Money Line Explained
What is a Money Line or Straight Up Wager?
Moneyline bets will move the line based on the amount of money coming in on each side of the bet. It has nothing to do with who the sportsbook really thinks is going to win the game and everything to do with that delicate dance of getting the right money on both sides. For example, let’s say that the line for the Magic and Mavericks game is. A negative money line like -400 (or 1:4 odds) indicates that the bettor would have to wager $400 to win $100. A money line like +100 or -100 indicates even odds: bet $100 to win $100. Some sportsbooks differentiate even odds by listing the 100 without a positive or negative symbol, but a money line of 100 is that same as +100.
Moneyline odds are favoured by United States bookmakers and as such are sometimes called American Odds. There are two possibilities: the figure quote can be either positive or negative. Moneyline refers to odds on the straight-up outcome of a game with no consideration to a point spread. Money line bets are on the winner of the event. In the example the -170 for the Patriots means that you have to risk $170 to win $100. The moneyline on the Bengals is +150 which means that a $100 bet on the Bengals would win $150, if the Bengals win the game.
A Money Line or straight up wager is a bet on the outright winner of the game or event, without any point spread odds. A Money Line better doesn't have to worry about a team winning or losing by a certain number of points.
Oddsmakers still determine a favorite and an underdog by the overall strength of the competitor, but the odds given are based on the amount of money that needs to be put up in order to place the bet.
Example:
Betting Money Line Explained
The bettor will receive odds that resemble these:
Mlb Moneyline Explained
Colts –140
Bears +120
The (-) symbolizes which team is the favorite and the (+) indicates which team is the underdog. So in the above example, the Colts are the favorite and the Bears are the underdog. All the bettor is wagering on is who he or she thinks will win the game.
If one were to bet on the Colts, he or she would have to risk $140 to win $100 (or $105 to win $75; $70 to win $50, etc). If one were to bet on the Bears, he or she would only have to risk $83.33 to win $100 (or $62.50 to win $75; $41.67 to win $50, etc).
So while the Colts are the favorite to win the game, one would have to risk more money if they wanted to bet on them.