The skill in betting the money line in college football is to try and avoid pitfalls when backing the favorites and to zero in on upsets to cash in on spots where you believe the underdog will rise up. Because the majority of spreads end up being double-digits at this level, money lines. The Bottom Line on Moneyline Betting. Moneyline bets are straight forward wagers in which you are simply deciding which side you think will win. For each game on the docket, oddsmakers will designate. Moneyline betting simply require the team you’re betting on to win outright. The odds attached to each team denote an underdog and a favorite, which determine how much you win if your bet pans out. If you’re used to betting on NFL spreads, you’ll already be familiar with the concept of moneyline odds.
Moneyline betting is a form of wagering where there is no point spread. You are simply picking the winner based on the outcome of the game, moneyline odds can vary wildly depending on the odds in each event.
Moneyline betting is not to be confused with moneyline odds, also known as American odds. These odds are commissions attached to a bookmaker’s point spread, moneyline bets are simply taking one side to win straight-up, picking the team who wins outright will win you your bet.
Most betting sites will offer their users moneyline wagers in addition to point spreads. The odds will be higher when taking a favorite in the matchup, the bettor will be risking more to win less. The odds on the underdog will be a plus wager, the bettor will be risking less to win more.
What sports offer moneyline betting?
Baseball, soccer, and ice hockey are mostly moneyline betting, since these sports do not have point spreads moneylines are the default way of wagering. Football and basketball do have moneylines in addition to point spreads. In recent years, football moneylines have become extremely popular among sports bettors. Moneyline betting is based on the amount bet per $100. Let’s look at look an example of a baseball moneyline:
Pittsbugh Pirates +140
St. Lous Cardinals -150
In this baseball matchup, the St. Louis Cardinals are the moneyline favorite. For the bettor to win $100, he will need to wager $150, risking $150 to win $100. If the Patriots lose, the bettor will lose his original stake of $150. The Pittsburgh Pirates are the moneyline underdog in this matchup. A $100 dollar wager will win the bettor $140, risking $100 to win $140. Again, if the Pirates lose the bettor will lose his original stake of $100.
Here’s an example of an NFL football moneyline wager:
Buffalo Bills +285
New England Patriots -330
The Patriots are the massive favorite in this matchup, the bettor will have to risk $330 to win 100. The Bills are the underdog, where a $100 wager has the potential payout of $285.
Tips for Moneyline Betting
Moneyline betting can be tough to tackle for some bettors, but it is truly a balance of risk vs. reward. For instance, a large favorite of -300 or more is most likely to win going to win their matchup but that large price means you’ll be risking a lot for a small payout.
On a moneyline bet of -300, you’ll need to win your bet 75% of the time just to break even. When your odds jump even higher to -400, you’ll need to win your bet 80% of the time to show a profit. You are risking a lot to win very little and even though a large favorite will win most of the time, when they do lose, you will find yourself out a lot of money. I try to stay away from large favorite moneylines, because the amount risked is very high and the payoff is low.
On the other hand, underdog moneylines can be lucrative wagering opportunities. Upsets happen more often than some of us think and moneyline betting is a great way to take advantage. For example, for a moneyline wager of +250, a bettor will only need to win about 28% of the time to break even and for a +300 wager the bettor would only need to win 25% of the time to break even. If you can spot upsets even decently well, moneyline wagers on underdogs can be profitable bets.
In cases when there is a point spread and moneyline offered on an event, such as an NFL football game, many bettors will place a wager on the moneyline and point spread of an underdog they feel has a chance to pull the upset. They will safely bet the point spread because they feel the game will be close, but will also put themselves in line for a nice payday if the underdog wins straight-up.
Conclusion
There is no magic formula for moneyline betting, you’ll simply need to pick your spots wisely and balance your risk versus your potential reward. In general, I think this means taking higher upside picks, such as underdogs rather than taking large favorites. However, bettors should analyze each game independently looking for value in both favorite and underdog moneylines.
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You’re clearly intrigued by the idea of sports betting, but maybe view it as a sort of foreign language. That’s okay! We were all rookies who had to ask questions at some point.
We’ll breakdown what moneyline bets are and walk you through everything you need to know about them.
The Moneyline Made Easy
You’ve already learned how to read and interpret the three types of odds you’ll encounter, so let’s move onto the elements of sporting events you can bet on.
When making a fundamental moneyline bet, you’re simply selecting the outright winner of a single game. This is the most straightforward bet you can make. There are no other contingencies.
When making a fundamental moneyline bet, you’re simply selecting the outright winner of a single game. This is the most straightforward bet you can make. There are no other contingencies. Here’s an example:
To place your bet, all you need to do is click on the moneyline number attached to the team you believe is going to win the game. If you think Anaheim will win, click on the +135. If you like Nashville, click on the -135.
Breaking Down the Moneyline
The moneyline numbers next to each team are American odds which:
- indicate each team’s implied probability
- determine how much money you would win, based on your wager.
The team that has a “+” sign on next to its moneyline number is the underdog, while the team with “-” next to its moneyline number is seen by your sportsbook as the favorite.
In some cases, both teams will have “-” signs next to them. In this case, the team with the number farther from 0 should be regarded as the favorite (eg. -120 would be the favorite over -105).
The moneyline is a relatively easy concept to understand, once you get the hang of it.
Betting The Moneyline In Football Predictions
Why Are There Fractions or Decimals on the Moneyline?
This depends on the audience your sportsbook targets. The + and – signs you see are referred to as “American” odds. As such, American-facing books will almost always represent the moneyline in this format.
Oftentimes, sportsbooks outside of North America display the moneyline with either a decimal or fractional format. Rest assured, the moneyline always refers to betting on the winner of the game, no matter what.
Oftentimes, sportsbooks outside of North America display the moneyline with either a decimal or fractional format. Rest assured, the moneyline always refers to betting on the winner of the game, no matter what.
Rules On Money Line Bets
If you need a refresher on calculating all types of odds, be sure to check out our guide. This skill is essential to understanding the moneyline and giving you a return on wagers!
Why Is There No Moneyline Option Listed for a Particular Game?
Sportsbooks don’t always offer a moneyline option for a game. Sometimes, they will simply offer totals and spread bets.
For example, many sportsbooks only offer an option to bet on the NFL moneyline if the spread is between 3 and 10 points. If one team is a heavy favorite (and the spread is listed at 14 points or more), many sportsbooks will choose to offer only spread and totals bets. This is an industry-standard, in most cases. However, there are exceptions to this rule at select online sports betting sites.