Understanding the Bets

In a moneyline bet, you simply bet on which team will WIN. It doesn’t matter what the final score is, only who wins. The more likely a team is to win, the lower the moneyline odds.

Here is an example of what you would see for a moneyline bet:
Pittsburgh (1.50) vs. Washington (2.50)

In this case, Pittsburgh is the favorite to win the game. If you bet $10 on Pittsburgh to win, you would win a payout of $15, for a total profit of $5. However, if you were to bet on Washington to win, you would win a payout of $25, for a profit of $15.

If you bet on a point spread, you’re betting that a result is going to happen by a certain amount. It’s not enough that the team you bet on wins—they have to win by more than the point spread.

Here’s an example of what you’d see for a point spread bet:
Tampa Bay +5.5 (1.90) vs. Seattle -5.5 (1.90)

In this example, a bet on Seattle would mean that you think Seattle will win by more than 5.5 points. If they do win by more than 5.5 points, you would say they “covered the spread.” If you bet $10 that Seattle would cover the point spread, you would win $19, including your original $10 bet, for a profit of $9.

If Seattle wins by fewer than 5.5 points, or if they lose, you would say they did not cover the spread, or you could say they lost “against the spread.” If you bet on Seattle in this case, you would lose your money.

If you bet on Tampa Bay and they win the game, or if they lose by fewer than 5.5 points, you win. If you bet $10, you would win $19, for a profit of $9.

This is a bet on a particular stat being achieved during the course of an event. The most common type of over/under bet is on the combined points scored by two teams in a game, which is also known as a “game total bet.” Over/under bets may be offered on other stats as well, like the total number of penalty minutes in a hockey game, or the total number of hits in a baseball game.

Here’s an example of what you’d see for an over/under total points bet:
Edmonton vs. Calgary Total Goals:
Over 6.5 (1.75) / Under 6.5 (2.1)

For this game between Edmonton and Calgary, the over/under is 6.5. If you place a bet on the over, you win if the two teams combine to score more than 6.5 points. It doesn’t matter which team wins or what the score is—it could be 7–0 or 4–3. All that matters is the total number of points scored by the two teams.

Like the other examples, the 1.75 indicates that If you correctly bet $10 on the over, you win 1.75 x $10, or $17.50 for a total profit of $7.50.

If you place a bet on the under, you’re betting that the two teams will combine to score fewer than 6.5 points. In this example, if you correctly bet $10 on the under, you’re paid 2.1 x $10, or $21 for a total profit of $11.

If the total points scored equals the over/under, it’s known as a push. You don’t win and you don’t lose. The original bet is returned.
 

A futures bet is a bet on the outcome of a series of matches, such as an entire season or tournament. For instance, you could place a futures bet on the winner of the Stanley Cup, the US Open golf tournament or MVP of a certain league.

You can place a bet before the season or event starts, or, in some cases, you can place a bet as it progresses. The odds will change during the season or event, based on all the factors that influence the ultimate outcome. How the competitors are performing against expectations, for example, and who they might be expected to play in the final matches.

Unlike the traditional bets above that focus on who will win or lose, or by how much, proposition bets focus on more unique aspects of a game. Proposition bets add excitement and variety to sports betting, allowing fans to engage with games on a deeper level. These can include individual player achievements, team milestones, or even events unrelated to the actual play, such as:

• Which player will score the first touchdown?
• Will a specific player achieve a triple-double?
• How many home runs will be hit in a baseball game?
• Will the coin toss land heads or tails?
• Will a certain color of Gatorade be poured on the winning coach?