Moneyline Betting Guide

Moneyline betting is one of the basic types of bets offered by all sportsbooks. The premise is simple: choose the team that will win.

However, the inherent uncertainty of the sport requires in-depth knowledge of the fight and betting strategy to increase the chances of cashing out.

Our money line odds explain guides answering questions like how odds work, what it means to bet on money lines, how to bet on money lines, and various aspects of betting on different major league sports.

You’ll find information on how sportsbooks create money line odds and great places to bet on money lines.

New players will be equipped with a solid understanding of money line odds, while veterans will find opinions on money line betting that are not often discussed.

One of the keys to betting involves gathering as much information about the team’s performance, fights, time of play conditions, and other variables that affect how the odds work.

Keeping an eye on sports betting trends around your favorite league provides the kind of insight that increases the value of your betting activity, especially over the long term.

How to Bet with Moneyline Odds

The process of betting money line odds at sportsbooks starts with signing up with an online betting provider such as Bodog, William Hill, or Sports Interaction (SIA).

You’ll find several sportsbook brands vying for your betting dollars, which makes it worth considering the differences between the companies, some of which have been around since pen-and-paper betting.

Checking the betting lines provided by sportsbooks is not a bad idea, but comparing bonus offers and other promos will give you a quick boost to your bankroll.

The majority of online sportsbooks attract new players with a welcome bonus, which often consists of a free bet or a 100% bonus that matches the amount of your first deposit.

In addition to comparing the number of bonuses awarded, look at other betting offers the company has for established members.

Some sportsbooks feature reward programs, rotating promos, special betting events, and even discounts that give you money back into your bankroll when your bets don’t work out.

As you become more experienced with money lines and other sports betting, you will find that certain offers and promos work better than others because of your betting style.

For some, bonuses, rebates, and special offers will provide the best boost.

For others, a sportsbook that provides a discount line will give you a better edge.

Once you’ve chosen the sportsbook that’s right for you, signing up is usually very easy.

After providing your usual registration information, you will have the option to choose a method for depositing funds to your list, including popular payment providers such as inter-interaction electronic transfers, Mastercard, and Visa.

Sportsbooks usually take one of two approaches when it comes to claiming bonuses.

Some companies will arrange for bonuses to be automatically transferred to your account, while others require you to choose a bonus promo precisely.

Moneylines usually feature teams with plus odds and teams with minus odds. The team with the biggest plus odds is the underdog, while the team with the biggest minus odds is the favorite.

Profiting from money line bets requires juggling risk and reward.

Betting on the favorites seems a safe route, but smaller payouts to wins limit overall profitability while making losses hurt your bankroll even more.

How to Read Moneyline Opportunities

Moneylines usually feature both positive and negative odds. A team with odds of -150 will be considered the favorite over a team with odds of +150.

The bigger the difference between the numbers, the bigger the perceived mismatch between the two clubs.

Sports that feature a draw will have a third Moneyline, along with the option to bet on one of the winning teams.

The third Moneyline option makes it a little more challenging to predict the outcome, but sweepstakes often feature large positive money lines that payout well.

Occasionally, a game will feature two positive money lines or two negative money lines, with the largest positive being favored and the largest negative.

A club with +150 odds will pay $150 for a $100 bet, while a team with a -150 Moneyline will need a $150 bet to win $100.

Since the +150 team is the underdog, bettors receive a larger reward for accepting a higher level of risk, whereas the -150 team pays less because betting on the underdog implies less risk.

When betting on this type of betting line, it is usually advisable to avoid taking too much risk or choosing favorites that don’t pay out well.

Moneyline betting odds tend to be used the most in the Canadian sports betting market.

Decimal odds provide the same information, with the larger decimal indicating the underdog and the smaller decimal meaning the favorite.

Fractional odds show the probability of using a fraction instead of a decimal.

Moneyline odds make it easy to determine favorites and underdogs because of the plus or minus sign next to the number. Decimal odds make it a little easier to calculate your winnings because you multiply your bet by the odds provided.

How Are Moneyline Opportunities Created?

Modern oddsmakers rely heavily on computing power to create Vegas odds.

Sports statistics have increased from a few key figures to a plethora of metrics revealing trends big and small that provide insight into the predictive results of Moneyline fights.

Sportsbooks can feed all of this data into algorithms that turn numbers into probabilities that reveal possible outcomes.

However, the odds often change between the time the money lines are published and the start of the game, even if no new developments occur that could change the expected outcome.

This change in odds is a line move and often reflects the money people are betting on both outcomes. If many people invest in a Moneyline, the cost of that Moneyline may go up while less popular money lines may become cheaper to bet on.

Sportsbooks use computer algorithms to figure out the expected odds, but they also change the Moneyline odds as the number of actions skews one outcome over the other.

Typically, sportsbooks want to minimize the risk they take on accepting bets, preferring to make guaranteed profits whenever possible. In the process of balancing the books, oddsmakers will alter the odds to encourage people to equalize the balance of bets placed on both outcomes.

Thus, bettors not only bet on the outcome of individual fights, but they also bet against a group of fellow players because of the line moves that occur.

In some cases, you will see the line you bet on is not a popular game, with bettors placing their bets against yours.

This can potentially lower the cost of the bets you want to make, increasing your payout if your Moneyline wins.

Moneylines vs. Over/Under – Which is Riskier?

The over/under explains it in a nutshell: chooses whether the game will finish with a combined score above or below the estimated amount.

If the over/under for an NFL game is 54, both sides must combine more than 54 points for over to win and less than 45 points for under to win.

In most scenarios, a boost occurs when both teams combine to score exactly 54 points, which returns your bet to your bankroll.

Sometimes, Moneyline bets will present less risk because the outcomes or offers make the high bet value.

Other times, it will be tough to predict the outcome of the Moneyline, which will make over/under bets more predictable.

Since money lines involve teams winning, losing, or ending in a draw, there are more variables involved than predicting the number of scores that occur in the game, as the goal of the match is to win, not both teams trying to collaborate to a specific score.

Point spread betting is another popular alternative to money lines, joining over/under as one of the three standard bet types typically offered by sportsbooks.

The difference between a Moneyline bet vs. a point spread bet involves whether a team will win by a set amount or not or whether the team expected to lose can prevent losses by that amount.

Point spread odds are flatter than Moneyline odds due to the handicap that the favorite must beat to cover the point spread.

Point spreads are popular because they offer a route to better payouts when betting on the favorite and reduce risk when betting on the underdog, especially when the money line shows a significant difference between the two teams.

Moneyline and Parlay Betting

Combining more than one Moneyline bet into a larger bet is referred to as a parlay, or accumulator, depending on the language the sportsbook uses.

A negotiated bet wins when all individual Moneyline bets win, creating a much larger payout than individual bets on each match.

Predicting multiple bets correctly is much more difficult than expecting a single bet, creating a winning payout.

Because each Moneyline bet is tied to a single parley bet, the odds of each Moneyline bet are multiplied to determine the payout for the parley.

When betting on the underdog, the payout for the parley can quickly multiply by an impressive amount.

For example, if you bet on three +200 money lines, the winner will be equivalent to betting on one +2500 bet.

Calculating the risk and reward for Moneyline parleys is a bit more complicated than determining the payout for a single bet.

Using an odds calculator is recommended to save time and ensure that you get the numbers right when placing multipart bets.

Parley involves a greater degree of difficulty to win due to the increased level of risk, so bettors should be familiar with Moneyline betting before attempting to predict multiple games in one bet.

Best Places for Moneyline Betting in Canada

Canada has access to the best sportsbooks globally, giving Canadians an excellent choice to choose from when choosing the online betting provider best suited for their betting style.

Those looking for a company with an extensive history may want to consider William Hill, which features a long story dating back to the mid-20th century.

They don’t have the same level of bonus offers or rewards programs as found in some competitors. Still, William Hill makes up for it with its impeccable reputation across the industry.

Bodog offers many great bonus offers, rebates, and player loyalty programs, which have increased the site’s popularity. This company was one of the originators of the online betting industry, leveraging its experience to be a player-friendly site.

Sports Interaction (SIA) was the first licensed and regulated sportsbook on Canadian soil. They have maintained their excellent online service ever since, becoming one of the best places to place Moneyline bets.

As online sports betting grows in popularity, the competition for players will continue to increase. Look for more reputable sportsbooks to launch for Canadians, such as Spin Sports, LeoVegas, and other online casinos diversifying into sports betting.

Moneylines in NBA Games

Our Betting Guide, The NBA Guide, will show you that basketball money lines often display the most skewed odds due to the significant quality differences between teams.

As such, betting on the point spread in basketball tends to be a bit more popular.

Moneylines in NFL Games

When learning how to bet on football matches, one of the rare occurrences that you will encounter is the occasional tie game.

This rarely complicates the Moneyline but remains a potential downfall when placing NFL Moneyline bets.

Moneylines in NHL Games

With the use of penalty shootouts, NHL betting tips for money lines no longer have to warn about potential losing bets due to a draw.

The NHL displays the strongest parity among competitors, resulting in better returns and slightly more risk when betting on hockey money lines.