Sports Betting Basics
You might be wondering what the difference between point spread betting and money line is? Well this is the place for you! Next you will find a helpful guide to betting terms and sports wager types.
Point spread wager Every week odds makers analyze each game and come up with a figure that balances both sides in a game. Take for example the next point spread: Redskins -4.5 , -110 / Eagles +4.5 , -110 In this case Redskins are favorite by 4 and half points, The Eagles are the underdog. What do those numbers mean? Redskins -4.5 means that they are “down” in the score 4.5 points at the start of the game, so if you pick the Redskins to win they would have to do so by a difference of more than 4.5 points in the game to cover the spread and win the bet. It’s the other way around with the Eagles, if you bet on them they would be starting the game with a lead of 4.5 points, so at the end of the regular game time you have to add 4.5 to the Eagles score. In other words, the Eagles would have to lose by more than 4.5 points for you not to win the bet. On the point spread wager the -110 is the “juice” or the “lay”, it just means that you have to wager 110 to win 100. Point spread betting is used when betting on football or basketball.
Totals With the point spread you will see another number, Lets go back to the previous example. We had: Redskins -4.5 , -110 / Eagles +4.5 , -110 55.5 That number is the total, is the total score in the game of both teams combined. How do you bet on it? Very simple, you either pick to go over or under the total. Why bet on it? Sometimes you see a game that’s too close to call, or you just think they re not going to score that many points! The -110 juice also applies for the total, although there are sportsbooks that have reduced juice.
Moneyline You can see this in hockey and baseball betting. Lets take a look at the next moneyline in a baseball game: Blue Jays -175 Orioles +165 In this case the Blue Jays are favorites, you have to wager 175 to win 100, and in the case of Orioles if you wager 100 and they win, you would get 165. It’s that simple! Same thing happens with hockey.
Horse racing There are lots of ways to bet on horses, lets take a look at some of the most common types. Straight, single, win bet: The most simple, you choose the horse to come first at the finish, winnings depend on the given odds. Place: You win if your horse comes first or second. Show: You get winnings if your horse comes first, second or third. Quiniela: Pick two horses to finish first and second on either order in a single race. Perfecta or exacta: Similar to quiniela only the horses must finish in the exact order. Trifecta: You bet on the first three horses to cross the finish line in exact order.
Parlay A parlay is a single play that groups two or more individual bets and depends on all the individual wagers winning togheter. Parlay payout is higher than placing the bets individually, but since they all have to win there is less chance to win it. If a one of the individual plays result is a ¨push¨ or tie, the parlay reverts to lower number of teams and the payout odds reduce as well.
Teaser This can be used to bet on football or basketball, since those are high scoring sports. Teaser is a parlay of two or more teams on the point spread or total that buys you points. There are 6, 7 and even 10 point teasers depending on the sport and the number of teams you want to include. For example, the line on the Eagles is -4.5 and on the Cowboys is +3. In a 2 team 6 point teaser the lines would be Eagles +1.5 and the Cowboys +9.
