how to read sports betting line

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п»їHow to read sports betting line.
If your sports betting experience consists mostly of office pools during March Madness or a casual wager between you and a friend while you watch the Super Bowl, the transition to serious sports betting means learning how to read betting lines. The biggest difference between making the kind of casual bets mentioned above and placing wagers with online sportsbooks or at brick-and-mortar bookshops is the use of sports betting lines. Casual wagers usually involve each person in the bet picking one team to win, then wagering an equal amount, say $20 or $30. Professional bookmakers, online sports betting exchanges, and sports betting facilities in casinos have a more complex system for offering wagers on sporting events, in part to ensure profit on the part of the book, and in part to present a standardized representation of odds.
Let’s start with the basics: what do sports bettors mean when they talk about a ‘line?’ The word line, in the language of a sportsbook, can refer to either the odds and/or a point spread in any sports contest. Let’s take a look at an imaginary line the way you’d read it off the board sitting in a Vegas sports betting lounge or on the screen at your online book. Let’s imagine a game between the New York Giants and the Dallas Cowboys. Your book’s NFL betting line might look something like this:
What may look like a jumble of words, numbers, and punctuation is actually a precise and easy-to-read breakdown of the various odds and point spread details your book is offering. Here is a breakdown of each unit of information given above. Once you understand each part of the jumbled details above, you’ll be able to read a sports betting line with confidence.
The Point Spread.
Obviously, the first three letters on the top two lines of the three-line package of symbols represents a team in the game you’re wagering on; NYG stands for the New York Giants, while DAL stands for the Dallas Cowboys. The number next to each team’s name is known as the spread or the point spread. Wagers on the point spread are among the most popular sports wagers in the world. The reason this wager is popular is that it doesn’t matter which team wins or loses; what matters is the amount of points the teams score, and whether or not the team you place your money on beats the difference in points (the ‘spread’) or not.
Placing a point spread bet means gambling on how much a team will win or lose by. In our above example, the Cowboys are the favorite. How do we know that? The minus symbol in front of the point spread indicates that the bookmaker thinks the final score will have Dallas winning by 7.5 points or more. The underdog, in our example that’s the New York Giants, will always be indicated with a plus sign. If you wager on the Cowboys on the point spread, America’s Team will have to win by at least 8 points for your wager to pay off. Should the Cowboys win by less than 8 points, your bet is lost.
A wager on the Giants on the spread does not mean that New York has to win the game in order for you to win cash. All the G-Men have to do is come within 8 points of the ‘boys, and you’re a winner. You determine a winning or losing point spread by adding or subtracting 7.5 from the final score, depending on which side you laid your bet. If you’re confident that New York will at least come within a touchdown of beating the Cowboys, or beating them outright, then you’d wager on the spread in favor of New York.
A quick word on that annoying half point in the point spread – most lines you’ll come across will use half points, but it’s not standard practice across the board. When you see a line with a full number instead of a number with a half point, your wager could end up as a push. In our example, if the line were 7 instead of 7.5 and the final difference in points was exactly 7, your wager is returned to you, and neither you nor the book makes money.
What’s the function of the second number in the line?
The second number in our example (-110 for both teams) tells you how much you have to wager in order to win $100. It’s an easy way to calculate how much you’ll win if your bet pays off, presented in units of $100 at a time for simplicity’s sake. Most of the time, these two numbers will be the same, because oddsmakers want to set lines so that they get as much action on the underdog as on the favorite, guaranteeing them a profit. If a book gets a single bet of $110 (by a customer hoping to win $100) on the Cowboys and a single bet of $110 on the Giants, it will have taken in $220, but will only have to pay back $210 to whichever customer wins the bet. That’s a guaranteed profit of $10, and since sportsbooks take far more than a single bet in either direction, they stand to earn that seemingly small amount of profit many times over. The $10 difference between what you wager and what you win is known as juice or vig in the sports betting industry, and it’s the way books earn their bread and butter.
What does the last number in the line mean?
The last number in the top two rows of our sports line example is known as the money line. If you’re not interested in betting on the point spread, you can wager on a team to win outright. The plus sign next to the underdog (in our case, the Giants) indicates how much money you’ll earn for every $100 you bet on the money line. Conversely, the minus sign next to the favorite’s line tells you how much you have to wager in order to win $100. In our example, a $100 wager on the Giants earns you $300 should they pull off the upset, while a bet of $405 on the Cowboys will net you an extra $100. Representing odds in units of $100 makes placing different size bets easy; if you want to bet $10 on the Giants, you stand to earn $30 if they win, while a $40.50 bet on the Cowboys will net you an additional $10.
What does the bottom row of numbers and letters mean?
The final line of information in our example line is the over-under. Wagers placed on the over-under have nothing to do with which team wins or the difference between the points they score, but rather the combined number of points both teams will score in the game. The first number (56.5 in our sample line) is the book’s predicted total score, while the second number (110 in our Giants/Cowboys rivalry game) is how much a punter has to bet in order to win $100. If you were to bet the over-under on this game, you’ll have to decide whether you think the combined score of both teams will be higher or lower than the number put up by the book. Let’s say you bet the over, assuming the game will be a shootout between two talented offenses, you’re hoping that the final score will be anything that totals 57 or more. It could be Dallas 54, New York 3, or any other point combination that adds up to 57 or more and your bet will win. Betting the under means that the two teams cannot score more than 56 points combined, or else you lose your bet.
Reading sports betting lines becomes easier with practice and experience with different sporting events. What looks like a jumble of letters and numbers actually gives a lot of information in a tiny amount of space. Different sports have different types of wagers available, such as the run line in baseball or the puck line in hockey, both of which replace the money line found in our football example. The more experience you have watching and gambling on different sports, the faster you’ll be able to read betting lines.


How to Read Lines.
Most newspapers and online sports betting sites publish the line on a football or basketball game simply as a single number. In our example we will use Chicago against New York in which Chicago is favored by 4 points versus New York. Some bettors refer to this as the favorite laying 4 points, and the underdog getting 4 points. The spread is typically displayed in the following format:
Often there is a number to the side of the spread, such as Chicago -4 (-110) . This is to show how much extra money a bettor must risk on their wager.
The (-110) important for calculating payouts and break-even percentages. Since it is -110, we must bet 1.10 to win 1.00, so for each $1 we want to win, we have to risk $1.10. For example, a sports bettor must risk $11 to win $10, $55 to win $50, $110 to win $100, $1100 to win $1,000 and so forth. If the line is a single number, like in the first example, -110 is simply assumed As you may have noticed, bettors are risking 10% more than they can possibly win from their wager.
There’s a technical term for this extra fee: vigorish . The vigorish, also known as “vig” or “juice” , gives sportsbooks a mathematical advantage, commonly referred to as the house hedge . You have likely seen similar fees for casino games. This how sportsbooks make a profit. Since sportsbooks charge a fee, sports bettors winning only 50% of their bets will likely end up losing money in the long term. Taking into account the vigorish, you need to win not half of your bets but at least 52.4% to break even on traditionally-juiced lines (-110).
While -110 is typical for spreads and totals, in the era of online sports betting, competition among legal US sportbooks often leads to better deals for customers. One no longer needs to risk an extra 10% on every wager. Some US sportsbooks will run promotions where sports bettors only have to risk an extra 5% on most games instead of 10%. In this case, the line would look like:
One would only risk $105 to win $100 a wager on Chicago winning by 5 or more points. If you win, you still win $100, but if you lose you’ll only lose $105 instead of $110. It may seem like a small difference, but that extra $5 can add up over the course of a season.
Sometimes the line will be displayed as a rather larger number to the side of the point spread. Let us look at an example where you would need to wager $120 in order to win $100:
You might find one sportsbook with Chicago -4 (-120) and Chicago -4 (-110) at a different sportsbook. This is why it’s so important for sports bettors to shop for the best lines across the US sports betting industry. The best way to shop lines is to use our odds comparison tools, which you can find for NFL, NBA, MLB, NCAAB, NCAAF and NHL.
The same principle applies to wagers on the point total (Over/Under) of the game. If the game total is O41 (-120), U41 (-100) then a $120 wager on the over will win $100 while $100 on the Under will win $100. If the line simply states 41, then you are risking 1.10 to win 1.0 whether your bet is on the over or the under. Again, you can minimize the difference between the over and under and favorites and underdogs by using our odds comparison tools to shop lines.
A Moneyline bet is a wager on the outcome of the game regardless of the point spread. So if you bet the moneyline, you are betting on a team to win the game straight up (or outright). Moneyline wagering is more popular for MLB, NHL, golf matchups and combat sports such as the UFC and boxing, but you can also find moneylines for football and basketball. The usual display for a moneyline wager is as follows:
As you can see, the spread disappeared. Now the number to the side of Team/Player is the moneyline. The moneyline is fluid, fluctuating based on the matchup and the amount of money being bet on each side. In this particular example, a sports bettor must risk $200 to win $100 (2-to-1) if they’re betting on the favorite to win the game. One may bet $200 to win $100, $150 to win $75, $10 to win $5 and so forth. The bottom line is the same, one has to risk twice as much as they want to win.
If you’re new to sports betting, we hope this page helped answer some important questions. We also have a parlay calculator for your convenience, along with the odds comparison tools mentioned above. Be sure to use all of our sports betting tools and tips to help save you time and money at legal US sportsbooks.
Note: Lines and scores highlighted in blue signify an update within the last ten minutes.
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How to Read Sports Lines.
Published: 26 July, 2010.
In sports, the "line" on a game reflects an oddsmaker's prediction not only of the outcome on the field, but also of the "action" on the game among bettors. Lines are set up in an attempt to get a roughly equal amount of money bet on both sides of each game, so that the sports book, the casino or other entity that collects and pays bets, doesn't have to pay out more than it takes in. (The book makes its profit on per-bet fees paid by gamblers.) There are two main types of sports lines: point spreads, the most common in football and basketball, and money lines, which are more common in baseball.
Identifying the type of line.
Find the game you're interested in.
Identify the kind of line you're dealing with. If the number following the plus or minus sign is 100 or greater, you're looking at a "money line." If it's a smaller number, usually much smaller, it's a point spread.
Reading point spread lines.
Identify the favorite by the number with the minus-sign.
Find the point spread. That's the number after the minus sign. Say your game is Detroit against Chicago, and the line reads "Chicago -6." This means Chicago is the favorite, and the "spread" is 6 points.
Apply the spread. In point-spread betting, the actual final score of the game is only the starting point. Say Chicago beats Detroit 24-17. Because Chicago was the favorite, you subtract the point spread from its final score. That's the purpose of the minus sign in the spread. The spread was 6, so you take 6 points away from Chicago's point total, giving you an "adjusted" score of Chicago 18, Detroit 17. If you'd bet on Chicago, you'd have won the bet. Now, say Chicago won the game 20-17. Subtracting the 6 points from Chicago's total gives you a final score of Detroit 17, Chicago 14. If you'd bet on Chicago, you'd have lost.
Watch for "pushes." If applying the point spread results in a tie score, then the game is a "push," and all bets are refunded. That's why point spreads commonly include half-points, such as "Chicago -5.5," to make pushes impossible.
Reading money lines.
Choose the team you think will win. A money-line bet is a bet on a team to win outright. You don't adjust the score; you only win the bet if your team wins on the field.
Point-spread lines will usually have a number next to the favorite only. Money lines will have a number next to both teams.
When a point-spread game is listed as "Pick 'em" or just "Pick," it means neither team is the favorite. There's no spread; you're betting on who will win outright, much like a money-line bet.
If a game is listed as "No line," that means no bets are being taken. For example, if it's uncertain whether a key member of one team will be able to play because of injury, a sports book may refuse to take bets until the issue is decided.


A Simple Explanation: How to Read Sports Betting Odds.
Understanding the world of online betting can be a daunting task for the sports betting novice. You’re met with a wall of numbers, dots and dashes before you even get started.
The key to enjoyable betting is in knowing how to read the odds. We’ll break it all down into manageable chunks, covering the different bets and odds, and how to read them.
What Are Odds?
Before we get started, let’s take a look at what odds actually are. Odds are a set of numbers which indicate the likelihood of an event taking place. In gambling terms, the odds aren’t a true representation of probability, but show the ratio between the amount bet and the payout based on the probability calculated by the bookmakers.
Now that we have that out of the way, let’s get down to business.
The Different Types of Odds.
The first thing you’ll need to be aware of is the three most common types of odds in sports wagering:
Moneyline Point spreads Over/under betting.
What do these terms mean, exactly?
The Moneyline.
The moneyline wager is perhaps the simplest bet to understand. It’s a straightforward bet on who you think is going to win the game, no matter the final points or score margins.
What Do the Numbers Mean?
Essentially, these odds show how much your profit will be based on the amount you wager. Moneyline wagers have odds attached to both the favorite and the underdog.
Note: the odds are given in the American format. We’ll explain that in more detail later.
Point Spreads.
Usually in any game, one team is better than the other, giving us the terms favorite and underdogs in the first place.
If you were to just bet on the favorite each time, you could take your money and go, but this doesn’t make for a very exciting betting experience, nor would it be very profitable for the online bookmakers. The point spread makes things more interesting for bettors, as well as making a profit for the bookies.
Essentially, the point spread is a handicap given by the bookmakers to bring teams to an equal footing, in that it generates interest in both teams from bettors. With the point spread odds, you’ll bet on the score difference between the two teams.
WHAT DO These NUMBERS MEAN?
Betting on Team B would win you your bet if the team wins the game, OR if it loses by less than six points.
If you would like to learn more, be sure to read our article explaining point spread betting.
Over/ Under.
If you are having trouble deciding who is likely to win a game, then an over/under bet might be the way to go. Sometimes referred to as ‘totals’ betting, over/under odds are a bet on the total combined score in a game.
It doesn’t matter who wins or loses. Instead, the bet depends on whether the combined amount is over or under a predetermined number set by the bookmaker.
If you see a bet written as 45.5 o/u , for example, this means that the bookmakers have calculated the possibility of the combined scores of the two teams as being around 45.5. The odds will often be with half points, in order to prevent what is called a ‘push’ or tie.
All you have to do is decide whether the combined scores will total over that mark, or under it. How much you are set to win from each of these bets will be decided by the bookmaker’s odds, and how much money you want to wager (more on this later).
How to Read Odds.
Now that you know the basic betting forms, you will notice that the odds given aren’t all written in the same way. Again, there are three main formats:
This is where your head may start to hurt, but let’s try to keep it simple.
American Odds.
American odds are also used with the point spread bets, for example:
So while the point spread doesn’t change the odds given for each result, it allows the bookmakers to protect their margin or ‘juice’.
In another article, we explain how you can find out more about how bookmakers operate and how they calculate their odds.
Decimal Odds.
Decimal odds are sometimes referred to as “European odds” and are used throughout Europe, Australia and Canada. If you’re interested in betting on international sports, it’s a good idea to know how they work.
Luckily, they’re very straightforward and easy to calculate. All you have to do is multiply your wager by the odds to find out your potential winnings.
For example, if you bet $100 on a team winning, with odds at 1.82, then your potential total amount received is $182. Simple.
Fractional Odds.
Fractional odds are one of the oldest forms of odds in sports gambling and are more popular in the UK market. Basically fractional odds show you how much you are set to win relative to how much you put in. Again, we’ll keep this simple with an easy example. Say you make a bet of $5 on Team A to win with the odds of 2/1.
This translates as:
So your bet of $5 at 2/1 odds gives you a return of $15 ($5 wagered x 2 plus the original stake of $5).
Need a Calculator Yet?
It’s a good idea to have a basic understanding of how to recognize and read each of the odds formulas, but fortunately, there are also a number of online odds converters and calculators that will do the hard work for you quickly and easily.
This comes in very handy especially when you have to recalculate when the odds change.
Why Do Odds Change?
Between the time when the betting lines open and the game starts, you’re likely to see some change in the betting odds, especially in the last few minutes. Why? There are a few reasons.
Protecting Profit.
Firstly, the bookmakers may change the odds to protect their profit. Since they’ve calculated the odds carefully to give both teams equal interest, making sure they are set to gain a profit either way, if one team is getting a clear majority of the bets, then they will change the odds to make the less favored team’s odds more favorable.
Insider Info.
Betting websites may change their odds as information comes to light. For example, when a team line-up is published before a game and the star players aren’t making an appearance, or perhaps news of injuries or training issues come out. These will all have an effect on the betting odds offered.
Sharp Bettors.
Another reason for movement on the betting line will be the sharp bettors, those professional players who may hold off to the last minute and bet against the public opinion. They are usually big-money players and their wager can be enough to move the lines.
Knowing how to use line movement to your advantage takes time and experience, but you can get a head start with our handy guide to understanding line movement.
Ready to Play.
Now that you have the basic building blocks required to understand sports betting odds, you’re ready to go. All that’s left for you to do is find the right sportsbook for you.
This can be another learning curve, but don’t worry, we’re here to help you. Just follow the link to get some great tips on how to choose the best online bookmaker.




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