A moneyline bet is the simplest wager you will ever place. It is a straightforward prediction on which team will win a ball game, which fighter will win a bout, which tennis player will win a match, and so on.
Moneyline Bet Example
Let’s say you want to place a bet on an NHL game between the San Jose Sharks and the Detroit Red Wings.
You might find odds of +102 on the Sharks to win the game, and -122 on the Red Wings to come out on top.
Odds of +102 on the Sharks tell you to expect a profit of $102 for every $100 you bet on them if they win. Odds of -122 on the Red Wings tell you to expect a $100 profit for every $122 you bet on them if they prevail.
If you bet $10 on the Sharks to win, you would earn a $10.20 profit. If you bet $10 on the Red Wings, you would receive an $8.20 profit if they were successful. The smaller potential profit on Detroit tells you that it is the favorite.
The oddsmakers at the mobile betting sites have weighed up the strengths of both teams and decided that the Red Wings stand a better chance of winning. However, the odds can move in the build-up to the game if a large volume of bets goes on one team.
Moneyline Bet Alternatives
Moneyline betting is popular on low-scoring sports like soccer, hockey and baseball. On higher-scoring sports like basketball and football, the point spread is more common.
That gives the moneyline favorite a handicap, allowing the mobile bookies to offer a similar set of odds on either team covering.
You can also combine a moneyline bet with another option in a same game parlay for more value. For example, you might bet on Detroit to win and over 6.5 goals.
