Online Wagering Basic Tips By HHA(Back to Articles)
Making a bet at an online sportsbook could be very tricky. There are a lot of options and different kinds of bets besides the typical straight bet where you simply pick the winner between 2 opponents or teams; you will be faced with money lines and spreads, among others. Usually the site will give you a report of how much you are betting, and what your earnings are if you win, so if you plan to make some bets you first have to learn the basic terms used in wagering, and how everything works.
Money Line
This is a straight wager where you find the odds for the favorite and the underdog. Reading the line is one of the most important things you should know how to do. When wagering online the line usually comes in negative numbers for the favorite and positive numbers for the underdog. For example, for a Celtics Vs Lakers game, the line could look like this: Boston Celtics (+125) Vs L.A. Lakers (-145). That line means that for every $100 you bet for the Celtics you could win $125, but you would have to bet $145 to win $100 with the Lakers.
Against the Spread
When you pick this option, the underdog is given extra points. For example, if the line reads Panthers (+7) Vs Giants (-7), that means that the Giants are a 7 point favorite and any wager made in their favor only will pay if the Giants win by 7 or more point margin, but if you bet for the Panthers you get paid even if they lose for 6 or less points.
Over/Under
This wager will let you bet on the total score for a certain game, instead of the individual teams or players. You will have the option to bet if the score will be higher or lower than the prediction made by the sportsbook; in this bet is completely irrelevant who wins.