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 match, for example, or which tennis player will win a particular match.
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What is the money line in betting?
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 KSh 10,000. 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 KSh 10,000 bet. A successful KSh 13,500 bet on a -135 favorite would earn you a profit of KSh 10,000. A successful KSh 10,000 bet on a +155 underdog would earn you a profit of KSh 15,500. In the latter case, a total of KSh 25,500 would be returned to you – your initial KSh 10,000 stake plus the KSh 15,500 profit.
3-Way money line betting explained
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 football, 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 football 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 penalties.
How to bet the money line
Every sportsbook available to Kenyan bettors 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 compare 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 or handicap? 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 a small advantage on the spread or handicap, for example, why not simply take the money line for a larger payout? No matter the 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 or handicap, 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.
How to calculate money line odds
Money line odds are often 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 KSh 16,700 in order to profit KSh 10,000. That is the same ratio as wagering KSh 500 to profit KSh 300, so the fraction form of a -167 bet would be 3/5. The decimal form would be 1.6, because a KSh 10,000 bet would return a total of KSh 16,000 – your initial KSh 10,000 stake plus the KSh 6,000 profit.
Although many Kenyan betting platforms commonly display odds in decimal form, it is still easy to calculate what American-style money line 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.
Football money line bets
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 handicap and giving a certain advantage 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 two, three or more if you bet the money line.
Remember to think about key margins such as one-goal and two-goal victories when betting on football. If a favorite is giving a significant handicap, you may want to take the money line if you don’t think they will win by more than the required margin. If an underdog is getting a strong handicap, you may want to take the spread or handicap 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 away from home in football, but value can be skewed toward away teams who are more talented on paper than their home opponents.
Basketball money line bets
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 basketball season each team may play against certain opponents multiple times. Before placing a bet, it is important to know how teams match up against one another. Player rotation and rest can also affect basketball betting markets. Star players will occasionally miss a game for no other reason than rest or workload management. Make sure you have a good idea about starting lineups for a game before placing a wager.
Hockey money line bets
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 other low-scoring sports, 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 and late empty-net goals, favorites on the money line can be a more attractive play than on the puck line.