Breaking through with Money Lines
Money Line sports bets are pretty easy to make. As with everything though, it requires a little insight into the inner-workings before you’re up and running. Getting started is a cinch though because these bets are beautifully leveraged. What I mean is that you risk a little to win a lot. That’s the real beauty behind money lines and they’re teeming with big betting action. In essence there are two betting possibilities when you’re playing the money line: punt on the favorite or take a chance (for far greater reward) and play the underdog. Neither is guaranteed – regardless of the odds you receive. The reason is clear – on the day it’s anybody’s game.
Getting going with money line bets
The way the odds work is rather amusing at first: risk a little to win a lot with the underdog or risk a lot to win a little with the favorite. Imagine picking the Green Bay Packers (favorites in this example) to win by placing a $145 bet to win back $100 ($100 profit + $145 principle). Whereas if you bet against the GBP and in favor of say the Washington Redskins (Underdogs) you might place a $100 bet to win back $156. Notice the differential here: you’re getting $156 back off your $100 wagered, whereas with the former bet you’re wagering $145 to win just $100.
These bets are represented by way of + and – signs. The minus sign means that you’re betting on the favorite and the plus sign means you’re betting on the underdog. The ‘juice’ is the figure that is reflected as the amount ‘left over’ beyond the 100 figure. So -120 has juice of 20 meaning you’d have to punt $120 to win back $100. All bets with a + or – 100 are even money bets and there’s nothing in it for you – win or lose. Happy punting and remember to seek out the favorable money lines – they really pay off in a big way.
