Understanding The Basics Of Online Sports Betting: 3 Important Terms You Must Know

Getting a grasp on the basics of online sports betting can seem overwhelming if you are new to the game. We’ve got your back with basic information that will help you understand the basics of betting. Let’s talk about the terms that you should know:

First, sports gambling has boomed in America after the 2018 Supreme Court decision that overturned the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act. Legally, what was once restricted to Nevada is now thriving in a lot of states as sportsbooks are allowed to open a shop where the law allows. There’s now a new angle on primetime NBA games, NFL Sundays, beyond wins, losses, and playoff races.

Let’s look at some other terms for online sports betting that you must know:

Online Sports Betting Term 1: Point spread

This number is used for each betting matchup. The goal for the bookmaker is to receive an equal amount of money being bet on each side.

This is the bettor’s answer to the question “how many points do you need to spot this poor team in order to beat them?”. Let’s assume the favorite is favored to win an NFL game by a touchdown. They’d be listed at -7 on the betting line. The underdog would be listed as +7.

Because whole numbers don’t allow for tie possibilities, most spreads end at.5 despite the fact that there is no way to score half of a point in most sports. In this scenario, the favorite would be listed as -7.5. To cash the bet, they would have to win by at most eight points. They can still lose on the scoreboard, but they will win at the sportsbook if their final margin is less than eight points.

This is called covering the spread and generally betters teams do it more often.

Online Sports Betting Term 2: Money Line

You’d make a profit if you bet on straight-up wins or losses without the point spread, and that’s where the money line come in.

Because the spread is more profitable than the odds of the favorite, it’s less common to bet on the money line. Each team has a money line that is three digits. It tells you how many you would need to wager to win $100. You don’t need to worry about the spread if you have a favorite of -400. However, it means that you would have to bet $400 to win $100.

This number is different for underdogs. It’s an indicator of how much money you would win with $100. If the line is +350, it means that not many people believe the underdog has any chance. However, if they win, you’d get an additional $350 for your faith. Just like in horseshoes or hand grenades “close” does not count. You have to win the game.

Online Sports Betting Term 3: Total (over/under)

The total (over/under) is another term you must know if you’re interested in online sports betting.

Place a wager on the number of points scored by one or both teams combined.

Another simple method. The total is the projected total of goals, points, runs, and other statistics that will be scored in a given game. If you believe the final score will be lower than this number, then wager the under. If you believe the final score will exceed that number, bet the under.

Each side will have a money line attached. However, they won’t vary as much as the money lines for picking winners or losers. If the total is greater than the score before the whistle, the over is the only bet that you can cash out before the game ends. If you believe in defense, the under is a less important bet but it can still prove to be a valuable tool.

There are numerous bet types in online sports betting, and regardless of which one you prefer, as always, remember to bet with your head and not over it.

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