Moneyline, spread and totals

Almost every game on a sportsbook app offers the same three bets side by side. They answer different questions: who wins, by how much, and how many points are scored. Knowing which question each one asks tells you which to use.

Moneyline: who wins

A moneyline bet wins if your side wins the game, whatever the score. The price reflects how likely that is. Take a game where one side is -200 and the other is +170. The favorite needs a $200 stake to win $100, and the underdog pays $170 on a $100 stake. A one-point win pays the same as a thirty-point win. In sports where draws are possible, such as soccer, the moneyline usually has three outcomes, so a draw loses a bet on either team.

Point spread: by how much

A spread gives one side a head start so the two bets are close to even. The favorite carries a minus number and must win by more than that number. The underdog carries a plus number and covers by winning, or by losing by less than that number.

Take a spread of -3.5 and +3.5. A bet on the favorite at -3.5 wins only if it wins by four or more. A bet on the underdog at +3.5 wins if it wins, or loses by three or fewer. A half point removes the chance of a tie against the line. With a whole number, such as -3, a three-point win is a push and the stake comes back.

Spread bets are usually priced -110 each way, so a $110 stake wins $100.00 and returns $210.00. The extra $10 per side is the sportsbook's margin, and it is why you need to win slightly more than half of your spread bets to break even. At -110 that figure is 52.4%.

Totals: how many points

A total is a line on the combined score, with a bet on the over or the under. If the line is 220.5 in basketball, the over needs a combined 221 or more, and the under needs 220 or fewer. A line on a whole number such as 44 pushes if the teams score exactly 44. The winner of the game does not matter. A total is a bet on pace, scoring and conditions such as weather in outdoor sports.

Which bet to use

• Use the moneyline when you have a view on the winner and the price is acceptable.
• Use the spread when you think the margin matters more than the result, or when the favorite's moneyline pays too little.
• Use a total when you have a view on the pace or the scoring, not on who wins.

Cases that confuse beginners

The half point

A line ending in .5 can never tie, so it never pushes. Lines on whole numbers can. Sportsbooks may move a line by half a point as money comes in, and the difference matters when final margins cluster on the key numbers of the sport.

Overtime

In most US sports, spread and total bets count overtime. Check the rules of the app for the market you bet on, since some markets settle on regulation time only.

Postponed or shortened games

The settlement rules differ by sport and by market. A bet on a game that is not completed can be voided or can stand, depending on the sport and the rule. The app's house rules are the authority, and reading them before you bet is quick and avoids a surprise.

Settling a spread bet: worked examples

Take a spread of -3.5 on the favorite at -110 and a $110 stake. If the favorite wins 24 to 20, the margin is four points, the bet covers and returns $210, a $100 profit. If it wins 23 to 20, the margin is three points, the bet does not cover and you lose $110. If it loses, you lose $110 as well. Now take a whole-number spread of -3. A three-point win is a push and the $110 stake comes back. A four-point win covers.

Settling a total: worked examples

With a total of 47.5 and a final score of 27 to 21, 48 points were scored, so the over wins and the under loses. With a final score of 24 to 20, 44 points were scored, and the under wins. With a whole-number total of 44 and a score of 24 to 20, the bet is a push. Overtime counts toward the total in most markets, which can turn an under into an over late in a game, and the app's rules say whether a given market uses regulation time only.

The same bets in other sports

The three bets exist in every sport, but the numbers change with scoring. In baseball the spread is called the run line and is usually 1.5 runs. In hockey it is the puck line, also 1.5 goals. Because games are decided by small margins, the moneyline matters more in these sports, and the spread bet has a larger effect on the price. In basketball and football the spread is wider and moves in half points. In soccer, the match result is often a three-way market with a win, draw and loss, so a draw loses a bet on either team unless the market removes it.

Alternate lines

Many apps offer alternate spreads and totals. You can move the line in your favour and accept a worse price, for example by taking a favorite at -6.5 instead of -3.5 for a lower payout, or move it against you for a larger one. These are the same bets with a different balance between chance and payout. The margin built into the price is often larger on alternate lines than on the main one.

Choosing between the three

If you are not sure which to use, ask what you actually believe. A view on the winner points to the moneyline. A view on the margin points to the spread. A view on the pace of the game or on defenses and weather points to the total. If you do not hold a view, it is perfectly reasonable not to bet, and nothing obliges you to. Whichever you use, check the price against the break-even rate on the odds calculator.

Combining several of these bets in one slip makes a parlay, which the parlay calculator prices. To read the numbers themselves, see American odds explained.

One game, three bets, three results

Take a game where Team A is the favorite. The moneyline on Team A is -150. The spread is Team A -3.5 at -110. The total is 47.5 points, with the over and the under both at -110. Each bet is $50. The table shows what each bet pays in three possible results, with Team A's score first. A positive figure is the profit and a negative one is the lost stake.

The first row is the useful one. Team A wins by three, so the moneyline pays, the spread loses because three is less than 3.5, and the over wins because the two scores add up to 51. A bettor who backed the favorite twice, on the moneyline and on the spread, won one and lost one. The same game paid three different ways, depending on which question each bet asked.

Choosing by what you expect

Pick the bet that matches your own view of the game, not the one with the most attractive payout. If you expect a close win by the favorite, the moneyline is the bet that fits and the spread is the one that does not. If you expect a comfortable win, the spread fits and the moneyline pays little. If you have no view on the winner but expect a high-scoring game, the total is the bet that asks that question. Whichever you choose, compare the price with the break-even rate and keep the stake inside your budget. The guide to how sports betting works follows a bet from pick to payout.

Pushes on whole-number lines

Spreads and totals set on a whole number can end exactly on the line. A favorite at -3 that wins by exactly three is a push, and so is a total of 47 with a final score that adds up to 47. In a push the stake is returned and the bet is neither a win nor a loss. Half-point lines such as -3.5 or 47.5 cannot push, which is why they are common. The article on pushes and voids shows how they work, including what a push does to a parlay.

Judging the price of each bet

Each of the three bets comes with a price, and the price carries a margin. A spread or total at -110 needs to win 52.4% of the time to come out even, and a moneyline at -150 needs 60%. A longer price needs less. The right way to compare bets is to ask what chance you honestly think the outcome has, and to set it against the break-even rate of the price. The article on how sportsbooks make money explains why the break-even rate is always above the fair chance.

Frequently asked questions