The moneyline odds are very helpful for gamblers, sports bettors, and bookmakers since they don’t need to calculate the point spread to know the true probability of a given event occurring. The moneyline odds allow them to easily keep track of the betting trends and know which side is likely to win.
To calculate the moneyline odds, you simply need to know the odds of each team winning the matchup. For example, if you’re betting on the Pittsburgh Steelers to cover the three point spread, you’ll need to know the spread and the over/under along with the team’s record to get the moneyline odds.
How to Calculate the Point Spread
As the name implies, the point spread is the difference in points between two teams. For example, the New England Patriots are a 6.5 point spread favourite against the Buffalo Bills in week 4. That means the Patriots are 6.5 points above the odds of winning.
To calculate the point spread, you need to know the total points scored by both teams, the date the game is being played, and the team’s record. Some sources consider the over/under to be part of the point spread, as well.
How to Calculate the Moneyline Odds For Season Games
If you follow sports betting or gambling trends, you’ll soon learn that most sportsbooks adjust their lines daily depending on the current betting trends. The moneyline odds for season games are similar to those of a regular game, but with some differences.
The main difference is that you have to multiply the regular moneyline odds by the total number of games played by the two teams this season. For example, if the two teams played 12 games this season and the regular game was played twice, then the moneyline odds for the season would be 2x for a regular game and 12x for a season game.
Exceptions
There are a few exceptions to the rule that you need to multiply the regular moneyline odds by the number of season games. If the two teams are in the same division, then you only need to multiply the line by 1.5 games. For example, the Atlanta Falcons are a 5.5 point spread favourite against the New Orleans Saints in week 3, but the lines have since adjusted down to 4.5 points and 4 points, respectively. In this case, you need to multiply the line by 1.5 games to get the latest odds.
As long as the two teams don’t play each other during the season, you don’t have to worry about multiplying the line by the number of games the two teams will play. If the two teams were to meet during the season, the number would be infinite and you’d end up with an infinite number of potential results. For example, if the Oakland Raiders were to play the Minnesota Vikings in week 3, the point spread would be 3.5 points and the moneyline would be 18.2828282828x for the Raiders and 12.5x for the Vikings. For the sake of simplicity, you don’t need to actually do the multiplication; you only need to keep track of the differences in points and multiply them by the appropriate odds to get the result you’re looking for.
Useful Tips
To help you figure out how to calculate the moneyline odds, here are some useful tips:
- The odds of either team winning will always be important, but knowing the spread is more important for gamblers since they can use it in conjunction with the over/under to determine the winning side and the amount they should wager on that side.
- If you’re calculating the moneyline odds for a season game, then you have to multiply the regular moneyline odds by 1.5 if the two teams are in the same division or by 0.833333 if they’re not. For example, the Atlanta Falcons are a 5.5 point spread favourite against the New Orleans Saints in week 3, but the lines have since adjusted down to 4.5 points and 4 points, respectively. In this case, you need to multiply the line by 1.5 games to get the latest odds.
- If you’re calculating the moneyline odds for a single game, then you don’t need to worry about any exceptions since the number of possible outcomes is finite. If you’re feeling extra adventurous, you can also use a tool like Jeu Calculator to help you figure out the winning team and the odds of that team scoring a particular amount of points based on the current spread.
Hopefully, this article helped you understand how to calculate the moneyline odds for season and single game matches. Remember, in most cases, you won’t need to do the calculation since the sportsbooks will already have the numbers they need for the lines they set up. However, if you’re feeling extra adventurous, then you can use the tips from this article to figure out the winning team and calculate the odds for a specific game. Good luck!