What Is A Moneyline Bet? Moneyline Wagers Explained 375p

A moneyline bet is the sports betting. It is a bet that has potentially two or three outcomes depending on the sport. When there are two players or teams listed on a moneyline bet, bettors are choosing one player or team to win. 5r4v2f

In the case of soccer (European football) or a boxing match/MMA fight, moneyline bets could also have a third option, which is a “draw,” in which there is no winner or loser.

Some sportsbook apps will offer a draw as an option on a moneyline bet, some will offer what is called a “Draw no bet” option in which only a winning player or team can be chosen, but not a draw outcome.

When bettors correctly choose an outcome, a sportsbook will pay the odds due the bettors.

What makes the moneyline a simple and straightforward bet is the lack of a point spread. All bettors have to do is a pick a winning side — or team or specifically a draw in a soccer match or boxing/MMA fight if a draw is offered as an option.

“Just win, baby” to quote the late, great Raiders owner Al Davis.

Moneyline Bet Explained 4w535

With legislation spreading quickly throughout the United States, it’s important to be educated on the most popular bet types at sports betting sites, like the moneyline.

When looking at potential moneyline bets, you will encounter these three components of a moneyline wager: the favorite, the underdog, and “even” or “pick ’em.”

(1) The Favorite (Negative Moneylines) 6n5o5t

The favorite is the player or team viewed as more likely to win. Using $100 as a standard betting unit, a bettor would have to wager the amount listed (i.e. -150) in order to win $100.

In this instance, a bettor would have to wager $150 to win $100. If the bet wins, the sportsbook would pay $250, which is the stake ($150) plus the win ($100). A favorite is always represented with a minus sign (-) on the moneyline.

(2) The Underdog (Positive Moneylines) 2o6s37

The underdog is the player or team considered less likely to win. Again using $100 as a standard betting unit, a bettor would have to wager $100 to win the amount listed (i.e. +150) for an underdog win.

In this instance, a bettor would wager $100 to win $150, thus totaling $250 for the payout. An underdog is always represented by a plus sign (+) on the moneyline and will pay out more money than the original amount wagered by a bettor.

(3) Even or Pick ’em 522r1a

An ‘even’ or ‘pick ’em’ game occurs when two teams are so close in of level of play that the sportsbook decides to price them as equally likely to win or lose. In such a case, bettors would receive the same amount of money for a successful wager on either side.

In this instance, bettors would win $100 on a $100 wager, thus totaling a $200 payout. An even or pick ‘em game will usually have the word ‘even’ (EV) or ‘pick ‘em’ (PK) listed on the moneyline. It will be represented by the equal wager amount (+100), or a combination of the such as (Even +100). A winning even or pick ‘em play by a bettor will pay out the same amount wagered.

What is a Moneyline Bet in Football? 2h5f4v

If you’re new to football betting, moneyline bets are your straightforward ticket to the action. It’s as simple as picking who you think will win the game outright – no fuss about point spreads or margins of victory. Since there’s no possibility of a draw like in soccer, the moneyline always has two options: the favorite and the underdog.

Let’s say the Chiefs are playing the Raiders. You might see odds like Chiefs -180 or Raiders +160. The minus sign means the Chiefs are favorites, so you’d need to bet $180 to win $100 on them. The plus sign shows the Raiders are underdogs, where a $100 bet could net you $160 if they pull off the upset.

Moneyline bets are often a better option than point spreads in low-scoring matchups or games expected to be close. If you think a team will win but aren’t sure by how much, a moneyline bet avoids the risk of losing due to a late field goal or extra point affecting the spread. Moneyline bets are perfect when you’ve got a gut feeling about an underdog or when you’re confident a favorite will clinch it, regardless of the score. Just , in the NFL, even heavy favorites can fall, so always bet wisely!

Moneyline Sports Betting FAQ a3n1r

Can you put moneyline bets in parlays? 473s6g

Yes, you can put multiple moneyline sides in the same parlay bet. But keep in mind that choosing a couple or several favorites, especially heavy favorites, will not yield the same payout as if you were picking sides closer to even (-110) or underdogs.

What does a +200 moneyline mean? 21g1v

A +200 moneyline in sports betting means that if you bet $100, you would win $200 if the team or player you bet on wins. The + sign indicates that they are the underdog (less likely to win), so the payout is higher to reflect the risk.

Can you put money and spread bets together in parlays? 11482v

Sure can. The potential payout is based on the pricing of any spread bet(s) in the parlay. The standard vig on a spread bet is -110.

Do moneyline prices differ from one sportsbook to another? 2n6q2i

Absolutely. Sometimes they’re pretty drastically different. It’s always wise to shop around for the best price for the side you like. For example, you might see -200 on FanDuel Sportsbook. If you bet the same $100 and your team wins, that’s an extra $12.50 profit if you got -160.

Are moneyline bets good bets? 6c4z21

They’re perfectly fine. Your bankroll, your call. It’s not a long-term winning strategy to bet big on heavy favorites; after all, favorites lose all the time. The “spread” is considered the great equalizer and involves a bit more handicapping (by how much will X team win or lose?), but there’s nothing wrong with just picking the winner straight up.

How do moneyline bets work? 1c3h4p

The price established on one or other is a function of how competitive or talented each side is — independently and based on the particular matchup. Put simply, the bookmakers will assign a certain price that they think accurately reflects what it should cost the bettor to pick each side to win the game. The closer the price is to “100” (in American oddsmaking), the closer the teams are in of competitiveness. When it gets into the -120 to +120 range, it’s just about a “coin flip” — two evenly matched sides.

Will the moneyline change once it’s set? 185c1k

Definitely. Spreads and moneylines and totals are all fluid. They will adjust based on the bets people are placing (“action”), especially bettors that a bookmaker knows to be “sharper” (well informed). Winning long-term is as much about getting the best price and good value, as it is being on the right side. For example if two people bet on the Chiefs to win the Super Bowl but John bet it one week before the Super Bowl at -130 on ESPN BET and Joe waited until Sunday and got K.C. at -120, Joe is getting the better price and payout, percentage-wise.

Can the moneyline price for MY bet change, once once I’ve bet it? 3r5941

No. This is opposed to horse racing, or “parimutuel” betting, where the odds/prices change up until the gates open. With moneyline betting, the price that you bet gets locked in when you hit “place bet,” and it’s accepted. So if you bet on the Packers-Lions and took the Lions at +300 (bet $100 to win $300) and then later in the week, Aaron Rodgers gets ruled out, and the moneyline shifts drastically for the Lions to +130 (almost even), you’re sitting pretty. But that cuts both ways; Packers bettors would be kicking themselves.

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The Three Types of Outcomes on a Moneyline Bet g3q9

Your wager will almost always fall into one of these three resulting outcomes: a win, a loss, or a draw/draw no bet.

Win 70wq

Bettors will win their bet when they correctly choose the winning player or team – or a draw if it is specifically offered as a potential outcome. The draw is typically offered as an option in a soccer match or a boxing/MMA match.

Loss 445y6d

Bettors will lose their wager when they do not successfully choose the winning player or team. Bettors will also lose if they did not select ‘draw’ in a game or fight that ends with such an outcome.

“Draw” or “Draw no Bet” g1p3x

A “Draw no bet” occurs when a draw is not offered as an outcome on a moneyline bet when that outcome can potentially take place. This mostly happens in soccer matches when a moneyline bet only offers the option for either team to win.

When a draw takes place with this type of wager, bettors will have their full stake returned, as if their bet ended in a ‘push.’ If a draw is offered as an option on a moneyline bet, however, the only way bettors win their wager is if they selected a draw as the outcome. Otherwise, bettors will lose that wager.

Latest Sports Betting News 2f6f3v

The Connection From the Moneyline to the Point Spread 2s173z

While the moneyline bet does not include making a pick based on the point spread, it is connected to the point spread in of its potential payout. For example, picking a team that is a 3-point favorite (ie: -160 ML) will have a better payout than picking a team that is a 7-point favorite (ie: -350 ML).

As an example, a team that is a 3-point favorite in an NFL game could have a moneyline status of -160 per $100 bet, which reflects a perceived fairly small gap in team levels; the underdog in this case would be priced around +135. As the point spread increases, selecting the favorite on a moneyline wager requires betting more money to achieve the same return. A team that is a 7-point favorite could be -350 on the moneyline while the underdog on the other side sits at +285.

Note that the conversion from spread to moneyline varies from sport to sport.  A 7-point win in an NFL contest is not quite the same as a 7-point win in the NBA.

Very heavy favorites, in the NFL for example, can carry a moneyline into the -700 or higher range, meaning you’d have to risk $700 just to win $100. But correspondingly, upsets happen often and an underdog victory would pay around +500 if you go that way, risking $100 to win $500. The point spread is undoubtedly the great equalizer!

Chris Altruda

Chris Altruda 30313g

Chris Altruda was a sportswriter with ESPN, The Associated Press, and STATS for more than two decades before coming to Better Collective in 2019. When not crunching sports betting revenue figures, he is usually listening to Iron Maiden or exploring Chicago neighborhoods. His Twitter handle is @AlTruda73 and can be reached via email at [email protected]