There are countless types of bets in the world of Sportsbetting, but the ones that are commonly used include spread bets, spread bets, parlays, total bets and futures. In this article, our focus will be on the difference and advantages of point spread vs. Moneyline betting, and then we will deal with the remaining different types of bets later.
Point Spread Betting
In games that scoring is unpredictably volatile, Oddsmakers often use a “Point Spread”, which essentially entails setting an estimated number of the points/goals a better (favorite) team may beat the lesser (underdog) team by. Point spread betting is commonly used in games like basketball, football, soccer and baseball.
For example, in an NFL game between the New England Patriots and the Buffalo Bills, you may see numbers like this:
• Patriots: -170 -5 44o
• Bills: +150 +5 44u
In such a line, the first set of numbers (-170 and +150) refer to Moneyline lines (which we will talk about later), the second set of numbers (-5 and +5) refer to point spread bets, and the final set (44 refer to OVER and UNDER total bets).
Now, as far the point spreads are concerned, the minus (-) sign usually indicates the favorite, while the plus (+) sign points to an underdog. In our example, the Patriots are thus considered as 5-point favorites over the Bills, which mean that the bookmakers expect New England to beat Buffalo by 5-or-more points. If you believe that the Pats will be able to beat the Bills by 5-or-more points, then the best payout option for you would be to make a spread on the Pats at -5 odds. If you however feel that the Bills will lose by 5-or-less points (or even win the game by any number starting from 1), then the spread of +5 should be your choice.
Betting on point spreads come with several advantages, including ease to understand, a high likelihood of winning and avoiding bad bets, good affordability (the betting lines are often constant), and you can middle with bets (where you find different Sportsbooks offering good varying lines, allowing you to bet on the two teams separately, which guarantees at least one win).
Moneyline
In Moneyline betting, you need to note is that a team favored to win a game is called a betting favorite, while the one expected to lose is called an underdog. All that matters here is therefore the team you consider likely to win a game, without worrying about winning margins and stuff like that. Using our earlier example, if you feel that New England (favorite in our lines) will win, then simply take them on the -170 odds. Essentially, the at -170 odds means that, for every $170 you risk on the Patriots, you will win $100. Similarly, if you feel that the Bills will win at +150 odds, then every $100 you bet on Buffalo will get you $150 for a total payout of $250.
Noticeably, betting on the underdog comes with a lot of value, as you make more money than you bet, as opposed to betting on favorites, where you often risk more money for a lesser payout. But then again, if you bet on a favorite (like New England in our example) and the win goes to the Pats, then there is no loss for you, as you get your bet back on top of the winning value.
Moneyline betting is the simplest of all betting strategies, as all you have to do is pick a winner. The great value offered by betting on underdogs also makes Moneyline bets very lucrative. The value offered by underdogs should however not push you to constantly bet on underdogs, even when the likelihood of winning isn’t there.
Final Remarks
Different online Sportsbooks (just like Casinos) offer different Moneylines and Point Spreads, with the majority cloning what is offered by other “major Sportsbooks”, while others offering unique values. Once you’ve found a reliable place to get good values, then stick to it, since jumping from place to place can easily get you mixed up. And speaking of reliability, (pardon our shameless self-promotion), our site is as reliable as it gets to good value lines. Plus, as I bet you’ve noticed, we have a range of experts who take their time to evaluate games, analyze trends, and then come up with savvy free Sportsbetting picks on NFL Football, College Football, NBA Basketball, College Basketball, NHL hockey and MLB baseball. And through such Sportsbetting previews and guides, your chances of being a winner on Point Spread and Moneyline bets are exponentially increased.
