A money line is one of the most popular and also simplest forms of sports betting in which you pick a team or player to win straight up, without a point spread involved. You are simply betting on which team will win a certain football game, for example, or which tennis player will win a particular match. Money line bets are generally available at every sportsbook on every contest between two teams or two players. They are popular in the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, UFC, soccer, tennis, and pretty much every other sport. Among the “big four” sports in the United States, it’s most popular in NHL and MLB, where games are lower scoring and therefore spread betting can be less appealing.

Because you are only picking the straight up winner between two teams, those two opponents can have wildly different odds depending on how likely they are to win. For example, if the Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers are playing at home against the Detroit Lions, the Bucs are far more likely to win and the odds will reflect it. The payout on a successful Buccaneers bet would pay out far less because it is more likely to happen, whereas a successful Lions money line bet would return a lot more because it is less likely to be a winner.

The payout of a successful money line bet will depend on how big of a favorite or underdog the winning side is. A favorite – the side that is expected to win – will be “minus money” and indicated as such with a minus (-) symbol, which indicates how much you would have to wager in order to profit $100. An underdog – the side that the odds indicate is more likely to lose – will be “plus money” (+), which shows how much you would profit on a $100 bet. A successful $135 bet on a -135 favorite would earn you a profit of $100. A successful $100 bet on a +155 underdog would earn you a profit of $155. In the latter case, a total of $255 would be returned to you – your initial $100 stake plus the $155 profit.

A three-way money line bet is one in which a game can also end in a tie, not just one team winning and the other losing. This is most prevalent in soccer, while there may also be three-way bets offered in head-to-head golf matchups. In such bets, there can be ties (or “draws”) in the game but no “pushes” on bets. If a game or matchup ends in a tie, bets on one side winning count as losses. Your team or player must win outright in order for the bet to cash. And, of course, a bet on the outcome being a tie is a loser if one team or the other wins. In soccer matches that are in knockout rounds with extra time followed by penalty kicks if necessary, three-way money line bets only involve the score at the end of regulation. If a match goes into extra time, a draw on a three-way bet would be the winning play. If you bet on one team winning outright, the bet is lost even if they end up winning in extra time or PKs.

Every sportsbook offers money line markets for just about every matchup imaginable, so it won’t be hard to find a place to wager. You might want to shop at a few different sportsbooks, however, because the odds could be different depending on the book. For example, you could find a favorite at -150 at one book and -160 at another. Or you could find an underdog at +200 at one book instead of +195 at another. When is the money line the better option than the point spread? Well, there can be a number of situations in which the money line is more of a value play. If an underdog is getting only 1.5 points on the point spread, for example, why not simply take the money line for a larger payout? No matter the point spread, if you feel great about an underdog winning outright then you might as well bet on the money line to get a larger return. At the same time, if you feel great about a favorite winning outright but are nervous about them covering the spread, the money line can once again be an appealing option. Whatever your play, just like with any market be sure to do research on team and player news, head-to-head history of a particular matchup and everything else that helps you make more informed decisions.

Money line odds are generally presented in American form (using the + and – system), as opposed to decimal or fraction form. If a favorite is -167, you would have to wager $167 in order to profit $100. That is the same ratio as wagering $5 to profit $3, so the fraction form of a -167 bet would be ⅗. The decimal form would be 1.6, because a $100 bet would return a total of $160–your initial $100 stake plus the $60 profit. Although money lines are presented in American form, as noted above it is easy to calculate what those numbers equate to as decimals and fractions. Keep in mind that a favorite is minus money (-), while an underdog is generally plus money (+). There are some cases in which two sides are considered by the books to be even and given the same chance to win, in which case they would both be something like -110 or -115.

Money line betting in football is quite popular, just as it is in almost every other sport. When you are betting on a favorite, it can be a safer option than playing the point spread and giving a certain amount of points to the underdog. After all, it doesn’t matter if the side you wager on wins by just one point; they don’t have to win by five, or 10, or 50.Remember to think about key numbers such as three, seven, and 10 – common margins of victory – when betting on football. If a favorite is giving 3.5 points or 7.5 points, you may want to take the money line if you don’t think they will win by more than a field goal or more than a touchdown. If an underdog is getting 3.5 points or 7.5 points, you may want to take the point spread if you think the number is big enough for them to cover even if they don’t win outright. Keep in mind that home underdogs can at times present good value on the money line. It is not easy to win on the road in the NFL, but value can be skewed toward road teams who are more talented on paper than their home opponents.

Money line betting in basketball is quite popular, just as it is in almost every other sport, although not as popular as spread betting in such a high-scoring sport. When you are betting on a favorite, it can be a safer option than picking the point spread and giving a certain amount of points to the underdog. After all, it doesn’t matter if the side you wager on wins by just one point; they don’t have to win by five, or 10, or 50. And it can be a more valuable play on an underdog compared to taking the points. If you feel good about an underdog’s chances of winning straight up, you may want to go with the money line to maximize the payout. Head-to-head matchups are particularly important because in a normal NBA season each team plays against every other team multiple times, including up to four times against opponents in the same conference. Before placing a bet, it is important to know how teams match up against one another. “Load management” has also become common during NBA regular seasons, too. Star players will occasionally miss a game for no other reason than rest. Make sure you have a good idea about starting lineups for a game before placing a wager.

Money line betting in hockey is quite popular, just as it is in almost every other sport. When you are betting on a favorite, it can present more value than playing the puck line and giving 1.5 goals to the underdog. After all, it doesn’t matter if the side you wager on wins by just one goal; they don’t have to win by multiple goals if you bet the money line. Similar to baseball, betting on hockey draws a higher percentage of money line bets (relative to basketball and football) compared to the spread. Spreads in hockey – known as the puck line – are generally set at plus or minus 1.5 goals. Given the prevalence of one-goal games in hockey (obviously every overtime game that doesn’t end in a shootout results in a one-goal margin) and late empty-net goals, favorites on the money line can be a more attractive play than on the puck line.

Money line betting in baseball is quite popular, just as it is in almost every other sport. When you are betting on a favorite, it can be a safer option than playing the run line (spread) and giving a certain amount of runs (usually 1.5) to the underdog. After all, it doesn’t matter if the side you wager on wins by just one run; they don’t have to win by two, or four, or seven. Similar to hockey, betting on baseball draws a higher percentage of money line bets (relative to basketball and football) compared to the spread because spreads. They are generally always set at plus or minus 1.5 runs. Given the prevalence of one-run games in baseball (especially in extra innings), favorites on the money line can be a better value play than on the run line.