How to bet on Moneylines
We are often asked the question “Why would I place money line bets instead of point spread bets?”. Moneylines and point spreads should not be considered as either/or options. It doesn’t mean that you have to make a decision that you will always bet on the spread or that you will always bet on money lines. Both of these wager types have their merits and every bettor should have both.
Moneyline bets allow you to have more control over the risk and reward of betting. You might also choose this type over a point spread wager for other reasons. You’ll be able to see the differences between the two wagers and you will know which one is best for you. There are no clear rules as to which one should be used and when. However, there is a general rule that you can follow.
This should make sense. You should never stop trying to find value in any sport. You should place a money line bet if it offers the highest value on a football match. You can also choose to go with a point spread if that seems like the best option. Sometimes, it may be possible to place both wagers on a single game.
All that said, we think a money line wager is a better choice than a spread wager. If you prefer three-point underdogs in an NFL match, this is the case. A small number of NFL games are decided by less than three points, so if you believe a three-point underdog will win, you may want to bet that they will. This will usually give you a better return.
This is exactly what we saw in the Seattle versus Carolina matchup. Here’s the point spread for that game.
At odds of -110, Seattle is three points underdogs. It would be more sensible to place a money line bet at odds of +130 if you like that bet. Let’s take a look at the potential returns of these two bets.
This is a significant difference. This is a huge difference. The Moneyline wager ($143), has a potential profit of over 40% more than the point spread wager ($100). Although you are less likely to win because Seattle could lose by one or more points, there is still a fair chance they will win the match if they do cover. You would have lost if they lost by more than three points.
Tips for betting on football money lines
Once you have a basic understanding of money lines and an idea of when you should use them, it is time to start thinking about how to best place money lines. These tips will help.
Develop your handicapping skills
Your best chance of making money on any football wager is to be able to handicap games correctly. This involves analyzing the relative chances of each team winning and then comparing them to the available odds. This is a simplified explanation of handicapping, but it is accurate.
Although handicapping games can be easy, it is not always that simple. It is not easy to handicap them correctly. Many factors can impact the outcome of a game. You need to consider all of them. It is important to determine the impact of these factors on a team’s chances of winning and to be able to accurately assess their likelihood. The following article will provide more information.
Choose Your Spots
Bettors make the biggest mistake of trying to judge every game. This is particularly true for those who focus only on the NFL. It’s not that many games per week. Bettors believe they have the best chance to make money if they can predict all of the outcomes. We don’t recommend this approach.
Quality and not quantity are the keys to winning at betting. You have a better chance of winning if you choose your spots carefully and only place bets when you see real value. Although there aren’t many NFL games every week, it is enough to make it impossible to handicap all of them. This is especially true if you are also betting on college games.
Be patient and selective. Only bet when you have good reasons.
The Best Odds
This tip applies to any type of wager, and on any sport. We feel it is important to highlight this tip here. You are almost certain to lose money if you only wager with one betting site or bookmaker. You will at the very least be missing out on the best value.
Because different betting sites and bookmakers charge for games at different prices, this is why it’s so confusing. The odds they offer may not be the same. As an example, take the Packers versus Cardinals match we mentioned earlier. For that example, we used actual odds from a betting site. These odds were also available from different sites for the same game.
Packers +252 / Cardinals -285
Packers +260 / Cardinals -290
Packers +240 / Cardinals -270
Packers +245 / Cardinals -280
There is not a significant difference between what was available and what was available. You can make sure that your payout potential is as high as possible by shopping around to find the best odds. This can be a huge advantage over time and could even make the difference between winning or losing. This is the case with betting on football.
