Sports with Moneyline Bets
You can place moneyline bets on all sports. That's because moneyline wagers represent the simplest form of betting where you predict which team or player will win the match. And since all sports are played to produce a winner, you can bet moneyline on most games recent bookmakers offer these days.
The list of sports with moneyline bets is pretty extensive and includes sports like:
In short, if you are a punter that chooses moneyline over other types of bets, you will never be out of options. It is the simplest and most basic wager and has been around since the earliest beginnings of organised sport.
How do moneyline odds work?
Moneyline odds are pretty easy to understand. They are also called American odds, as it is US bookmakers that use them most of the time.
As you have probably noticed by now, US betting sites use a plus/minus system for their odds where they calculate wagers based on $100 bets. The favourite always has a minus sign, while the underdog has a plus sign in front of its moneyline betting odds.
Let's explain how this works. Let's say the Chicago Bulls are playing the Sacramento Kings:
- Chicago Bulls (-185) - Sacramento Kings (+165)
As you can see, the Bulls have the minus sign in their odds, so they are the favourites. But what does -185 mean? Well, the Bulls' moneyline odds tell you how much you need to stake to win £100. In this case, you need to wager £185, to have a profit of £100.
But what about the Kings' odds? What do they mean? As you can see, the Kings are the underdogs. That's because they have a plus sign in their odds. +165 means that you will win £165 from a £100 wager.
In a nutshell, when you bet on favourites, you will see a minus sign in their odds which will tell you how much you need to wager to win £100. In contrast, when you bet on underdogs, you will notice the plus sign and a number which will tell you how much you can win with a £100 bet.
Moneyline vs Point Spread Betting Markets
Moneyline and point spread betting markets are similar, but they are also quite different. They are similar because, in both of them, you have to choose which team will win and which team will lose. However, in point spread markets, bookmakers give an advantage to one of the teams and handicap the other. Let's compare the two sports betting markets to see which one is better for you.
Moneyline Bets
With moneyline wagers, you predict the team to win the game. That's it. There are no point advantages or disadvantages. And that appeals to many sports bettors. There are a couple of reasons why.
First of all, you don't have to worry whether a team will overcome the points disadvantage. Also, even the smallest of wins of the team you backed will result in a winning bet. That's not always the case with point spread bets.
However, there are some disadvantages to betting on moneylines. The biggest one is that the odds for favourites are nowhere near as high. Because favourites don't have to overcome a points disadvantage, the odds in the moneyline markets are pretty low for strong teams. Sure, you have better chances of getting a winning bet, but you will win much less money because of the lower odds.
Point Spread Bets
With point spread bets, you have to take into account the points advantage or disadvantage the sportsbook has given to teams. For instance, when betting on favourites, the team you back will need to overcome the handicap in order to win. In contrast, when betting on underdogs, sportsbooks will help you with the points advantage, but you will get lower odds as a result.
So, which one should you choose? Well, it all depends on the bet you are planning to make. If you are backing a favourite but think it will have problems winning by a bigger margin, you should definitely go with moneylines. That way, you would win regardless of the winning margin. However, if you are sure that a favourite will win by a very big margin, you need to bet on the point spread market. That's because you will get much better odds if, as you expect, the stronger team overcomes the points deficit.
Sports Betting Strategies for Moneyline Bets
Using a proven sports betting strategy can be the difference between a winning and a losing bet. Even though moneyline bets may seem pretty easy to get right, you still need to do your betting homework to win your wagers. After all, predicting whether a team will win or lose is what sports betting is all about, meaning you have to be at the top of your game to profit from moneyline bets.
And that's where we come in. We are as enthusiastic about moneyline bets as you are and want to help you with each of your wagers. That's why we have compiled a list of five moneyline tips that can improve your success rate significantly. Read on and see how you can win more moneyline bets than ever before.
Tip 1: Analyse form
When you are moneyline betting, analysing a team's form is crucial. That's because form tells you whether a team will enter the next game with a winning mentality or low morale.
If a team has been winning games for fun, it will likely win the next one too. So, it's a great option for your next bet. In contrast, if a side has found it hard to win in previous games, it will probably continue to struggle in the next match too. That's why it is better to stay away from those teams or to back them to lose.
Tip 2: Compare previous results between teams
The next thing you should check is the head-to-head record between the teams. Previous results are often a good indicator as to how the next game will play out. For example, the New England Patriots have an excellent record against the Buffalo Bills and have beaten them in over 60 per cent of their matchups. So, backing the Patriots to beat the Bills the next time the two teams play is definitely a smart move, as they already have a mental advantage over the Buffalo-based franchise.
Similarly, if you are an English Premier League fan, you probably know about Tottenham Hotspur's struggles against Chelsea. The Blues are Spurs' arch-nemesis, and they always seem to find a way to beat them. That's why backing Chelsea in the moneyline betting market is the smart thing to do whenever these two sides meet.
Of course, when placing your moneyline bets, make sure to check other things like form, suspensions, and injuries too. Head-to-head records alone are not enough to come up with an educated bet and should be considered together with other factors.
Tip 3: Know when to back the underdog and when the favourite
Moneyline bets are great if you want to increase your winnings. All you need to do is back very strong favourites. These teams will win nine times out of ten when carrying the favourite tag, so they will often result in winning moneylines.
However, one drawback of backing heavy favourites is that they come with very low odds. So low, in fact, that you will probably have to back them with more money. And that can be risky, especially if they slip up and fail to win.
So, what should you do? Your best bet is to analyse all matches before betting on them and to back favourites, but also underdogs. In other words, you should adapt your moneyline betting strategy to increase your chances of winning.
If you feel that a favourite will slip up, don't be deterred by the high odds - back the underdog. When betting on moneyline markets, don't limit yourself to only one approach, and try to be as flexible as possible.
Tip 4: Find a betting site with high moneyline odds
Experienced bettors know that a quality betting site is as valuable as finding the right pick. A top-rated sportsbook can give you the high moneyline odds you need. It can also credit to your account lucrative bonuses that allow you to play with the bookmaker's money.
But how can you find these top-quality betting sites? Well, you don't have to look far. We have some excellent sportsbooks right here on our site. Our experts have tested everything about these bookmakers and can guarantee that they have the best moneyline odds and markets. That means we have done all the work, and all you need to do is join the one you fancy.
Tip 5: Free Bets Can Help You
Wouldn't it be great if you can cover both outcomes in a moneyline betting market? That would mean that whatever the result at the end of the match, you will have a winning bet. Incredibly, you can do exactly that when using the top 10 free bet offers and bonus funds.
Let us explain. Let's say that you open a new betting account with a sportsbook and trigger the betting site's welcome offer. It comes in the form of a £100 free bet. Now, let's say you find a match where both teams are given similar odds to win.
This is what you should do. First, back to the home side to win the match. Do this with your own money and bet £100. You can do this at the sportsbook you joined or at a different site if you think that betting site has better odds.
Next, use your £100 free bet to lay the other outcome and bet on the away side to win. This betting strategy is called matched betting, as you are backing one outcome and using the free bet to lay the opposite one. That means that regardless of which team wins the game, you have a winning moneyline bet.
You can do the same thing with bonus funds, and other betting site promos. And even if you don't use your bonus money and free bets for matched betting purposes, you can still profit from them in other ways. They allow you to place bets with the bookmaker's funds, and that always helps, especially when you want to place riskier wagers.
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