Sports Betting: Reading Odds, Moneyline, Spread, and Points

As more states legalize sports betting, let's take a second to understand some of the basics involved. There are three major types of bets - Moneyline, Spread, and Over/Under. Let's use an example to understand how to read the odds.

Moneyline

You are betting on one team or person to win outright. For example, you might see Team A -200 and Team B +150. But what does this mean? When you see a -, it indicates a favorite. -200 means you will need to wager $200 to receive a payout profit of $100, indicating the option is favored at 2:1. If you wager $200 and win, you will receive $100 plus your initial bet. When you see a +, it means the underdog. +150 means betting $100 will net a profit of $150 on a $100 bet, plus your initial bet. For moneyline, you are betting on the straight outcome, a win or a loss.

Spread

You are betting on the margin of victory. Typically, both sides are given odds of -110, meaning a $110 bet will yield $100 in profit if you win. The spread is listed usually as half-point values, as this ensures that there can be no tie. For the favorite, the team is listed with a - sign, such as -3.5. This means that betting on the team to win against the spread requires them to win by more than 3.5 points. The underdog is listed with a + sign. A value of +3.5 means that a bet on the team wins if they lose by less than 3.5 (or win as well).

Points

You are betting on the total number of points scored by both teams combined and betting if the total will be Over or Under the specified total. Typically, both outcomes are given odds of -110, meaning a $110 bet will yield $100 in profit if you win. The point total is usually given in 0.5-point increments to ensure that there is no tie. There is no favorite/underdog. For example, an Over/Under line of 39.5 with a bet on the Over means that the total score for Team A plus the total score of Team B must exceed 39.5 points to win. An Under bet means that the total combined score must be less than 39.5 to win.

Next Steps

If you would like to learn more in-depth, many sportsbook apps have tutorials covering more types of bets and understanding the odds. Many of these apps also offer promotions where you can receive credits for free bets to try out.

Want to get started? Here are some ways to get some free bets.

DraftKings. Get up to $200 in free bets plus up to $1000 in bonus DK dollars.https://sportsbook.draftkings.com/r/sb/yolotrumpbucks/US-MD-SB

FanDuel. Get $100 in free bets today! https://account.md.sportsbook.fanduel.com/join#RAF=Grant_12191314

Barstool. Get up to $50 in free bets! https://barstoolsportsbook.com/friend?userId=EmoiVt5td7vX8NUYykmMAM&userName=Grant

Pointsbet. Get $20 in free bets for signing up.https://md.pointsbet.com/invite/2112476026

BetMGM. Get $50 in free bets on the house. https://www.md.betmgm.com/en/mobileportal/invitefriendssignup?invID=472482

Caesars Sportsbook. Get $100 in free bets when you bet $20. https://www.caesars.com/sportsbook-and-casino/referral?AR=MD4437965990&pid=czrs&utm_source=czrs&utm_medium=creferral&c=creferral&utm_campaign=MD4437965990