In Gambling What Is The Moneyline

What is Moneyline Betting? Moneyline bets are as straightforward as the come. Simply put, you are picking a team to win and if that team wins you win the bet. This does away with all the point spreads and complicated props and boils down to who gets the “W” at the end of the day.

• What Is Moneyline In Betting
• In Gambling What Is The Money Line

What Is Moneyline In Betting

What is a Money Line or Straight Up Wager?

A Money Line or straight up wager is a bet on the outright winner of the game or event, without any point spread odds. A Money Line better doesn't have to worry about a team winning or losing by a certain number of points.

Oddsmakers still determine a favorite and an underdog by the overall strength of the competitor, but the odds given are based on the amount of money that needs to be put up in order to place the bet.

A Money Line or straight up wager is a bet on the outright winner of the game or event, without any point spread odds. A Money Line better doesn't have to worry about a team winning or losing by a certain number of points. The benefits of moneyline gambling are that they offer the big payday when there is an upset. The types of returns you see for this scenario far surpass any payout you’ll find on point spreads. As well, with money line odds, a sharp eye can identify spots where the lines don’t seem to. A moneyline bet is one of the simplest and most common types of sports bets that you’ll see in the industry. What is a moneyline bet? A moneyline bet is a wager on who will win a game or a contest. What is a Betting Line? A betting line is a form of wagering whereby the bookmaker or sportsbook set gambling odds and determine the favorite and underdog teams in a match. This handicap creates a margin (line) between the two teams, where there are only two outcomes possible, and sets the parameters for wagering on the game.

Example:

The bettor will receive odds that resemble these:

Colts –140

Bears +120

The (-) symbolizes which team is the favorite and the (+) indicates which team is the underdog. So in the above example, the Colts are the favorite and the Bears are the underdog. All the bettor is wagering on is who he or she thinks will win the game.

If one were to bet on the Colts, he or she would have to risk $140 to win $100 (or $105 to win $75; $70 to win $50, etc). If one were to bet on the Bears, he or she would only have to risk $83.33 to win $100 (or $62.50 to win $75; $41.67 to win $50, etc).

So while the Colts are the favorite to win the game, one would have to risk more money if they wanted to bet on them.

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For many bettors, placing a moneyline wager is the simplest way to make a bet. This type of wager is as straightforward as they come, asking bettors to determine the straight-up winner of a game or match.

Certain sports provide an additional option beyond the classic two-way moneyline. Three-way moneylines also allow sports bettors to bet either one of the two sides, but they provide an additional option by allowing bettors to put their money on the likelihood of the event ending in a tie.

Read on for a deeper look at which sports offer three-way moneyline betting and how to turn a profit when placing these wagers.

Three-Way Moneylines, Made Simple

Whereas a typical moneyline bet involves a bet on one of two options, three-way moneyline betting involves three options. When wagering on a three-way moneyline, you can bet either Team A to win, Team B to win, or for the event to end in a tie (sometimes referred to as a ‘draw’).

Naturally, three-way moneylines come into play for sports where the result may end in a tie and, as such, a winner cannot be determined through regular game time. Because it is harder to accurately predict an outcome with three choices rather than two, betting on a three-way moneyline will offer more value to bettors than a traditional moneyline.

Oddsmakers primarily employ three-way moneyline bets in two sports, hockey and soccer. Unsurprisingly, this is because these two sports are significantly more likely to end in a tie or draw.

The Three-Way Moneyline in Soccer

Wagers in soccer are decided after full-time, which refers to the full 90 minutes on the clock, plus any additional time that is added by the referee for injuries, stoppages, or any other reason. Unlike in the large majority of other sports, ties (“draws” in soccer terms) are extremely common due to the lower-scoring nature of the game.

In fact, draws occur so often in soccer that three-way moneyline betting is the most standard and popular way to bet on a soccer match. However, there are many other ways to bet on soccer as well.

Operationally, betting on the draw is just like betting on a side. However, when betting on the draw, you’re hoping for the score to be tied at the end of full-time. An example of three-way moneyline odds for a soccer match could be as follows:

As you can see, the option of a draw is listed in the same fashion as choosing either team as the outright victor. It is worth noting that regular season matches can always end in a draw, but some tournament-style matches will extend into extra time and possibly into penalties. In these tournaments (where winners are guaranteed thanks to penalty kick shoot-outs), three-way moneyline bets are predicated on a result being determined in the 90 minutes of full-time play. In this case, your bet will be graded as a loss if the side you select to win does so after regular time.

Three-Way Moneyline in Hockey

There are many hockey leagues around the world, but most hockey bettors wager on the National Hockey League (NHL).

Standard, two-way moneyline betting is a popular NHL wager. However, because games are often tied after three periods, most hockey betting sites also offer three-way moneylines on most games.

Two-way moneylines betting on the NHL ask you to pick a side to win outright, even if the game goes to overtime or ends in a shooutout. Whether your team wins after three periods, during overtime or through a shootout, if the team you pick wins—you win.

A standard, two-way moneyline bet looks like this:

To compare the differences, let’s look at three-way moneyline odds for this same game. Remember that the three-way moneyline eliminates overtime from the wager, meaning you’re simply betting on the outcome at the end of three periods.

As you can see below, Vegas is still the favorite. However, in the three-way moneyline option, odds for both Vegas and Vancouver are longer. This means that if you select either team as an outright winner, you’ll see a better return on the three-way moneyline than you would on the two-way moneyline.

The tie is deemed the least likely option, so it offers the longest odds and biggest payout.

So if you’re looking for better value, longer odds, and higher payouts, three-way moneyline betting is the way to go. But remember, if you’re betting on a winner of the game, the bet is toast if they win in overtime or during the shootout. Three-way moneylines aren’t always the safest bet, but they can offer superior value.

Ready to Learn More Betting Terms and Strategies?

In Gambling What Is The Money Line

Three-way moneyline betting is just one of numerous ways to expand your horizons betting on sports. If you’re looking to learn more about betting terms, strategies and the sports betting industry, be sure to visit our 101 guides to sports betting.