Did you know that 46% of American adults have some interest in sports betting? If you are part of this statistic and are ready to learn the kinds of sports bets available, you are in the right place. We have put together this short guide to share the details of your betting choices.
Read on to learn everything you need to know about the different sports betting options.
Money Line Bet
This is one of the most common and also the simplest type of sports bet. When you choose to bet on a team’s moneyline, the bet you place is basically saying that you are betting on that team to win.
An example is if you want the Giants to win, you would place your money and bet on their moneyline. If the Giants win then you win money because your bet won but if they lose then you lose money.
Parlay Bets
Parlay bets is when multiple bets on winning are placed. In order for a parlay to win, every bet inside the parlay has to win in order for you to win any money on your bet. In the event that you have a 6-leg parlay and only four bets win, then your parlay ticket is a losing bet.
Some bettors opt to place parlay bets because it’s an easy way to bet a lower financial amount and have the chance to win a large amount of money because the profits are multiplied every time you win.
An example is if you bet $10 on a five-leg parlay for the following teams:
- Yankees Moneyline (-215)
- White Sox Moneyline (-155)
- Celtics +4.5 (-110)
- José Alvarado (PHI) to hit a home run (+650)
- Max Scherzer (WAS) to have over 8.5 strikeouts (-105)
In the end, you have the chance to win $663.80 if every single leg in the parlay wins.
Teaser
Teasers are similar to parlay bets because they are tied to multiple bets. The main difference is that teasers are only for point spreads and they are designed to have the same payout as a single regular bet instead of a really large payout.
With a teaser bet, you are teasing the spread of multiple games by several points in favor of the bettor.
Point Spreads
This bet is when you are betting on a team’s margin of victory instead of betting on what the final result of the game is. The plus symbol is used to define the underdog, and the minus symbol is used to designate a favorite.
An example of the plus and minus symbol is if a team is priced at -5.5, then they have to win by more than 5.5 points in order for you to win your bet. So, that means that the opposing team has to be priced at +5.5, which means that they have two choices: to win the game or to lose by less than 5.5 points.
You can view this page to see your point spread betting options.
Middle Bets
With middle bets, you place point spread bets on both sides of the game that you’re betting on. The bets are placed on different lines to make sure that either one of the bets wins or that both of the bets win.
An example is that at one sportsbook, the Panthers are 3.5 point favorites against the Titans and your bet is one unit on the Panthers. Then, in another sportsbook, the Titans are 4.5 point underdogs against the Panthers, so you bet one unit on the Titans.
With placing middle bets in the Titans/Panthers game, you can win by either +1.82 units if the Titans win by exactly 4 points. Or, you can lose only 0.09 units if they don’t. With this example of middle bets these are the 3 potential outcomes you can have:
Bet: Panthers -3.5; Titans +4.5 Score: Panthers 28, Titans 24; Profit: +1.82
Bet: Panthers -3.5; Titans +4.5 Score: Panthers 30, Titans 17; Profit:-0.09
Bet: Panthers -3.5; Titans +4.5 Score: Panthers 14, Titans 21; Profit:-0.09
Keep in mind that middle bets can also be referred to as middling.
Totals/Over-Under Bets
Totals is another popular sports bet that people place. This is the point total during a game and these bets are sometimes called over/under because the bet is being placed on a total to go either over or under.
With a total bet, you are betting on the combined number of points that are scored between both teams.
Let’s say that you are betting on a football game between the Giants and Eagles, and the point total is set as 45.5 points. If the final score is Eagles at 21 and Giants at 17, then only 38 combined points were scored. This means that the under would be the winning bet in this scenario.
Futures Bets
This is where you place a wager on the future outcome of a sporting event. The wager can be the total number of wins that a team has, a winning league championship, or an MVP award.
Player props can also be future bets placed. For example, you can bet on the # of yards a quarterback will throw during a season or the points a player will average per game in a season.
Now You Can Choose Between These Kinds of Sports Bets
Now that you are familiar with the different kinds of sports bets you can choose from, you can make an informed decision before you put your money just anywhere. Make sure you select the best type of sports bet that works for you.
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