Sports Betting

Extremely popular in the United States, betting on sports ranges from everything to an office football pool to a casinos sportsbook, and becoming even more popular, an online sportsbook. Apart from the entertainment value, sports betting offers the knowledgeable gambler one of the best options for long term profit. First though, you need to be able to crack the mystery behind sports odds, point spreads, and money lines.

Understanding the “Lines” in Sports Betting

When betting of sports, the first thing you have to understand is whats known as the “lines”. This is, for the most part, what confuses most novices when it comes to betting on sports but if you look at it closely, it’s really quite simple.

There are two symbols that are used: the minus sign (-) and the plus sign (+). Although it may seem to be against what it should be, the minus sign usually indicates the favorite to win, whereas the plus sign indicates the underdog.

The Money Line when Betting on Sports

In America, the number on the money line shows how much you have to bet to win $100.

For Example: If the money line on the Giants is -112, you will have to bet $112 to win $100. If the money line was +96, you would have to bet $96 to win $100. Note the + and - symbols.

The Point Spread in Betting on Sports

The “spread” is a way of handicaping teams. The best way to demonstrate the use of the spread is by example. If the Giants have a spread of -7, that would mean that if you bet on the Giants, they would have to win by 8 to “cover the spread”.

Putting it all together

Using the above examples, here is what a typical line might look like in Sports Betting:

In this scenario, a gambler who bet on the Giants would need the Giants to win by 8 points and he would have to bet $112 to win $100. Of course, the gambler doesn’t have to bet $112, it’s just given as a ratio representing what the payout is.