One of the best things about sports betting is the variety of bets you can place. There’s a common misconception that you can only bet on someone to win or lose a game. While that bet is a viable option, you can really explore the breadth of sports betting by browsing the various betting lines. The sportsbooks in Las Vegas offer several betting lines, however the legally licensed offshore sportsbooks like Bovada and BetOnline (among others) have more to choose from. You can place point spread bets, future bets, prop bets, parlay bets, bets on the moneyline, total bets and more. If you’re serious about getting into sports betting, you should take time to browse the sportsbooks to see what your options are.
If you are unfamiliar with the different types of bets available, the list can be daunting. Rest assured, the bets are pretty simple once explained. For starters, let’s look at the point spread. For normal bets, oddsmakers don’t just set it for betting on one team to win over the other; instead, you bet on or against the point spread. The point spread is a margin of victory set by the oddsmakers. For example, the point spread for Super Bowl LI was New England Patriots (-3) v. Atlanta Falcons (+3). There are two things to look at with point spreads. The first is the positive (+) and negative (-) signs. The negative sign represents the favored team, while the positive sign represents the underdog. The number is the margin. So for this example, the Patriots are favored to win by at least 3 points. If you were to bet on them, the Patriots would have to win by 3 points or more for you to win the wager. If you bet on the Falcons, you’ll win your bet if they lose by less than 3 points or if they win. Most sportsbooks offer alternative spreads if you think you have a better prediction of how the final score will end up.
Point spread bets are only scratching the surface. If you don’t like betting on the spread, you can bet on the moneyline, which is picking a winner outright. The payoffs aren’t usually as good with these bets, but they’re helpful for inexperienced bettors. There are also future bets, which are long term bets you make on a certain outcome. For example, you can bet on who is going to win Super Bowl LII. These bets have high payoffs because they are harder to determine. You can make proposition bets, or prop bets, which involve specific occurrences or non-occurrences happening. For example, you can bet on who will score first in a game, or how many fouls there will be. These bets are always very specific and can lead to some very hefty payouts. Total bets involve betting that the final combined score will be over or under a certain number determined by the oddsmakers. For example, you could bet that the final score of the Warriors/Cavs game will be over or under 210 points.
Parlay bets make things interesting. Parlay bets involve placing a single bet on a series of outcomes. For example, you could bet on the Red Sox to win their game, the Spurs to win theirs and the Broncos to lose theirs. In order for you to win the parlay bet, all three outcomes need to come true. Parlay bets have much higher payoffs because you’re risking a lot more. It’s much more difficult to successfully predict three outcomes as opposed to one.
These aren’t even all the bets available to bettors. If anything, this should simply give you an idea of how large the scope of sports betting is. Once you explore the betting lines you can capitalize on your options and make the most of your money. For those looking for wider options for Maine sports gambling, these offshore sportsbooks give the best options and the only legal one for betting in the state.