Moneyline Betting

Are you a new bettor who’s confused by money line betting? Don’t worry you’re not alone. Many new bettors are left scratching their head when they go to bet on hockey and they see -150 next to their team.

Money line odds are available in every sports, but they’re usually associated with sports that don’t have spreads like hockey and baseball. You can see how difficult it could be to add a spread to hockey when so many games end up being deicide by a single goal.

The easiest way to explain how a money line works is just to show you. Here’s an example of a money line from a recent hockey game.

Buffalo +115
Vancouver -135

The favorite on the money line is always given minus odds (-) and the underdog is given in plus odds (+). In the example above the Sabres are the underdog at +115, while the Canucks are the favorite at -135.

But what does any of that mean? Since the Canucks are favored and expected to win, the sportsbook requires you to risk more to make a sizable profit on the game. The -135 means you must wager $135 to win $100.

The Sabres are the underdog and expected to lose, so the sportsbook gives you an incentive to bet on them by giving you the chance to make a bigger profit if they upset Vancouver. The +115 means if you wager $100 you will win $115.

Money line odds in baseball work exactly the same. If the Blue Jays are a +140 underdog versus the Yankees, who are a -160 favorite, you would win $140 for a $100 bet on Toronto. To win $100 by betting on the Yankees you must wager $160.

Money line betting is also available in sports that have a spread, such as football or basketball, and you can make bigger profits when betting on underdogs. Take this example from a sportsbook.

On the point spread the Toronto Argonauts are a 3-point underdog at -115 versus the Montreal Alouettes. If you think the Argos can upset the Alouettes and win outright you would make a lot more money betting on Toronto on the money line than on the spread because on the money line the Argos are a +145 underdog. A $115 wager on the Argos on the point spread would pay $100, while a $100 wager on Toronto on the money line would pay $145.