Moneyline odds are one of the easiest to read and bet upon. The punters as starters can find how much they are going to make from the bet or how much they need to invest to make certain earnings by reading the moneyline odds. The underdogs are awarded the plus sign while the favorites are given a minus sign to show how teams are perceived by bookies and what the bet has in store for the punters. So, let’s understand what the moneyline is, how to read moneyline odds and win these bets.
What is a moneyline bet?
A type of bet that includes the odds only in presentation are is called a moneyline bet. In this bet, you predict the winner of the game and the odds tell how much you will get or how much you need to bet to win the amount as specified in the odd. It is presented as +sign and -sign for the favorites and underdogs respectively. It is a simple bet as the punter is picking the side that will be the winner of the game.
It is one of the common ways the punters bet on sports. The other ways using which the punters bet on the sports are difference in goals or point spread, or deciding over/under. Like fractional and decimal odds, moneyline odds also tell the probability of an event.
So, if the moneyline odd reads +110, a punter needs to bet $100 to win $110 in the bet. Similarly, if the odds are -110, the punter needs to bet $110 to win $100. So, in both cases, the earnings will be $210, but the ROI will be different.
In case the odd is expressed in fraction, the bet amount is multiplied by fraction to get the profit from the bet or earnings from the bet.
What does moneyline difference indicate?
The odds of the moneyline bet depend upon the teams’ technical superiority, skill-set, home-field advantage, etc. Mostly, the favorite team has all these features, and so, has the high implied probability of winning the game. On the other hand, lack of these factors leads to low probability of winning and so, the team is called underdog. A favorite is indicated by minus (-) odd and the underdog is indicated by plus (+) odd.
The variance in odds indicate the type of match. If the odds differ only by a few numbers, say 100 and -130, then the teams are comparable in capacity and skill. Such teams are sure to give each other a tough fight in the match. Similarly, if the teams differ a lot in capacity and one of them is a clear favorite, the odds variance will be quit high. For example, in a match between Albama (the chart leader) and an FCS opponent, the Albama team has odds -10,000. It means a punter will have to bet $10,000 to win $100 when backing the Crimson Tide side.
Presentation of a moneyline bet
The moneyline odd is presented in the American odd format. The possibilities or odds are presented as +n and -n, where n is a number which meets at 100. You can find lots of numbers as soon as you open a sportsbook. The moneyline in the sportsbook is presented as
Team A +150 – Team B – 250
If the presentation proves confusing, the punters can use converters available online to find the counterpart of moneyline in decimal and fraction.
Moneyline favorites
To back a stronger team, the punters need to shell out more money. When the odd reads -150, it means that the bettor needs to stake $150 to win $100. So, to win $10, he will bet $15, and to win $50, he will bet $75.
So, when the bettor loses a bet, he loses the money to the bookie. But, if he wins the bet, the earning plus the original stake is the total amount earned. So, when the bettor puts at stake $150 to win $100, the total amount earned is $250.
Moneyline underdogs
Underdogs is the site, which bookies think, is most likely to lose the game. The betting on the underdog yields higher payout. The plus moneyline means that the punter will win the amount indicated on investing $100 on the bet. So, for +150, the fractional odd is 1.5 and the money spent will be $100. So, total earnings on winning the bet will be $150 + $100 = $250.
Situation when favorite is also presented by + sign
Usually, the favorite is indicated by -sign. It happens when the favorite is clear. However, not all teams can be found out as clear favorite in some games. For instance, in cycling races, tennis and golf tournaments, picking a favorite becomes difficult. Similarly, in preseason odds, the favorites also may have a plus sign.
Even odds or Pick’em odds
In some rare cases, moneyline odds can also be presented as +100. It is an even-money odd and has the chances just similar to flipping coin where the chances of head and tail are 50% each. So, in a +100 moneyline, the punter stakes $100 to win $100, $200 to $200 and so on. Those teams which are equal in caliber and have the same chance of winning the match are predicted as winners.
How moneyline and points spread are same and different
Moneyline and points spread hold one similarity and, that is, both are presented by negative or positive sign. The difference between the two is – while in moneyline bet, the bettors only predict the winner of the game; in point spread, the difference by which the winning team will lead the match will also be predicted.
To conclude, The moneyline bet is a simple bet and is easy to crack. It requires a punter to predict only the inner of the match. This bet can be decoded more easily with the help of records analysis and other effective strategies. The prediction makers like soccertipsters.net reveal the most probable winner, which can serve as a guide when you plan to stake on a moneyline bet. So, research first and then compare the odds you have created with moneyline odd to find value, if any, in the bet.