Straight Wagers (Page 2)

Page 1

Page 2

The Money Line

The 'Money Line' can be used with all traditional sports and just about anything else you can wager on (football, basketball, baseball, hockey, boxing, tennis, golf, NASCAR, soccer, etc.). In a 'Money Line' there is no point spread. The money line determines the amount of money laid and the amount of money won when wagering on either the favorite or the underdog. The highest negative money line determines the favorite team, and the lowest negative money line and all positive money lines determine the underdog. The most common case is the favorite with a negative line and the underdog with a positive one.

In this example the Astros are favored by -120 and the Dodgers are the underdog +110. When wagering on the favorite (Astros), you have to lay $120 for every $100 you want to win. And, when wagering on the underdog (Dodgers), for every $100 wagered you would win $110. Notice that on a negative money line you must lay more to win less and on a positive money line you lay less to win more.
The money line used in this example is called a 'dime line', termed so because of the 10-cent difference between the favorite and the underdog.
Money lines are used most often in Baseball season. The typical Baseball format includes both a money line for the side and a money line for the total. If you wish to wager on the Over, you have to lay $120 for every $100 you want to win. If you wish to wager on the Under, it is an even money wager (EV) and for every $100 you lay, you win $100.

The line in the above example would read: "Mets favorite minus two-forty, total seven, over minus one-twenty."

Puck Line or Goal Line:

The puck line is used in hockey and the goal line is used in soccer. There are two types of Puck Lines: the American Puck Line and the Canadian Puck Line. The Canadian Puck Line is a combination of the point spread and the money line (there is not only a point spread between the two teams, but also a different price to lay, determined by the money line).

 

In the example above, if you take the Canadians, not only does the chosen team have to cover the spread of -1 1/2 goals, but you have to lay $140 for every $100 you intend to win. Instead if the Redwings are chosen, the team gets +1 1/2 goals and for every $100 laid, you get $120.

In puck lines, the favorite team is determined by the point spread, not the money line. There are cases in which the favorite has a positive money line and the dog a negative money line. In some cases both the favorite and the dog will have the same point spreads, one being negative and one positive, in this case the line is simply the favorite -1 1/2.

The money line for the American Puck Line will always be Even on the side. There is also 1/2 point difference between the favorite and the dog, the favorite always being 1/2 point higher. The total works the same as the Canadian Puck Line.

Run Line

The Run Line is another type of line used in Baseball. There are two types of run lines. These two types of lines follow the same idea as the two puck lines except that instead of goals, the spreads and totals are based on runs. Wagers on Total Runs or Run Lines are based on listed pitchers. If a non-listed pitcher starts for either team, the game is scored as no action for both wager types. The game must also go 9 innings (8 1/2 if the home team is ahead) to have action for both wager types, otherwise the game is scored as no action. If the game does go 9 innings (or 8 1/2 if the home team is ahead) and the game is called or suspended, the final score will be determined as the score after the last completed inning unless the home team scores to tie or take the lead in the bottom half of the inning, in which case the final score is determined as the score at the time the game is called.