Sportsbook Betting and Sports Wagering Options

In the USA there are two types of sportsbook betting options, live brick and mortar sportsbooks in the state of Nevada, and online sportsbooks. For those of us living outside Nevada, the best option is, of course, online sportsbook betting. If you’re new to this topic, there are many different options to bet a game, and we’ll cover those here in this sportsbook betting article.

Against the Spread and Totals

The most common form of sports betting is straight wagers “against the spread” and total betting. Against the spread (ATS) means there is a point spread involved, and for the purpose of grading the wager, your team will have points subtracted (in case of betting the favorite) or points added (in case of betting the underdog) to the game’s final score. In a total bet, you’re simply betting if the game will go over or under the posted total.

For example, on the board you might see the below sportsbook betting lines posted.

Patriots -6.5 o44
Jets +6.5 u44

A bet on the Patriots requires them to win by 7 points or more for the bet to be a win. The half point is what’s called “a hook”. If the line was Patriots -6 and they won by exactly six the bet would be a push and all against the spread bettors would have their wagers refunded.

To look at the same line further, if the Jets loose the game to a final score of 24-21, bets on the Jets +6.5 would be a winner, because as the underdog, the Jets as indicated by the plus sign, get points added to their score for the purpose of grading the wager.

Using the same 24-21 score example, those who bet over on the total of 44 would win as the game scored 45 points, those who bet under 44 (u44) would have a losing bet as the game went over the posted total.

Bet Pricing: Unless posted to indicate otherwise, all games are sold at -110 pricing. This means you’ll need to risk $1.10 for each potential $1.00 win. If a bet was sold at -105 pricing, such as Sportsbook.com offers on Fridays, then only $1.05 would need to be risked for each potential dollar win. Pricing does vary from game to game, but unless otherwise noted the pricing will be -110 when sportsbook betting.

Moneyline Wagers

Another option in sportsbook betting is moneyline odds. Moneylines are the common odds used in hockey and baseball betting, but are also used as an alternative to against the spread bets in most football and basketball games.

An example of a moneyline betting odd:

Bruins +175
Penguins -195

In this case every $1.00 risked on the Bruins (the underdog) is worth $1.75 of potential win, and when betting the Penguins (the favorite) you’ll need risk $1.95 for each $1.00 potential of win.

Additional Sportsbook Betting Options

The next two types of sportsbook betting options you’ll want to be familiar with can be found our pages: Parlay Bets and Teaser Bets. Once you’re familiar with these and have had some practice under your belt, you can come back to our site and read other articles which will introduce you to things such as half time betting, live betting etc. For now, stick to learning about straight and moneyline wagers and to familiarizing yourself with what a Parlay Bet (and a Teaser Bet) is.

For information on where to bet, see our page: USA Sportsbook Bonus Offers.