Basic Betting
Bets on sports are most commonly placed on
the outcome of a single event or game. In virtually all contests,
there is a favorite and an underdog.
To make wagering more even, the oddsmaker or bookmaker draws
up an odds line, or the odds, such that you can bet on the
probability of a competitor’s chance to win that single
event or game.
For example, if Tiger Woods was to take on legendary golfer
Arnold Palmer in an exhibition match, Woods would obviously
be favored to win the match and Palmer would therefore be
the underdog.
The oddsmaker would then post the odds so that it would make
it favourable to take a chance betting on either golfer. The
odds would probably look something like this:
- Woods: 1 to 20 (noted as 1/20)
- Palmer: 15 to 1 (noted as 15/1)
To win $1 on Woods, you must wager $20. If he wins, you get
$21 back, the $20 you bet, plus the $1 you won.
On the other hand, when betting on Palmer, you need only
wager $1 to win $15. If Palmer does win, you get $16 back,
the $1 you bet plus the $15 you won.
That is how odds are created to entice betting “action”
on both sides, which is what all bookmakers are trying to
do.
Basic Bets
There are three basic betting types in North America: Moneyline,
Point Spread and Totals.
Moneyline
Odds can be converted into a moneyline representation (see
Calculation Table). This is a bet strictly on who wins and
who loses. See Bet Types for a more detailed description.
Point Spread
Point spreads are used by bookmakers to level the playing
field and attract betting action on both sides of the same
event by placing a handicap on one side (giving points),
or getting points by taking the other side. So if betting
football, you can either give points, say a touchdown (-7),
which means your team must win by 7 points or more. Or you
can get points (same game would be +7) where you can lose
up to 7 points and win your bet. See Bet Types for a more
detailed description.
Totals
Totals or Game Totals are used in football, basketball,
baseball, and hockey. You are betting on whether or not
the “Total Points” scored in that specific game
are going to go “Over” or “Under”
the number established by the bookmaker. The total is set
and periodically adjusted to ensure that half of the people
will wager on the over and the other half will wager on
the under. See Bet Types for a more detailed description.
For more Exotic Bets, please see Bet
Types. |
