When it comes to wagering in sports, there are two major terms that you will hear a lot: moneyline and spread. The first is easy to understand – it is the amount that you have to wager in order to win $100. Easy. The second one is a bit more complicated, but that is because there is more than one way to skin a cat (or a catfish, as the case may be). Let’s explore these two betting terms and what they mean.
The Moneyline
The moneyline is the amount of money that you have to wager (or the other way around) in order to win $100 on a given sporting event. Let’s say that you are betting on the New York Yankees to win the World Series. If the over/under is 10 units (this is what it usually is in the Fall), then your moneyline would be +105 (this is what you wager in order to win $100 on this particular game).
You can also use this moneyline in the opposite direction, meaning that you have to wager (or the same amount) in order to win $100. For example, if the total number of runs in a game is over 10, then you need to bet (or wager) more than +105 in order to win $100 (you will lose your money if the number of runs is under 10).
Here are some more examples:
- If the point spread is +2.5, then your money line is -2.5
- If the point spread is -2.5, then your money line is +2.5
- If the point spread is +3.5, then your money line is -3.5
- If the point spread is -3.5, then your money line is +3.5
- If the point spread is -4.5, then your money line is +4.5
- If the point spread is +4.5, then your money line is -4.5
- If the point spread is +5.5, then your money line is -5.5
- If the point spread is -5.5, then your money line is +5.5
The Spread
The spread is the amount of money that you have to wager (or the other way around) in order to win $100 on a given sporting event. Let’s say that you are betting on the New York Yankees to win the World Series. If the point spread is -5.5, then your spread would be +5.5 (you need to wager more than $200 to win $100 on this particular game).
The spread can also be used in the opposite direction – if the point spread is +5.5, then your spread is -5.5. The key is to note that you will not win or lose any money unless the total number of runs in a game (for both teams) is over or under 10. If it is 10 or less, then you simply got lucky and do not need to worry about it.
Here are some more examples:
- If the point spread is +2.5, then your spread is -2.5
- If the point spread is -2.5, then your spread is +2.5
- If the point spread is +3.5, then your spread is -3.5
- If the point spread is -3.5, then your spread is +3.5
- If the point spread is -4.5, then your spread is +4.5
- If the point spread is +4.5, then your spread is -4.5
- If the point spread is +5.5, then your spread is -5.5
- If the point spread is -5.5, then your spread is +5.5
Now, you might be wondering what is the difference between the moneyline and the spread. The answer is that, although they are similar in some ways, they serve different purposes. The moneyline is used to determine the amount of money that you need to wager in order to win $100, while the spread is used to determine how much you need to wager in order to win $100 on a given event. Think about it this way: if you want to put money on the New York Yankees to win the World Series, you would use the moneyline because you have to wager (or the same amount) in order to win $100. If the point spread was +5.5, then your spread would be -5.5 because you need to wager (or the same amount) in order to win $100 on the game. If the point spread was -10, then your money line and your spread would both be -10 because you need to wager (or the same amount) in order to win $100 on either game.
Just remember – both amounts must be the same in order for you to win or lose money on any wagering action. So, if you want to use the moneyline to put money on the New York Yankees to win the World Series, then you will need to set your spread at -110 (you need to wager more than $220 in order to win $100 on this game).
How To Calculate Your Bankroll
Now that you know what the moneyline and the spread are, you can start to calculate your bankroll. The term “bankroll” describes the amount of money that you have available to wager on sporting events. The general rule of thumb is: the greater the amount of money that you have in your bankroll, the greater the possibility of making profit during the course of a sports season. For example, if you have a $500 bankroll and you wager $100 on each of 10 games throughout the season, then your total profit for the season would be $10,000 (you would win $1,000 on each game, bringing your yearly profit to $10,000).
If you have a $1,000 bankroll, then you would need to wager $100 on each of the first 5 games of the season, and then you would need to adjust your wagering accordingly – maybe wager $20 on the remaining 5 games. In this case, your total profit for the season would only be $6,000 ($1,000 profit on the first 5 games plus $4,000 profit on the last 5 games).
What is the Difference Between Moneyline and Even Money?
Another important thing to note about sports betting is that there is more than one way to skin a cat (and a catfish, as we mentioned before). One of the most popular ways of betting is called even money – essentially, you are wagering on the outcome of a game without knowing at the time of making the bet which team will win. One of the benefits of this system is that it makes placing bets much easier because you do not need to worry about whether you have to lay or take the bet. You are simply wagering on the outcome of a game. This makes even money one of the most popular betting systems because it prevents against known or anticipated events. For instance, if you have seen a certain player perform well in previous games, then you know that he will probably perform well in the game at hand too.
Another popular method of betting is called the moneyline. In a moneyline bet, you are wagering on the outcome of a game, but you are also aware that one of the teams will probably win. For example, let’s say that you are betting on the New York Yankees to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series. You might say, “I’ll lay a $10 wager on the Yankees – they have a good chance of winning.” In this case, you are essentially placing a bet on the Yankees, but you are also implying that you know that they will win the game (because you have to wager $10 to win $100 on this game).