You are a sports aficionado and see gambling as a way to propel your passion into the stratosphere—and also to win some extra bucks in the process. But how can you do that if you can’t quite understand what each market is? Don’t you worry, Total Apex Sports is your source of great betting opportunities and sports news, but it’s also the place that helps you get the edge over the sportsbooks. The first step to winning big is to understand the most popular betting markets.
So, let’s not get ahead of ourselves and bet like crazy. First, let’s understand the lines and what the oddsmakers mean by each popular market. Then, you can go ahead and see our betting tips!
What Are The Most Popular In Betting Markets?
The betting space is a big, big world. Depending on the event or sport you’re gambling on, the markets can seem infinite, but that’s for when you have a bit more experience. We all start with the basics, and that’s the right thing to do. As a general fact, the standard line set is -110, anything that moves from there indicates line movement. As for the main betting markets, these are the ones you should know about:
- Moneylines
- Spread Lines
- Total Lines
Betting Moneylines
That’s the good ol’ fashioned “pick the winner” bet. In moneylines, you don’t have to worry about a handicap, just pick the winner, and you’ll cash. However, since this has no spreads or equalizing factors, the favored team might be just too expensive to bet on sometimes.
Using American odds, you use 100 as your breaking point. Hence, in the odds, the favored team will have a (-) sign in front of them. This means that’s the number you have to bet on to win a $100 (of course you can calculate it on your unit size, even if that’s not $100). If you are betting on moneyline underdogs, you will see them with a (+) sign attached to their number. That’s how much you’ll win if you make a $100 bet. Follow the next example:
- Texans -120
- Colts +105
If you play on the Texans, it means you have to bet $120 to win $100 should they win. In the Colts’ case, if you bet $100 and they win, you collect $105 as a reward for choosing the winning side.
Betting Spread Lines
You can find spread lines in basically any sport. These betting markets are mostly used in the NBA and the NFL, but you can find spread lines in Tennis, UFC, Soccer (also known as goal line), MLB (also known as run line), and NHL (also known as puck line), and other sports as well. But what on Earth are these spread lines?
Basically, spread lines are a handicap, which means the favored team will have a handicap they need to cover to win the bet. Winning the game is not enough, the team has to surpass the handicap given by the oddsmakers to cash the wager. In simpler terms, a spread is what the books use as an “equalizer” to make an uneven match have the same action on both sides. Let’s see an example:
- Houston Texans -2.5 (-110)
- Indianapolis Colts +2.5 (-110)
In this case, the favored team would be the Texans. To understand this, you’d have to imagine the game starts with Houston losing by 2.5 points. Therefore, if you bet Texans -2.5, CJ Stroud and company would need to win by at least three points to cover that handicap. If your bet was on the Colts‘ side, you need Indianapolis to win outright or to lose by two or fewer points to cash the bet.
When it comes to run lines, goal lines, and puck lines, the usual number is set at 1.5. This is because baseball, soccer, and hockey are low-scoring sports, so it’s a pretty well-established number to get.
Both lines are usually set at -110. Let’s say the -2.5 is at -120, that indicates the line will soon move to -3. So, if you’re interested in playing Houston, it’s in your best interest to bet it quickly so you get that .5 in your favor. If you like the Colts, you should wait for the line to hit 3, so you have more margin in your bet.
Betting Total Lines
This is the third most popular market to bet on. The total lines refer to the amount of a certain aspect of a competition. For example, in competitive games like football or basketball, the total line will set the amount of points projected for the game. If it’s boxing or MMA fighting, the total will reflect the projected amount of rounds in the bouts. We’ll exemplify it for you:
- Texans -2.5
- Colts +2.5
- Totals: O/U 47.5
In this case, the bookmakers think the game will end up near the 47-point mark. You, as a bettor, can play on whether the teams combine to
go under or over that number. If you play the over, you need for the Texans and Colts to combine for at least 48 points. If you bet on the under, you need 47 points or less to be scored. The total lines will usually be set at a -110 moneyline. This means that you’ll have to bet $110 to win $100 regardless of the side. If the lines are not set at -110, that would indicate a line movement might be on the way.
Betting Markets Conclusions
These are the three most common betting markets you can find. However, once you’re comfortable with them, you can start exploring the rest. Remember, the point of betting is looking for an edge, so understanding lines and prices is the first step to a successful betting experience. For more betting tips, betting picks, and previews, Total Apex Sports is the place for you.
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