What is a Moneyline Bet?
Since the US Supreme Court struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 2018 (PASPA), dozens of US states have legalized online sports betting. Sports fans can access hundreds of markets and bets for every event. However, sometimes the most straightforward options are the best.
A moneyline is the most straightforward wager you can place in sports. You only need to predict which team or athlete will win a head-to-head event. If the team you predict to win is victorious, your bet wins. If the team loses, so does your bet.
Read our complete guide to learn everything you need to know about moneyline bets. We’ll cover how these bets work with American, fractional, and decimal odds and how major league wagering works with moneylines.
How do Moneyline Bets Work?
Placing a moneyline bet is very simple. Visit a licensed US online sportsbook and click on an event. The sportsbook will list all the available markets for that event. Usually, a moneyline bet will be near the top of the options, alongside the point spread and the over/under. Choose which team you think will win and click the moneyline odds to add this market to your bet slip.
Your sportsbook will show your potential profit with any stake you enter in your bet slip. Once you decide how much to risk, confirm the wager. Once the event is complete, the sportsbook will pay back your stake and profit if your prediction is correct. If you backed the wrong team or athlete, you’ll get nothing.
Most US sportsbooks use American odds. The American odds for a moneyline bet will have two factors you need to consider: a three-digit number and a positive (+) or negative (-) sign. The sign tells you how to read the three-digit number. Below, we’ll explain how to interpret positive and negative moneyline odds.
Negative Odds Moneyline Bets
With negative (-) odds moneyline betting, the three-digit number tells you how much you need to bet to win $100. For example, if the odds are -300, you must wager $300 to make a profit of $100. Of course, you don’t need to make a $100 wager. You can use this system to tell you exactly how much you’ll win from any stake you want. For example, a $6 bet on -300 odds will give you $2 in profit.
Usually, the team with negative odds is the favorite for an event. The lower the negative odds, the more heavily favored that team or athlete is. For example, a team or player with odds of -1000 is expected to win much more than a team or player with odds of -110. Matchups between two strong and evenly matched teams or athletes may see both sides awarded negative moneyline odds.
Positive Odds Moneyline Bets
If you place a moneyline bet on a team with positive (+) odds, the three-digit number tells you how much you can make from a $100 wager. For example, with odds of +400, you can make $400 in profit. Your total bet return will be $500 (a $100 stake and $400 profit). As with a negative odds moneyline bet, you don’t need to wager precisely $100. If you bet $50 on the odds above, you’ll make a profit of $200.
As negative odds usually reflect the favorite for an event, positive odds are usually tied to the underdog. You may find some events where both teams or athletes have positive if a sportsbook doesn’t know which way an event will go.
Other Moneyline Bet Odds
While most US sportsbooks use American odds, you may see fractional and decimal odds for some moneyline bets. Fractional odds will display the odds as a fraction, like 2/1, with the number on the left indicating the profit you can make from the number on the right. Decimal odds tell you your payout, including a $1.00 bet. For example, a $1 bet on odds of 4.00 will give you a total payout of $4 (a $1 stake and $3 profit).
Many US sportsbooks will allow you to change the odds format to suit your needs. While what type of odds are best is down to personal preference, we recommend American odds for moneyline betting as you can easily see which team is the favorite and underdog for most events.
Outcomes of Moneyline Bets
One of the appeals of a moneyline bet is that there are so few outcomes. It is one of the most basic types of sports bets, making it appealing to new players. However, experienced gamblers still love these wagers. Here are all the ways a moneyline bet can unfold.
Win or Loss
If you predict which team will win an event correctly, you’ll win your moneyline bet and get your stake back as well as a profit. You’ll lose your stake and get nothing in return if you mispredict the event.
Push
While moneyline bets are available for sports, which usually end with a winner, some events in the NFL and MLB sometimes end in a tie. In this case, you’ll get a push, where your online sportsbook will return your cash stake. You won’t make any profit. There is a type of betting used for soccer where you can bet on events ending in a tie, called 1x2 betting.
Moneyline Betting on Popular Sports
Moneyline betting works best for sports where a tie is unlikely or impossible, making it ideal for bettors who want to wager on the major leagues, tennis, or other 1v1 events. Moneyline betting lines will often be the first you see when you open the markets for these sports.
Below, we’ll break down how moneyline betting works with some of the most popular sports in the US.
What is a Moneyline Bet in Basketball
There are 1,230 games in an NBA season, so there are plenty of opportunities to place NBA moneylines. As there are no ties in NBA games, there are never any pushes with NBA moneylines, so you always know you will win or lose.
While most players choose to place moneyline bets pre-game, you can also place these wagers in play. In-play moneylines are perfect for the NBA thanks to the end-to-end nature of basketball, where the outcome of a game can change in seconds.
What is a Moneyline Bet in Football
The NFL is the most popular betting sport in the US, and while hundreds of betting lines are available for every game, moneylines remain some of the most popular. There can be strong favorites and underdogs in the NFL, with some teams favored to win games by over two scores. If you’re betting on the underdog, that can provide plenty of value.
Additionally, NFL games often have boosted odds, and moneyline bets are often boosted betting lines. Betting on these markets allows you to increase your payout without risking any additional money.
What is an MLB Money Line Bet
MLB games tend to be lower scoring than some of the other major league sports, so moneylines tend to offer better odds as games are tighter. Additionally, the MLB is the only major league sport running during the summer, meaning it is the only place where sports fans can back major league moneylines for several months.
What is an NHL Money Line Bet
You can find a wide range of bet types available for NHL games, but moneylines are still some of the most popular. NHL games can be tight and unpredictable, so moneyline wagers often have good odds compared to other major league sports.
NHL moneylines will update in the build-up to games as information about player availability becomes publicly known. Remember, moneylines aren’t just impacted by what sportsbooks think the odds should stand out. Betting sites also alter odds to reflect popular betting. So, if many people are backing one team to win, a sportsbook will decrease the odds on that team. You can find value in moneyline bets with these odds swings.
Moneyline Bet FAQs
Can I place a moneyline with my sportsbook?
Yes, every US sportsbook will allow you to place moneyline bets. Open your sportsbook and browse through the sports. Select an event and open its markets. The moneyline bets will often be the first betting lines displayed.
What sports can I place moneyline bets on?
Many different sports allow moneyline betting, including some of the most popular events in the US. For example, you can place a moneyline bet on the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL. You’ll also find moneylines for 1v1 sports like tennis and boxing.
What happens with my moneyline if the game ends in a tie?
If an event ends in a tie and you’ve placed a moneyline bet, you’ll receive a push. With a push, you’ll get your stake back as cash. You won’t make any profit or losses. Most events offering moneylines only rarely end in ties.