Moneyline
How to wager on the money line:
Money line wagering is different from point spread wagering in that all you have to do is pick the winner. However, it is not as easy as it sounds. Money lines are usually available on all sports that have a point spread.
Say the Giants are playing the Cowboys and the Giants are -3. You think the Giants will win but maybe only by 2 points. In the case you might want to bet on the money line.
This is how the money line would be displayed visually:
(the way you will see it on your computer screen when placing a bet)
| 501 |
Giants |
-3 |
-155 |
| 502 |
Cowboys |
+3 |
+135 |
Again, as in point spread wagering, the favorite is indicated by a minus (-) sign.
The money line is based on a $100 wager. So if you wanted to bet the Giants on the money line you would have to "lay" $155 to win a $100. However, if you wanted to bet the Cowboys on the money line for every $100 you put up, you would get $135 in return. if the Cowboys won the game outright.
- This is a quick summary of the differences between point spread and money line wagering.
- If you bet on the favorite using the point spread, the favorite has to win by more points than in the spread.
- If you bet on the underdog using the point spread, the underdog can lose by a point less than the spread for you to win.
- If you bet on the favorite in a money line, you risk more money, but the favorite just needs to win.
- If you bet on the underdog in a money line, you risk less to win more, but the underdog must win outright.