When it comes to sports betting lines, you probably are wondering what the lingo of lines, odds, and spreads really mean. Understanding what these terms mean is essential to making proper picks on your favorite teams. For the most part these rules apply to all the main sports such as football, basketball, soccer, and hockey. But there are some key differences when betting against the big leagues like the NFL, NBA, and MLB.
- Understanding Mlb Betting Lines
- Understanding Nhl Betting Lines
- Understanding Nfl Betting Lines
- Explain Nhl Betting Odds
Super Bowl and Stanley Cup Betting Odds
A betting line is another terminology for point spread, which is tied to the outcome of the event. It is a forecasted prediction of how many points an anticipated stronger team will win by against a weaker team. In the betting world the stronger team is referred to as the favorite, and the weaker team is referred to as the underdog. These collectively are referred to as spreads.
NHL, Baseball, WNBA Playoffs Betting Picks
New York Giants (+4.5) In this case, you can bet on either two outcomes: you can put money on the Eagles to win the game by 4.5 points OR MORE, which makes them the favorites. Or you can bet that. The easiest way to understand moneyline wagers is by using a $100 bet. Using the above example, the moneyline on the underdog Buccaneers was +136. At +136 odds, a $100 wager would pay $136 in profit if the Buccaneers won the game (for a total payout of $236). Bettors often like picking underdogs because they are usually 'plus' money. NHL Betting Tip: Find outhow much NHL parlays payout by using Scores and Odds' parlay calculator. Live NHL Betting (in-game) – Live betting, or in-game wagering, occurs after a game starts. Sportsbooks update moneylines, puck lines and the Over/Under in real-time, dependent on how the game is going.
In a point spread, you have to bet against the forecasted outcome one way or the other, you cannot just pick a team to win lose or it without laying down a lot of money or it would be too easy to beat a highly likely winner. Instead if a team is predicted to win by 7 points, the spread would be -7 towards that team. You then must place on a bet on whether you think the favorite would beat the underdog by at least 7 points, or if you think the underdog could cover and lose by less than 7 or win. Sometimes a game is considered highly contested and balanced that you might have what is called a pick-em where you simple pick which team will win. Point spreads are common in the NFL.
NBA Point Spreads and NCAA Lines Reviewed
After point spreads are established, you can then look at the moneyline bet. This is generally correlated to the point spread except it shows how money you can win based on your wager. Some sports do not use a point spread but rather just stick to a moneyline bet. For example, a team that was a -7 favorite would likely have a moneyline negative as well, say -200. That means, you would have to bet $100 to win $200. Alternatively there is a plus bet that goes with the underdog, say at 250. That means if you bet 100 and the underdog wins, you can win $250. Moneyline bets generally involve a higher wager to make money as opposed to point spreads. Moneyline picks are the most common wager instrument in the major sports of NBA, MLB, hockey, and soccer.
Nascar, PGA Golf and MMA UFC Betting Lines
In unique situations, where a game has a lot of prestige such as the NFL super bowl , NBA playoffs, or the Stanley Cup, you can bet on prop bets which are bets on specific things that could happen during a game. This is a play strictly based on odds of something happen against it not happening. An example might be whether a field goal would be the first type of score in the football game. At any time as people are betting one way or the other, the odds will adjust as people make picks one way or the other.
Premier League, British Open Championship and College Football Odds Every Week
Opening lines generally come out a week before an event but for major events like the Superbowl, it might be out for two weeks once the matchup is established. Football events opening lines generally come out on a Tuesday after all the previous weeks games have been played and is usually the sport most heavily used to gamble on. Basketball and MLB have games more frequently and usually the opening line might only exist for the day of an event.
If you're just getting started in NHL betting, or even if you're just trying online betting for the first time, the first thing you have to do is learn how to read betting lines in hockey.
Most people think predicting who will win the game is the most important thing for making winning NHL betting picks. That's obviously important, but the most important thing is to be able to figure out whether the odds on a bet are right.
Roulette makes money for the casino because there are 38 possible outcomes on the wheel (1-36, plus 0 and 00) but they only pay you 35:1 if you win. The odds payout is not as good as what it should be. If you could play roulette with 40:1 odds, the odds would be in your favour and you'd win lots of money over time.
So how do you figure out whether the odds are in your favour or not?
We'll explain.
How Do Odds Work?
Rules of gin rummy with 3 players. Betting odds tell you how much you can win on a bet, compared to how much you have to risk.
They also indicate what the oddsmakers are saying each team's chances are. If the payout on bet is triple your money, it basically says there's a 1 in 3 chance that team wins.
Understanding Mlb Betting Lines
There are three different types of NHL betting odds: Decimal, Fraction and American. Most sportsbooks allow you to choose one in your preferences, so try them out and pick the one that works best for you.
Here's three different ways to read betting lines in hockey:
Understanding Nhl Betting Lines
Decimal NHL Betting Odds
If you're Canadian, decimal odds probably look familiar. They're the same NHL betting odds used by Proline, Mise-O-Jeu, Sports Action and other provincial sports lotteries.
To figure out what decimal betting odds are paying you, multiply them by what you want to bet. That would equal what your bet would pay.
If the Blue Jackets are 2.65 on the NHL decimal odds, you would be paid $265($100 x 2.65).
The tricky thing about decimal odds (and it's probably why Proline uses them, those sneaky buggers) is that the payout includes your original bet. So on that Blue Jackets bet, you aren't actually winning $265. You're getting $265 back, but that includes your original $100 bet. You're really profiting $165, not $265. Just make sure you keep that in mind.
Fraction NHL betting odds
The fraction odds are a lot easier to understand.
The fraction shows the amount you can win, divided by the amount you would have to risk.
Since they're fractions, these odds are usually used for big paying odds like Stanley Cup futures. If the Red Wings are 10/1 to win the Stanley Cup, it means you can win $100 for every $10 risked. If the Penguins are 15/2 on the Stanley Cup betting odds, that divides down to 7.5/1, so that equals $75 for every $10 risked.
Fraction odds are a pain in the ass for small paying odds like a NHL game that has a small favourite. The Islanders are 20/39 in this example against the Blue Jackets, which breaks down to close to than $1/2, but not exactly. We don't like having to do that much math, so we prefer either decimal odds or American odds.
What are American odds, you ask?
American NHL betting odds
American odds can be a little confusing when you're first learning how to read betting lines in hockey, but they're our personal favourite and most other people prefer them too.
American odds shows you what you'd have to risk to win $100 on a favourite, and what you'd win on a $100 bet on an underdog.
Understanding Nfl Betting Lines
A minus sign in front of the odds means it's a favourite, and the plus sign means it's an underdog.
Explain Nhl Betting Odds
In this example, the Blue Jackets are +165 and the Islanders are -195. That means you'd win $165 on a $100 bet on the underdog Blue Jackets, and you'd have to risk $195 to win $100 on the favoured Islanders.
By the way, if you're wondering why they don't both pay the same (one +165, one -165), that's because of the sportsbook juice. If you bet the Blue Jackets +165, I bet the Islanders -195 and the Blue Jackets win, the sportsbook will give you $165 of the $195 I gave them, and pocket $30 for themselves.
So how do you figure out whether the odds are in your favour or not?
We'll explain.
How Do Odds Work?
Rules of gin rummy with 3 players. Betting odds tell you how much you can win on a bet, compared to how much you have to risk.
They also indicate what the oddsmakers are saying each team's chances are. If the payout on bet is triple your money, it basically says there's a 1 in 3 chance that team wins.
Understanding Mlb Betting Lines
There are three different types of NHL betting odds: Decimal, Fraction and American. Most sportsbooks allow you to choose one in your preferences, so try them out and pick the one that works best for you.
Here's three different ways to read betting lines in hockey:
Understanding Nhl Betting Lines
Decimal NHL Betting Odds
If you're Canadian, decimal odds probably look familiar. They're the same NHL betting odds used by Proline, Mise-O-Jeu, Sports Action and other provincial sports lotteries.
To figure out what decimal betting odds are paying you, multiply them by what you want to bet. That would equal what your bet would pay.
If the Blue Jackets are 2.65 on the NHL decimal odds, you would be paid $265($100 x 2.65).
The tricky thing about decimal odds (and it's probably why Proline uses them, those sneaky buggers) is that the payout includes your original bet. So on that Blue Jackets bet, you aren't actually winning $265. You're getting $265 back, but that includes your original $100 bet. You're really profiting $165, not $265. Just make sure you keep that in mind.
Fraction NHL betting odds
The fraction odds are a lot easier to understand.
The fraction shows the amount you can win, divided by the amount you would have to risk.
Since they're fractions, these odds are usually used for big paying odds like Stanley Cup futures. If the Red Wings are 10/1 to win the Stanley Cup, it means you can win $100 for every $10 risked. If the Penguins are 15/2 on the Stanley Cup betting odds, that divides down to 7.5/1, so that equals $75 for every $10 risked.
Fraction odds are a pain in the ass for small paying odds like a NHL game that has a small favourite. The Islanders are 20/39 in this example against the Blue Jackets, which breaks down to close to than $1/2, but not exactly. We don't like having to do that much math, so we prefer either decimal odds or American odds.
What are American odds, you ask?
American NHL betting odds
American odds can be a little confusing when you're first learning how to read betting lines in hockey, but they're our personal favourite and most other people prefer them too.
American odds shows you what you'd have to risk to win $100 on a favourite, and what you'd win on a $100 bet on an underdog.
Understanding Nfl Betting Lines
A minus sign in front of the odds means it's a favourite, and the plus sign means it's an underdog.
Explain Nhl Betting Odds
In this example, the Blue Jackets are +165 and the Islanders are -195. That means you'd win $165 on a $100 bet on the underdog Blue Jackets, and you'd have to risk $195 to win $100 on the favoured Islanders.
By the way, if you're wondering why they don't both pay the same (one +165, one -165), that's because of the sportsbook juice. If you bet the Blue Jackets +165, I bet the Islanders -195 and the Blue Jackets win, the sportsbook will give you $165 of the $195 I gave them, and pocket $30 for themselves.
(Pinnacle Sports is a reduced juice sportsbook so they'd probably just pocket $10 or $15 for themselves. That's why they're such a good place to bet NHL.)
