with the Phillies, with Atlanta set as the favorite. You can tell Atlanta is the favorite because of the minus symbol. It is indicative of the amount that must be risked to return a profit. At -300, a $1 profit is made for every $3 risked on the Braves to win the game. On the other side, at +200, that is the same as saying 2/1. That means, for every $1 risked on Philadelphia to win the game, a $2 profit is returned. Moneylines are simply straight-up betting lines with no spread involved, which is why they can range quite significantly.
Article: How To Read MLB Betting Odds
Understanding The Moneyline In Football
- Denver Broncos -300
- Jacksonville Jaguars +300
Here in this example, the Broncos have been set in the role of the favorite, going off at -300 on the betting line. That means, for every $3 risked on Denver to win, a $1 profit is returned. So if you wager $30 on Denver to win, you stand to win $10. On the flip side, the Jaguars are set as a +300 underdog. That means for every $1 risked on Jacksonville, a $3 profit is returned. So if you were to wager $10 on Jacksonville to win, you would profit $30. So you can certainly see the disparity on the payout and why someone might want to take the Jaguars over the Broncos. Also, taking underdog moneylines in parlay bets can be huge for your payouts!
Article: How To Read College Football Betting Odds - How To Read NFL Betting Odds
Understanding The Moneyline Odds In The NBA
- Los Angeles Lakers +200
- Miami Heat -200
Here in this moneyline example for the NBA, the Lakers are matching up with the Heat. Miami has been set in the role of the betting favorite, going off at -200 on the betting line. As such, a $2 wager is needed to profit $1. So if you were to wager $200 on Miami, as $100 profit is returned if the bet is won. On the other side of the equation, the Lakers are in the underdog role. at +200, that is the same as 2/1. So, for every $1 risked on L.A to win, a $2 profit is returned. You can see a wide range of profits for a moneyline, because the underdog and favorite can be far apart straight up with no point spread.
Article: How To Read NBA Betting Odds
Bovada Sportsbook - Best Sports Betting Site For Betting On The Moneyline
Moneylines are one of the most popular bets that players get involved in. There are always teams that are expected to beat other teams. The margin of victory may be pretty wide. The big thing that sticks out here is how big of a favorite some teams are.
There plenty of moneylines that might show a team being a heavy favorite and if players bet against them, that is a very huge profitable opportunity. Upsets are always going to happen so this is where a lot of bread can be won. There are also toss-up games as well that many players take a stab at as well and end up cashing big on Bovada. This is the place to get when it comes to Moneyline bets regardless if its blowouts or close games.
BetOnline Sportsbook - Best Sportsbook With Great Moneylines
It's clear that BetOnline is one of the best sportsbooks for players and the moneylines that are offered are one of the main reasons why. There is news coming out all the time about teams prior to games and as soon as news drop that effects a team, it also affects the Moneyline on BetOnline.
This is what gives BetOnline a bonus over other sportsbooks because of the consistent update of Moneyline and always moving. Place your bet early could also be a great idea because of the news that could swing later on that week or day before matchup. BetOnline has it set up to where if any changes need to have done that is possible.
SportsBetting's Sportsbook - Lots Of Betting Odds When Betting On Moneylines
There are a number of things that SportsBetting sportsbook offers that makes it one of the better online sportsbooks for players. When it comes to picking some of these games with favorable matchups, the Moneyline does really determine how much players want to put down on these games. Most of the time, these games have the favorite that doesn’t really see players win a lot unless they put a lot of money down. When it comes to upsets, however, this is where players can have their lives change by just one pick.
Players with SportsBetting account have seen the Moneyline and have taken advantage of that the line because of the possible big payout. When you see a team like the Lions be underdogs against the Arizona Cardinals pull out the victory, only one thing is happening and that is big money is being handed out to all the players who took the chance on SportsBettting.
MyBookie Sportsbook - Money Line On MyBookie One of The Best
It is hard to find any sportsbook that has better moneylines that MyBookie. The way Moneyline works is very simple and most of the time it changes depending on what players are playing and are not. This often changes and sometimes in the favor of a player's bet. MyBookie is known for having a lot of people cash big when picking the Moneyline and the reason why is simple, their lines are better.
See the underdog betting like at (+115) is not bad but MyBookie will have that same under down with a Moneyline of (+130) which would win players more money if they were to bet on that underdog team. This is why shopping for lines is so important for all players. You can like a team to win a game and have decided you want to place a wager on them but once shopping around for lines, there is a big chance that you will find that MyBookie has the best moneylines.
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We’re about to make the transition from the time when baseball is the primary sport people are paying attention to to when football takes over. That means that sports bettors will be making the transition from primarily betting using the moneyline to primarily using the point spread. Most people seem to prefer the point spread – it’s certainly more calmly discussed and understood – but I always have and likely always will prefer the moneyline. It’s an interesting exercise to look at the benefits and weaknesses of both kinds of bets:
Benefits of Point Spreads
Cost is almost always constant – For the most part you know that each point spread bet you make is going to cost you -110. Sometimes it might cost -120 to be on a popular side, and you may find -105 or even +100 if you are lucky, but the prices you will pay operate within a small range regardless of whether you are going to be betting primarily on favorites, underdogs, or a mix of the two. That makes budgeting easier, makes it easier to keep track of meaningful records, and makes it less risky to play on heavy favorites than it is on the moneyline.
Harder to make a bad bet – The betting public generally likes the favorites. As a result, the odds on favorites are often skewed in favor of the books. If you bet on a point spread favorite that doesn’t have any value the worst you are out is whatever you have bet at -110 or -120. If you are on a heavy favorite on the moneyline, though, you might be facing a price of -250 or -300. That’s far more damaging to the bankroll if things go poorly, and far less beneficial f things go well.
Is Moneyline Better Than Spread
Easier for most people to understand – The moneyline is actually quite simple, but for most people who are new to betting the point spread is easier to embrace and become comfortable with. That’s most likely because the point spread is discussed so often in popular culture, and because the media is increasingly discussing the bet.
Key numbers are useful – The concept of key numbers – the spreads that are most commonly hit in the results of football games like 3 and 7 – are powerful and useful in handicapping. Key numbers are not applicable to the moneyline.
Moneyline Vs Spread Betting
Middling – Even casual bettors can occasionally happen upon middling situations – situations where the odds are set up so that you can bet on both teams at different sports book in the same game and ensure a great result either way – either a very small loss or a very large win. Though theoretically possible with the moneyline this tool is far less common.
Can easily have a strong winning percentage and still lose money with moneyline – As a general rule if you win 55 percent of your games betting on the point spread you are going to make some money. If you are betting moneyline favorites, though, you could easily hit 65 percent of your picks and still lose money.
Odds Moneyline Vs Spread
Benefits of Moneyline
Just have to pick a winner – For the teams that are involved in a game the only goal they care about is winning the game. They don’t care how much they win it by, or how many points the two teams combine to score. It’s all about the scoreboard. Moneyline betting is only about who wins as well. It can be pretty or it can be ugly, but a win is a win. By betting on the moneyline, then, you are associating yourself with the same goal that the team you are betting on has, and you don’t have to be an amateur psychologist to think about motivation nearly as much. When you bet a favorite on the point spread you have to think not just about who is going to win, but when your team is likely to take the lead, how hard they will try once they get that lead, what personnel moves getting the lead may cause, and so on. Moneyline betting involves fewer variables, and simplicity is a good thing. The flipside, of course, is that moneyline underdogs have to win the game, while point spread underdogs have a cushion. I’ll give up that cushion for the payoff as we’ll discuss next.
The beauty of underdogs – There is nothing better than picking underdogs winners on the moneyline. What makes it so nice? Simply, you get back more money than you bet. On small underdogs you might get $110 or $120 for every $100 you bet, and for serious underdogs you can sometimes get two, three or four times as much as you bet. That’s a good thing for several reasons. First, because you get back more than you bet you can make a profit even if you lose more bets than you win. That’s always a good thing. For example, betting moneyline underdogs is great when you are betting two games on a day and you split them. On the point spread going 1-1 on the day would mean a small loss, but on the moneyline it would mean a small profit. Profits are better than losses in my eyes. Besides that, the biggest advantage of moneyline underdogs is psychological. I like that when you bet them and win you get nice payoffs, and you can get especially nice payoffs when you win all of your bets on a day. Successful sports betting is all about the right mindset, and I find it easier to maintain a successful state of mind this way.
Fairer parlays – The odds books offer for point spread parlays should be criminal. The odds they set are at a fixed level, and that level is far lower than the actual mathematical risk of making the bets. Over the long term, then, the expectation is that even a good bettor would lose on parlays. They are a profit factory for books just like roulette or blackjack is for casinos. Using moneylines parlays are calculated simply by multiplying the risk of the bets you are parlaying together. It’s a bigger debate whether parlays are good bets, but there is no denying that parlays using moneylines are a much fairer bet that are conceptually and mathematically easier to show a profit with over the long term.