Sports Betting Odds, Lines and Scores Today

Although not all betting sites are created equal, offering point spreads and odds on all the major sports leagues are two things they all have in common. It is important to note that although the lines and odds may be similar, they will not be identical in all cases.

This is why understanding betting odds is extremely important. Sharp bettors know that getting the best line as often as possible is critical in making money on sports betting over the long run. But how do you ensure you are getting the best line on all of the upcoming games and major events?

Professional bettors establish accounts at several betting sites which means they can shop around for the best line. Why bet the Chiefs -6 when you can get them at -5 at another online sportsbook?

Should the Chiefs win by six, those who bet the Chiefs -6 would push (tie) and get their initial investment returned but those who bet the Chiefs -5 would win their bet and cover the six-point spread. It’s that simple.

Odds formats vary but most online sportsbooks will offer various types of betting odds in whichever form the user chooses. The American format, or Vegas style, is most familiar to those in the United States but there are fractional and decimal odds available as well.

Sports betting lines are often illustrated with, for example, Team A as the favorite as indicated by a minus sign while Team B would be the underdog as represented by a plus sign. For example, Steelers -4 (favorite) vs. Browns +4 (underdog).

Although the types of odds can vary according to how the books display the moneylines, sports betting lines in general can be configured in whatever way of the three (American, fractional, or decimal) is more familiar to the customer. So, whether you are betting on a heavy favorite or a big underdog, there is a format that’s right for you!

When referring to moneyline odds, three types of betting odds are commonly seen in online sportsbooks but the one that American bettors are most familiar with is, not surprisingly, the American format.

And therefore, it would only stand to reason that American sportsbooks would offer American betting odds. But what are American betting odds, you ask? Let’s break it down so it is easy to understand.

American moneyline odds are always predicated on a $100 denomination. The favorite will have a minus sign in front of the number while the underdog will have a plus sign. The minus sign indicates how much money the bettor needs to risk on the favorite to win $100 while the plus sign indicates how much the bettor will win on the underdog by risking $100.

Here is an example of a baseball moneyline which means all the teams need to do is win the game as there is no point spread involved.

In the example above, the Yankees are the favorite as designated by the minus sign (-) and the Red Sox are the underdogs as designated by the plus sign (+).

To win $100 on the Yankees the bettor must risk $185. But risking $100 on the Red Sox will win $150. Both bets are based on $100 denominations but with the favorite, the bettor is risking more than they can potentially win while the opposite is true in betting on the underdog.

Fractional odds, or UK odds, are primarily used in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Soccer matches are often reflected in fractional odds for those betting in those jurisdictions and most of the sportsbooks that are based in Europe will offer sports odds in fractions. Horse racing also features fractional odds.

Fractional odds are expressed, as you would expect, in the form of a fraction. If the odds were 4/5 then the number on the right, the denominator, is the original wager ($5) while the number on the left is how much that can be won ($4).

Fractional odds are always expressed in whole numbers which means you would never see $4.5/1 but instead you would see 9/2 which is risking $2 to win $9.

As we stated, sports bet odds come in three moneyline varieties decimal style odds are popular in Continental Europe, Canada, and Australia. Often called European odds, this type of betting odds has the original wager baked into the price.

Thus, the type of odds you would see in a European sportsbook would be reflected as a decimal and it would look like this:

Manchester United 2.89 vs. Arsenal 3.94

To find how much you will receive (including your initial bet) just multiply by the wagered amount. Assuming we bet $100 the outcomes would be as follows:

Let’s face it, sports bettors want choices and even though the most popular betting options pertain to point spread betting in football and basketball wagering while moneylines are a more common type of bet found in baseball and soccer, there are a few other sports betting options available.

There are several types of bets and in addition to the point spread and moneyline wagering, there are also totals, prop bets, and futures. All these markets are found at all the best online sportsbooks and below we will discuss all of them.

Moneyline bets are focused on which team will win the event without any mention or thought of a point spread. The team that wins the game or the person who is deemed victorious in an event is the winner on a moneyline wager.

But if there is no point spread then those betting on the favorite must give up something else and that something is a higher financial risk while those betting on the underdog will get a greater financial return instead of points.

Moneylines are one of the most popular betting options, especially in baseball, and as we know from our explanation above, all moneylines in the American format are based on a $100 denomination.

Moneyline odds in Major League Baseball are illustrated as follows:

In the above scenario, the Mets are the favorite as indicated by the minus (-) sign and it would take a wager of $210 to win $100. Conversely, the Pirates are the underdog as indicated by the plus (+) sign, and a $100 bet would return a profit of $180.

Point spread betting is wildly popular in college football and NFL betting as it is in college basketball and NBA wagering. A spread bet is simply the number of points given to the underdog or taken away from the favorite to level the playing field. The vig (bookie’s commission) is usually the standard 10 percent.

As an example, if the best team in the NFL is playing the worst team the point spread will be much higher than if two teams of the same talent level were facing each other. Therefore, if the Kansas City Chiefs play the Chicago Bears the point spread might look like this:

In this example, the Chiefs would have to win the game by more than 13 points to “cover the spread” while the Bears would only cover the spread if they lost by less than 12 points or won the game outright.

If the Chiefs won by exactly 13 points then it is a “push” (tie) and the bets are returned with no profit or loss to the bettor.

An over/under bet is simply the combined score of both teams at the end of the game to determine whether the game went over or under the posted total. The oddsmakers will offer a number and the bettors choose whether they believe the combined score of the two teams will go over or under that number.

Totals will vary depending on the teams playing so if there are two high-scoring teams then the total will be higher than that of two low-scoring teams.

As an example, if the oddsmaker puts out a total of 44 in the Patriots/Giants game and the final score is Patriots 27 – Giants 20 then those who wagered over 44 would cover, as the final score was a combined 47 (27+20), and win their bets. All of those who bet under 44 would lose their wagers.

This is an increasingly popular form of sports betting and it revolves primarily around team props and player props. In football, for instance, the oddsmaker will put out several team props, some of which could be a total on rushing yards, passing yards, first downs, time of possession, or any number of props involving the team.

A player prop would focus on an individual player and it could be passing yards, receiving yards, sacks, tackles, etc... The bettor gets to choose to go over or under that specific total. Prop bets are available in all sports by all the major offshore betting sites.

Futures bets are made with a look toward the end of the season when the final regular season ends or when a playoff champion is decided. A futures wager could consist of winning a division, or conference, or even betting over or under on the number of wins a team will have at the end of the season.

Bettors can also wager at the beginning of the season on a team that they believe will be the champion of any professional sports league like the NFL (Super Bowl), NBA, (Championship), NHL (Stanley Cup), MLB (World Series), and the Premier League, to name a popular few.

Futures bets are expressed as moneylines with the weakest teams having the highest odds while the stronger teams have lower odds.

As there are no guarantees in life, so too are there no guarantees in sports betting. But that doesn’t mean you can’t increase your chances of success in several ways. Rooting on your favorite team is fine but betting on them because they are your favorite team is never a good idea.

Always consider which of the two is the stronger team and make your own lines before looking at the sports betting lines being hung by the oddsmakers. Creating your line before seeing what the oddsmakers are hanging will ensure your line is not influenced by the oddsmakers.

Another hallmark of a savvy sports bettor is getting all the game info possible so that you are current on injury reports, historical matchups, and the recent form of both teams before you make a bet or choose to pass the game (not bet it).

Remember, there are ample betting options out there so if the point spreads or moneyline odds don’t entice you then move on to another game where you can find value or an edge. This is real money you are betting so be choosy about what you bet and limit the number of wagers you make.

If you are unsure about how much you will win if betting a parlay make sure to use a betting odds calculator to determine if your sportsbook is giving you a fair shake for the money you’ve invested. If you see a format you are unfamiliar with then use an odds converter to make sure you know how much reward you will get for your risk.

Lastly, take advantage of the sportsbook promotions whether it be signup or loyalty bonuses. There are promo codes on BMR’s site that can give you valuable rewards. Look for the promo code link and then type in the bonus code. It’s all reward with none of the risk!

A push is a tie. All bets are refunded and there is no profit or loss. It’s as if the wager never happened.

Some online sportsbooks release their odds sooner than others. Some sportsbooks will release odds on Sunday night for the following week while others wait as a precaution. As for leagues with daily events, some books will release lines the night before while many wait until the morning of the game.

Real money causes lines and sportsbook odds to move and not “expert opinions” with nothing to back them up. Injuries to key players also cause line movement.

Handicap betting is point spread betting where the favorite has a handicap to level the playing field. An average golfer playing a professional would have no chance but if you handicap the pro by adding 30 strokes, now the average golfer has a chance of winning.

Yes. Especially if you are betting with one of the A+ rated sportsbooks. All of them have security measures in place so that your wagers, and your money, are secure.