How To Bet Moneylines

In this format, you simply pick which team is going to win the game. The favorite is usually listed with a minus (-) sign and the underdog is usually listed with a positive (+) sign. 

Those numbers indicate how either side of the wager will pay. Favorites will pay out less than the original wager while underdogs will pay more than the original wager.

How to Bet MLB Moneylines

If the Yankees are listed at -250 to beat the Red Sox, they’re heavy favorites. If they’re listed at -120, they’re slight favorites. Meanwhile, if Boston is listed at +250, they’re heavy underdogs and if they’re at +120, they’re slight underdogs. 

If you are looking for a more in-depth example of how to bet baseball moneylines, check out our MLB moneylines page. 

How to Bet NFL Moneylines 

You place a $100 bet on the Jets (-200) moneyline. They win. You pocket $150 (your original $100 bet plus a $50 profit). 

You place a $100 bet on the Giants (+200) moneyline. They win. You pocket $300 (your original $100 bet plus a $200 profit). 

For a more specific example of how football moneylines work, head to our NFL moneylines page.

How to Bet College Football Moneylines

Stanford (+120)

USC (-140)

In this example, the Trojans are the favorites and the Cardinal are the underdogs. To collect a $100 payout on the Trojans, you’d have to bet $140. If you bet $100 on the Cardinal, you’d win $120.  

How to Bet NBA Moneylines 

Bulls (+255)

Warriors (-315)

Strategy comes into play when large underdogs/favorites are in play. In this example, a $100 bet on the Bulls would pay out $355 (original wager +$255). However, a $315 bet on the Warriors would win you $415 (original bet + $100). 

Therefore, determining whether to chase upside (Bulls) or the “sure money” (Warriors) must become part of your individual strategy. 

Head to our NBA moneylines page for more info. 

How to Bet NHL Moneylines 

Sometimes, moneylines can feature two teams with negative (-) signs. For example, the Bruins (-115) can be slight favorites over the Rangers (-105). In this case, you’d have to bet $100 on the Bruins in order to win $215 (original bet + $115). 

These moneylines feature less risk and less upside than when there’s more of a disparity. Click over to our NHL moneylines page for more of an explanation.

How to Bet College Basketball Moneylines 

Sometimes, moneylines can feature two teams with positive (+) signs. For example, Kentucky (+105) can be slight favorites over Duke (+115). In this case, you’d earn $215 if you bet on the Blue Devils (original bet +$115). 

For more on college basketball betting strategies, head over to the NCAAB moneylines page.

BetQL Moneylines

BetQL’s  Best Bets feature identifies significant edges based on our model’s moneyline and how it compares to the consensus. The greater the disparity between our moneyline and the consensus moneyline, the higher the Best Bet rating in favor of the corresponding team (on a one-to-five star scale). Click the button below to take advantage!