There are several key differences between the various types of wagers when betting on sports:
Moneyline Wagers:
- Moneyline bets simply involve picking the outright winner of the game/event.
- The odds reflect the implied probability of each team winning.
- Moneyline payouts vary based on the perceived likelihood of winning.
- Favorites require risking more to win less, while underdogs allow smaller risks for higher potential payouts.
Point Spread Wagers:
- Point spread bets have a handicap line applied to make each side equally attractive.
- The favorite gives up points, while the underdog gets points added to their final score.
- Payouts are equal for spread bets, usually -110 on each side.
- Spreads attempt to balance out skill disparities between teams.
Over/Under (Totals) Wagers:
- Totals betting involves predicting whether the combined final score goes over or under a predetermined number.
- These are bets on the total points/runs scored rather than a winner.
- Totals odds also tend to be -110 for over or under.
- You must account for game pace, scoring environments, injuries, etc.
Parlay Wagers:
- Parlays involve combining multiple bets into one wager.
- All legs of the parlay must win for it to pay out.
- Payouts increase exponentially for each additional game added to the parlay.
- Parlays are harder to hit but offer potentially huge payouts.
The key difference is that side bets like spreads/moneylines are about predicting a winner, while totals focus just on the combined scoring. Parlays allow combining multiple bets at higher risk/reward.
Moneyline Wagers:
- Moneyline bets simply involve picking the outright winner of the game/event.
- The odds reflect the implied probability of each team winning.
- Moneyline payouts vary based on the perceived likelihood of winning.
- Favorites require risking more to win less, while underdogs allow smaller risks for higher potential payouts.
Point Spread Wagers:
- Point spread bets have a handicap line applied to make each side equally attractive.
- The favorite gives up points, while the underdog gets points added to their final score.
- Payouts are equal for spread bets, usually -110 on each side.
- Spreads attempt to balance out skill disparities between teams.
Over/Under (Totals) Wagers:
- Totals betting involves predicting whether the combined final score goes over or under a predetermined number.
- These are bets on the total points/runs scored rather than a winner.
- Totals odds also tend to be -110 for over or under.
- You must account for game pace, scoring environments, injuries, etc.
Parlay Wagers:
- Parlays involve combining multiple bets into one wager.
- All legs of the parlay must win for it to pay out.
- Payouts increase exponentially for each additional game added to the parlay.
- Parlays are harder to hit but offer potentially huge payouts.
The key difference is that side bets like spreads/moneylines are about predicting a winner, while totals focus just on the combined scoring. Parlays allow combining multiple bets at higher risk/reward.