What Is Line Betting?
Line betting is a form of betting where the market is handicapped to make both betting outcomes equal. The bookmakers achieve this by giving both teams a margin, known as a line. If the bookmakers believe that one side is 12.5 points better than their opposition, you can back them to win by 13 or more points. Alternatively, you can back their opposition to either win the match or lose by less than 13 points. This gives you the chance to back a team at healthy odds, no matter how short or long they are on the Head to Head (H2H) market.
- The word line, in the language of a sportsbook, can refer to either the odds and/or a point spread in any sports contest. Let's take a look at an imaginary line the way you'd read it off the board sitting in a Vegas sports betting lounge or on the screen at your online book.
- The most common betting line for a point spread is -110. A -110 line on either side is like paying a tax or commission to the sportsbook. Bettors would pay 10 percent (aka juice) to the sportsbook, which is essentially a fee for brokering the wager. So, the -110 indicates that a bettor must risk $110 to win $100.
Line betting is a form of sports betting whereby the bookmaker handicaps a team by setting a margin, which effectively makes the game equal. This margin is referred to as the line, hence where the term line betting originates. Line Betting is only available for events where there are two possible outcomes.
The example below shows the market for a game of AFL between GWS and Port Adelaide. GWS are the heavy favourites on the H2H market, paying $1.30 to win. The bookmakers have declared that in order for the odds to be even, GWS need to start 24.5 points behind their opposition, or Port Adelaide need a head start of 24.5 points.
| Team | H2H Odds | Line | Line Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greater Western Sydney | $1.30 | -24.5 | $1.91 |
| Port Adelaide | $3.50 | +24.5 | $1.91 |
How Do I Know If My Line Bet Is a Winner?
Working out the result of a line bet is relatively simple – just add or subtract the line from your team's score and if their score is higher than their oppositions, it's a winning bet.
For example, if you backed GWS at the line of -24.5, and GWS ended up winning 102-90, your bet would be unsuccessful because their adjusted total is less than Port Adelaide's score of 90. Alternatively, if you backed GWS at the line of -24.5 and GWS ended up winning 150-90, your bet would be successful because their adjusted total is greater than Port Adelaide's score of 90.
What Sports Is Line Betting Available On?
Line betting is available on most sports, including AFL, Basketball, NRL and Tennis.
'Wait, why does this NFL team have a -235 next to its name? What's with New England Patriots (-15) vs. Miami Dolphins (+15)? Help! HEEEELPPPP!'
If that sounds like you, we're here to assist you. If you've stared at a board at a sportsbook or just seen spreads and moneylines on the Internet and been utterly confused, don't worry. It's not just you. Those numbers can be confounding.
Playoff Betting Line
But hopefully, once you're done reading this, you'll completely understand how they work. As you prepare to dive into the world of sports betting, here's a breakdown of how the lines work, starting with …
Spreads
It would be really easy to bet on a game if you could put money on a heavy favorite to win.
That's where point spreads come in. Let's look at an example:
Philadelphia Eagles (-4.5)
New York Giants (+4.5)
In this case, you can bet on either two outcomes: you can put money on the Eagles to win the game by 4.5 points OR MORE, which makes them the favorites. Or you can bet that the Giants will either win or lose by LESS THAN 4.5 points. They're the underdogs.
Now, sometimes the spread 'moves' during the days leading up to the game. Perhaps the Eagles' spread ends up being -3.5 (in which they must win by 3.5 points or more to give you a victory in your bet). Your bet all depends on whichever spread you bet on, whether it was when the Eagles were favored by 4.5 or 3.5 points.
If you ever see 'PK' or 'pick' next to a team, it means there's no spread and you can bet on who will win, no matter what the score is.
Moneylines
Let's take that same example above but use moneylines:
Philadelphia Eagles (-200)
Today's Betting Lines
New York Giants (+150)
The team with a minus symbol is the favorite, and the number is how much money you would need to bet to win $100. In this case, you would have to bet $200 on the Eagles in order to win an additional $100.
The Giants are the underdogs. If they're +150, that means you could bet $100 to win $150.
Note that you can bet any amount you want, but those numbers are always calculated and posted the same way, either in how much money you would need to wager to win $100 or how much money you could win by wagering $100.
Odds
If you're betting on something like the team who will win the Super Bowl in the future, you might see it look like this:
New England Patriots — 3/1
Baltimore Ravens — 5/1
But hopefully, once you're done reading this, you'll completely understand how they work. As you prepare to dive into the world of sports betting, here's a breakdown of how the lines work, starting with …
Spreads
It would be really easy to bet on a game if you could put money on a heavy favorite to win.
That's where point spreads come in. Let's look at an example:
Philadelphia Eagles (-4.5)
New York Giants (+4.5)
In this case, you can bet on either two outcomes: you can put money on the Eagles to win the game by 4.5 points OR MORE, which makes them the favorites. Or you can bet that the Giants will either win or lose by LESS THAN 4.5 points. They're the underdogs.
Now, sometimes the spread 'moves' during the days leading up to the game. Perhaps the Eagles' spread ends up being -3.5 (in which they must win by 3.5 points or more to give you a victory in your bet). Your bet all depends on whichever spread you bet on, whether it was when the Eagles were favored by 4.5 or 3.5 points.
If you ever see 'PK' or 'pick' next to a team, it means there's no spread and you can bet on who will win, no matter what the score is.
Moneylines
Let's take that same example above but use moneylines:
Philadelphia Eagles (-200)
Today's Betting Lines
New York Giants (+150)
The team with a minus symbol is the favorite, and the number is how much money you would need to bet to win $100. In this case, you would have to bet $200 on the Eagles in order to win an additional $100.
The Giants are the underdogs. If they're +150, that means you could bet $100 to win $150.
Note that you can bet any amount you want, but those numbers are always calculated and posted the same way, either in how much money you would need to wager to win $100 or how much money you could win by wagering $100.
Odds
If you're betting on something like the team who will win the Super Bowl in the future, you might see it look like this:
New England Patriots — 3/1
Baltimore Ravens — 5/1
Kansas City Chiefs — 8/1
If you were betting on the Patriots and their 3/1 odds, you would win $3 for every $1 you spend. So if you bet $50 on the Pats and they ended up winning the Super Bowl, you'd win $150 (plus your original wager) back.
Good luck!
