Money Line Bets Explained Money lines (also called American Odds) are one of the most common ways to bet on sports. They do not use a point spread, and are straight-up bets on who will win the game or event. To properly explain how to bet the money line, the first thing to understand is the difference between a negative and positive money line. What does 'line' mean as a sports betting term? Another term for 'point spread.' It is the betting 'line' or gambling odds used to determine the parameters for wagering on either the favorite.
Before we had the options of wagering on future bets, parlays, teasers, alternative lines, Asian lines, prop bets and each-way, there was one betting option that reigned supreme. It was the money line bet. From a non-gambling perspective, winning a game in any sports will make a team happy. However, depending on the score, that win may not please bettors. That's because the point spread betting option has taken over as the popular option, leaving the money line far behind. If you are the kind of person who bets on your favorite team each and every game, this is the bet for you. There is nothing worse than watching your team win the game, but lose you money by not covering the point spread.
What Does Money line Mean?
The money line bet is the simplest form of betting in the industry. A 'money line' bet is a way of betting on which team is going to win the game outright, or which individual will win an event. With a money line bet, the margin of victory or the total number of points a team scores do not matter. If you like the Patriots to win outright versus the Browns, a 3-0 win would win you just as much money as a 77-0 win.
Unfortunately, the profit from winning a money line bet could be drastically different depending on if you bet on the favorite or underdog.
Money Line Odds
The money line bet always relates to bets of $100. A favorite will be represented by a negative money line figure such as -180. This means that in order to profit $100 off your winning bet, you would need to risk $180 dollars. But as I'm sure you already know, you can risk any amount you are comfortable with and the payment (should you win) will be in proportion to the odds. For example, a $50 bet on a -180 line would win you $27 dollars.
When betting an underdog on the money line, you will notice that they have a positive price attached to them. For example, if the underdog you like was +195, a $100 bet would profit you $195 dollars for every hundred put down.
The money line odds will always be different aside from the plus or minus – those are the only constant. The favorites will always have a negative value, which is how the sportsbooks make their money.
What Sports Can I Bet the Money Line On?
You can bet the money line option in every single sport that is offered up. It is the simplest form of betting and it is also the primary way to bet sports in which a point spread isn't available (think hockey or baseball). Money line wagers are also available in football and basketball, but the point spread wager is much more popular. It is also used in tennis, golf, boxing, MMA, cricket, table tennis, and any other sport you can think of that has a winner at the end of the game.
Are Money Lines the Best Betting Option?
Money line bets are particularly attractive to square bettors when they are looking at underdogs. They see a nice high positive number and think that the payoff is significant enough to be worth the risk. Unfortunately, underdogs are underdogs for a reason, and it's usually because they aren't very good. However, when the right opportunity presents itself, a money line bet on an underdog can grow your bankroll quicker than betting favorites would.
Money Line Calculator
Now days, most online betting sites have the money line calculator built right into the betting window. It'll tell you how much you stand to win on any bet amount you can think of. If you find yourself in a Las Vegas sportsbook and have to quickly do the math, here is how to do it.
Example 1: Underdogs
Potential Profit = Stake x (odds/100).
$50 Stake on +120 odds.
$50 x (120/100) =
$50 x 1.20 = 60
Potential Profit = $60.
Total potential profit + Stake =
$60 + 50
=$110.
Example 2: Favorites
Potential Profit = Stake / (odds/100)
$50 Stake on -200 odds.
$50 / (200/100) =
$50 /2 = 25
Potential Profit = $25.
Total potential profit + Stake =
$25 + 50
=$75.
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We've all been in a situation before where we tried to buy something but the price just wasn't right. There are always two options when facing this issue and they are walking away and finding a lower price somewhere else, or trying to negotiate a bit on the price if possible. In a negotiation, the first person who says a number generally loses. The opening number is always the starting point and you can almost always determine whether or not it will go lower or higher based on what that initial number is. It is no different in sports betting, even if you can't negotiate on the opening number. Sportsbooks set opening lines as feelers for how the betting public is going to react and then adjust accordingly.
Live Betting Lines All Sports
What Does Opening Line Mean?
Sports Betting Line Meaning Dictionary
When you hear someone mention the term 'opening line' they are referring to the very first set of odds or lines that is listed for a particular game or event. The opening line is essentially the first chance for the betting public to see what the linemakers think of a game.
Sports Betting Line Meaning Line
When Do Opening Lines Come Out?
The availability of opening lines differs from sport to sport. For sports that are less popular to bet on and take place on a daily schedule, the opening lines typically don't come out until the morning of the game or event itself.
For football, the opening line is vital in how a bettor goes about handicapping the card. Typically, the opening line for college football and the NFL comes out on Sunday evening for the following week. This is important to know since you can follow the line movement throughout the week in order to get an idea of who the big money is coming in on.
How to Handle the Opening Line?
Opening lines are the very first chance bettors get to place a wager on a particular game. Sharp bettors are usually the quickest to jump on these lines as they feel that 'opening lines' represent the sportsbooks honest view of how the game may play out. The general betting public typically pay no attention to these lines, as they would prefer to wait until just before kick off to place their bets in case there is any absurd incidents that might affect the game. Ninety-nine percent of the time, the general public gets left betting into a terrible line – sometimes one or two points off the original line.
Opening Lines versus Closing Lines
The important think to know here is that when you look at opening lines, you are unlikely to see that number when you look at the closing line for a particular game. Linemakers change lines based on the action they receive once the opening lines have been set and made available for betting. The line movement is dictated by the amount of action one side of a bet sees compared to the other. Sportsbooks' main goal is to create equal action on both sides of the line thus ensuring a profit. If the opening line is quickly changed or moves more than one or two points, this gives you a clear sense of how bettors are betting on that game.
Should You Bet the Opening Line?
Money Line Meanings Sports Betting
There is no right or wrong answers to this question, but the general consensus around the opening line is that it is the truest representation of what a linemaker thinks of the game. Unfortunately for bettors, the opening line is very rarely available for too long before it is moved in reaction to the action against it. From experience, betting the opening line could prove profitable if you are well prepared and have an idea of what it could be. I wouldn't just bet the opening line without doing my due diligence to find out if the game has any significant advantages to exploit. I'd much rather be better prepared and take on a skewed line instead of rushing into betting the first number I see.
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