For example, in the 2021 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, No. However, betting on underdogs on the moneyline can have big payouts. The risk/reward for betting on Alabama -10000 against Duke may not entice many bettors. So if you find a spread is -7 and the moneyline on the same team is only -300, there might be value there.

For example, an NFL team favored by seven points is typically somewhere around -350 on the moneyline.

Hockey, soccer, and baseball won’t often see spreads of more than one or two, so moneyline bets and the wider variety of odds that come with them become more appealing.Ī more advanced technique is to see how the spread and the moneyline are correlated. The correlation between the two types of bets is true across all sports but applies most in higher-scoring sports like football and basketball. Point spreads exist as a way to create a competitive, balanced bet because almost everyone would expect Alabama to beat Duke (and they did, 42-3). In that game, Alabama was favored by 34 points. You won’t see Alabama at -10000 against Duke on the moneyline and only favored by 10 points against the spread unless someone made a big mistake at a sportsbook. There’s a clear correlation between moneyline and point spread lines. Games like these with such an obvious favorite sometimes won’t even get listed at sportsbooks. So if you bet $100 on Alabama, you’d have won a single dollar. The Crimson Tide were -10000 on the moneyline while Duke was +2000. That’s even more true for baseball, where results are less predictable on an individual game basis.Ī more extreme example is Alabama’s 2019 season opener against Duke. Most games will see closer odds between the two teams. These odds are somewhat extreme for football, given the polar opposite talent level of the teams in the standings. If someone put $100 on the Chiefs, they would win $28.57 in profit. Conversely, a bettor on the Bears would make $245 in profit if they bet $100. The -350 odds mean a bettor would have to bet $350 to win $100. In the above example, the Kansas City Chiefs are a strong favorite against the Chicago Bears.

Exactly how much of a favorite they are is where moneyline bets get interesting. It would be giving away free money if sportsbooks allowed near even money bets on Alabama or Manchester City in those circumstances. For example, when Alabama football plays FCS opponents or when Manchester City plays an amateur team in the FA Cup, they are heavily favored.

Football money line betting explained