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For example, if the Los Angeles Lakers are -180 in money line odds vs. the Boston Celtics, they are the favorite. Without a point spread in money line betting, the margin of victory is irrelevant. In point-spread betting, the Dallas Cowboys, for example, might defeat the Philadelphia Eagles by four points but because the Cowboys were 6-point favorites, the Cowboys’ spread would’ve lost.

First up, Big Ten powers Ohio State and Michigan State battle it out for a shot at the division title. In the Pac-12, Utah and Oregon fight it out for a spot in the conference title game. Parlay Cards are especially popular during football season. There are many different types of Parlay Cards including a variety of teasers, ties win and reverse teaser cards known as pleasers.

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The O/U (Over-Under) is the total goals scored for each matchup, another popular wager for baseball bettors. In this example of a college football money line bet, let’s say that Alabama is playing against Tennessee in a CFB game between two SEC teams. For the purposes of this example, Alabama is a favorite to win the game, while Tennessee is a +1000 underdog.

Run, Money, O

The types of returns you see for this scenario far surpass any payout you’ll find on point spreads. The fundamental How To Read Odds & Bet On Sports difference between moneyline and point spread is that with moneyline you don’t care how much either team wins by. Let’s say you think an underdog playing at home, who utilizes a defensive strategy to counterattack against overly aggressive teams, is well suited to take advantage of their opponents. If the odds line up, a moneyline bet on the dog is solid value. The last point is unique to baseball as seasons consist of mini three or four game series all year long over a lengthy 162-game schedule.

There is no requirement as to how many points a team needs to win by, just that a bettor accurately predicts the winner. The most common reason that odds change in the NBA before a game is injuries or rest for players. In the regular season, teams are very cautious with the health of their players, as the postseason is the be all and end all when evaluating the success of a team’s season. This leads teams to sit players in games out of an abundance of caution, with the absence of star players often being influential to betting odds.

Psa: Draftkings Stole My Money

Gradual movement in one direction indicates public perception. If you spot a situation like this, a good move will be to quickly check other sportsbooks to see if the Celtics are available anywhere else at -6. Since sportsbooks react to the bets they receive themselves lines move at different speeds in different books. A big jump like this suggests that the smartest bettors with the most money think that the original line offered by the sportsbook was very good value.

Think You Know Sports? Bet On It!

If you were going to buy something online and found differing prices in a few different spots, you would naturally gravitate towards the better deal. However, that doesn’t mean you should randomly place your wagers on underdogs and hope for the best. Normal handicapping rules apply with moneyline betting, and the goal is to place your bets on the side you feel gives you the greatest chance of being right. The favorite will be designated with negative odds, while the underdog will have positive odds attached. Here’s what they’ll look like at an online sportsbook using a random NFL game as an example.

Two of the most popular are Round Robin parlay and Teasers. Try them out when starting and learning how to bet on basketball, for instance. Famously referenced in the Oscar-nominated film Silver Linings Playbook, a parlay bet is a bet on top of another bet. The negative to a parlay is that they do not represent ‘true odds’, meaning that as you add more teams to a parlay, the less ‘correct’ your odds are in comparison to making multiple, single bets. We also strongly recommend our tips on money management when it comes to sports betting. A ‘Win/Place’ or ‘Each Way’ bet refers to a bet where the chosen selection must either Win or else Place within the payout terms.