Many people have been asking me about the meaning of \”NL\” in betting recently. So I decided to put together this little guide to help explain what it means and how to use it. Let’s dive in!
What Is \”NL\”?
If you’ve been asked about \”NL\” and you don’t know what it means, then you’re in the right place. The short answer is \”No Line.\” It’s short for \”No Line Betting.\” Essentially, it means you’re betting against the (sometimes) spread in the game. So if you think the team will win by a certain amount, you place the wager. If the team wins by less, you lose your wager. Simple enough.
You might also hear about the meaning of \”HT\” and \”FT\” in betting. These are \”Hours & Minutes\” formats for games like horse racing. For example, if you were betting on the Super Bowl and you wanted to wager on the NY Giants winning the game by exactly three scores, you would enter a wager like this:
NY Giants +3
In this case, you’re betting on the Giants to score at least three points more than the opposing team. If they didn’t, you lose your bet.
I should point out that there are many variations of No Line Betting. You could bet on any game or event, against the spread, with or without a point-spread.
When Might I Need \”NL\”?
You might ask when is the best time to use \”NL.\” There are actually quite a few cases where you might not want to use it. Here are a few examples.
- If you’re really sure your team is going to win, by a large amount, you might want to go with a teaser-bet. This is where you make a minimum wager (usually around 10 units) and as the name implies, it’s a teaser for the bettor. People like to get teasers because they think it adds some intrigue to the bet. It’s like a little teaser for the bettor.
- If you want to play it safe and don’t want to risk losing money, then No Line might be the best option for you. You’re guaranteed to win or lose, but you don’t want to risk the amount you’re wagering. There are also situations where you might want to use certain betting odds, like the over/under or maybes. Those are situations where you want to use a number in lieu of an exact wager.
- If the game is well in progress and you want to place a wager, but don’t want to risk missing something important, then No Line is fine. You can usually get the results of the game as it’s underway, so you don’t have to worry about missing something important.
What Are Some Common Examples of \”NL\”?
Here are some examples of what \”No Line\” might mean in practice.
- Tiger Woods Golf – Just Tiger Woods Golf (Tiger Woods Sportsbook)
- Cincinnati Bengals vs. Baltimore Ravens – Bengals vs. Ravens (Cincinnati Bengals vs. Baltimore Ravens)
- Tiger Woods PGA Tour – Just Tiger Woods PGA Tour (Tiger Woods Sportsbook)
- New York Giants vs. Dallas Cowboys – New York Giants vs. Dallas Cowboys (Big-Ugly-Football-Betting)
When Might I Not Want to Use \\”NL\”?
There are actually several cases where you might not want to use \”NL.\” Here are a few examples.
- If you have a team that you really don’t think is going to cover the spread, then you might not want to use it. This is especially true if the game is far, far away, like the Ryder Cup or some other international event. If you’re not confident the team will cover the spread, then you might as well just bet on them.
- If the game is going to end in a tie or some other situation where there’s no clear winner, then you might not want to use \”NL.\” You can usually find the results of a game, even if it ends in a tie. If the game isn’t going to be resolved with points, then you can usually find the results without having to guess who won. If you do need to know who won, then you can always search for the game later using a search engine like Google.
- If you have a team that you’re pretty sure will lose, by a large amount, then you might not want to use it. Just remember, there are no sure things in life. It’s all about probabilities and how much you’re willing to risk. If you do end up using a team that you know will lose, then you can usually find information about your wager, should you lose, using a site like Mywager or OddsCheck.
Where Can I Find More Information About Betting?
You might ask where can I find more information about betting. There are actually several good resources, including wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sports_betting), Reddit (https://www.reddit.com/r/sportsbetting) and several forums, like this one, dedicated to helping people find their way around the intricacies of betting (https://www.bettorswirl.com/forum/). In addition, try Google-ing terms like \”how to bet on sports,\” \”how to read betting lines,\” or \”sport betting odds.\” You’ll find a lot of good information, from personal blogs to news articles to wikipedia entries to forums. There are literally hundreds of thousands of articles, videos and forum posts online. It’s all about knowing where to look.