Football Betting Lines

The two most popular ways of expressing odds in American football are point spreads and money lines. We have previously discussed point spreads and in this article, we will discuss football betting money lines, how to read them, and use an NFL football game as an example to illustrate a money line bet.

The easiest way to understand a money line, is to think of it as an indication of the amount you need to bet to win $100 (or 100 of whatever currency you are betting in) or the amount you will win if you bet $100. Money lines are expressed with a negative number, say -110, or a positive number, say +110. A negative money line number indicates what you must wager to win $100, and a positive money line number indicates what you will win if you wager $100.

If you bet $110 on a team with a money line of -110, and they win, you will win $100 (plus return of your original $110 bet).

If you bet $100 on a team with a money line of +110, and they win, you will win $110 (plus return of the original $100 bet). Unlike point spread bets, the teams do not have to win by any particular number of points.

Now, you do not have to bet an amount equal to the money line number. You can bet more or less and the payoff simply becomes a proportional amount. For example, if you bet $11 on a money line of -110, and your bet wins, you will win $10. If you bet $50 on a money line of +110, and win, you will win $55.

A Football Money Line Bet
Money line bets are common in many sports, particularly in NFL football betting. Here, we will look at some examples of money line bets using NFL football games.

Example 1

The Oakland Raiders are playing the New York Jets. You want to place a bet on the Raiders who are expected to win the game. The money line lists the Raiders at -110 and the Jets at +110. You place $110 on the Raiders. If the Raiders win, you win $100 (plus your original $110 bet). If you had bet $100 on the Jets, and they had won, you would win $110 (plus your original $100 bet).

Example 2

In the same example, you place a $55 bet on the Raiders. If the Raiders win, you win $50 (plus your original $55 bet). If you had bet $50 on the Jets, and they had won, you would win $55 (plus your original $50 bet).

Example 3

We'll use the same example but change the money line. The money line now lists the Raiders at -165 and the Jets at +145. You place $165 on the Raiders. If the Raiders win, you win $100 (plus your original $165 bet). If you had bet $100 on the Jets, and they had won, you would win $145 (plus your original $100 bet).

Money lines are not nearly as complicated as they first appear. Place a few bets and they will become second nature.

posted by Anonymous @ 8:34 AM

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