So, what exactly is the moneyline in betting? In short, the moneyline is the simplest bet in sports. You’re just picking which team or player you think will win the game outright. Forget about point spreads or how much they win by; this is just a straight-up bet on who comes out on top.
Your Simple Introduction To The Moneyline Bet
Staring at a sportsbook for the first time can feel like trying to read a foreign language. All those numbers, symbols, and options can be a bit much. The moneyline bet is your ticket to cutting through that noise and getting right into the action.
Think of it like a classic duel—you're simply betting on the outright winner. No strings attached.
This type of wager is a cornerstone on leading offshore sportsbooks like MyBookie and BetUS for a good reason. Its beautiful simplicity makes it the perfect starting point for anyone new to betting on the NFL or NBA.
Why The Moneyline Is So Popular
Moneyline betting has been around since the earliest days of wagering, and it's not going anywhere. By 2023, moneyline bets made up roughly 40% of all wagers placed on NFL games, which shows you just how popular they are.
A perfect example was the 2023 Super Bowl. The Philadelphia Eagles opened as -125 moneyline favorites against the Kansas City Chiefs (+105). The underdog Chiefs pulled off the win, delivering a sweet payout to everyone who backed them. You can learn more about how Super Bowl odds played out over at Fantasylife.
This direct, no-fluff approach is why both rookies and seasoned pros love the moneyline. Your bet wins on one condition, and one condition only:
- The team you picked wins the game.
- The final score is irrelevant; all that matters is the "W".
- It's the purest form of sports betting there is.
How To Read And Understand Moneyline Odds
The key to moneyline betting is cracking the code of the plus (+) and minus (-) signs. You'll see these next to every team on sites like Bookmaker.eu and Heritage Sports, and they're your first clue, instantly telling you who the sportsbook thinks will win (the favorite) and who's expected to lose (the underdog).
It all comes back to a simple reference point I call the "$100 Rule." This isn't a hard-and-fast rule you have to follow; think of it more as a mental shortcut that makes any odds dead simple to translate. Let’s break down how it works for both sides of a bet.
Cracking The Code Of Minus Sign (-) Favorites
Whenever you spot a minus sign, you're looking at the favorite. That number tells you exactly how much you need to risk to win a $100 profit.
So, if you see odds of -150, it means you'd have to put down $150 to win $100.
- Odds: -150
- Your Bet: $150
- Your Potential Profit: $100
- Total Payout: $250 (your original $150 stake back, plus the $100 win)
Cracking The Code Of Plus Sign (+) Underdogs
On the flip side, the plus sign is always attached to the underdog. This number shows you how much profit you'll make on a $100 bet if they pull off the upset.
If a team is listed at +200, a winning $100 bet would net you a $200 profit.
- Odds: +200
- Your Bet: $100
- Your Potential Profit: $200
- Total Payout: $300 (your original $100 stake plus the $200 win)
To make this even clearer, here’s a quick reference table.
Understanding Moneyline Odds At A Glance
| Team Status | Odds Example | Meaning | Example Bet | Total Payout |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Favorite | -150 | You must bet $150 to win a profit of $100. | Bet $150 on the favorite to win. | $250 ($150 + $100) |
| Underdog | +200 | A $100 bet will win you a profit of $200. | Bet $100 on the underdog to win. | $300 ($100 + $200) |
This table is a great starting point for understanding your potential returns at a glance.
Knowing the numbers is step one, but the real skill is seeing the implied probability behind them. This is the percentage chance the odds give a team to win. A -150 favorite has a 60% implied chance, while a +200 underdog has just a 33.3% chance. Finding value is all about spotting when you think a team's actual chances are better than what the odds imply.
As you get more comfortable with odds, you'll start to notice that the implied probabilities don't add up to a perfect 100%. That gap is the sportsbook's built-in margin, often called the vig or the bid-ask spread in financial terms. For a much deeper look, check out our full guide on how odds work in sports betting.
Calculating Your Potential Payouts Like a Pro
Reading the odds is one thing, but figuring out what that means for your wallet is where the real action begins. To truly understand the moneyline, you've got to get comfortable with calculating your potential winnings.
Don't worry, you don't need a math degree. The formulas are simple, and they're essential for managing your bankroll and knowing the exact risk vs. reward for every bet you place on offshore sites like Xbet or Bet105. Let's break it down so you can bet with confidence.
The Formula for Favorites
When you back a favorite—the team with the minus (-) sign—you're risking more to win less. That's the price you pay for picking the more likely winner. The calculation shows you exactly how much profit you stand to make.
The Favorite Formula: (Stake / (Odds / 100)) = Profit
Let's say you want to bet $50 on a team with -140 odds over at BUSR.
- Calculation: ($50 / (140 / 100)) = $35.71 Profit
- Total Payout: If your team wins, you get back $85.71 (your original $50 stake plus the $35.71 profit).
The Formula for Underdogs
Betting on an underdog—the team with the plus (+) sign—is where you find the bigger payouts. It’s a riskier bet, so the potential reward is much higher. This formula calculates profit as a direct multiplier of your stake.
The Underdog Formula: (Stake * (Odds / 100)) = Profit
Imagine you're putting $25 on a +150 underdog using the Cosmobet sportsbook.
- Calculation: ($25 * (150 / 100)) = $37.50 Profit
- Total Payout: If they pull off the upset, you’ll walk away with $62.50 (your $25 stake plus that sweet $37.50 profit).
Here’s a quick look at how these odds appear on a popular offshore site.
This screenshot from MyBookie is a perfect example of what you'll see in the wild, showing the moneyline odds for both favorites and underdogs so you can apply these formulas.
Just to give you some perspective, moneyline favorites won 68.5% of NBA games during the 2022-2023 seasons, but the short odds meant you needed a high win rate just to break even. On the flip side, MLB bettors who consistently backed +200 underdogs in 2023 saw a 12% ROI, even though they only won 28% of their bets.
To sharpen your skills even more, it helps to understand how to calculate investment returns for a broader financial perspective. You might also want to check out our guide on what happens to your sports betting ticket once your bet is locked in.
Moneyline Vs. Point Spread And Totals Betting
To really get good at sports betting, you’ve got to know all the tools in your toolbox. The moneyline is your go-to for picking a straight-up winner, but it's just one of the big three bets you'll see everywhere, from offshore sites like BUSR to BetAnything. The other two you absolutely need to know are the point spread and totals (often called the Over/Under).
Getting a feel for the difference is what separates casual bettors from sharp ones. Let's break it down with a classic NFL matchup.
Imagine the Green Bay Packers are playing the Chicago Bears. Here’s how the main bets would look:
- Moneyline: Packers -150. This is the simplest bet of all. You're just putting your money on the Packers to win the game. The final score doesn't matter, as long as they're ahead when the clock hits zero.
- Point Spread: Packers -3. Now we're betting on the margin of victory. For this bet to win, the Packers have to beat the Bears by more than 3 points.
- Totals (Over/Under): 48.5. This one has nothing to do with who wins. You're simply betting on whether the combined final score of both teams will be over or under 48.5 points.
This chart gives you a quick visual on how the moneyline payouts work, depending on whether you're backing the favorite or the underdog.
As you can see, the path to figuring out your potential profit is different for a favorite (the minus sign) versus an underdog (the plus sign).
Choosing The Right Bet For The Sport
The beautiful simplicity of the moneyline makes it the king in low-scoring sports. Think about baseball or hockey, where a single run or goal is often the difference between winning and losing. In those games, picking the outright winner just makes more sense.
On the flip side, point spreads are the star of the show in high-scoring games like football and basketball.
When you bet the moneyline, you get a pure, unfiltered bet on who will win. You don't have to sweat the final margin like you do with a spread. It's a surprisingly effective angle, too. Between 2018-2023, NFL moneyline underdogs won 36.2% of their games, which would have netted bettors a solid +5.8% ROI.
Knowing which bet to use and when is a skill that develops with experience. If you want to get a better handle on the point spread, be sure to check out our guide on understanding point spreads.
Placing Your First Moneyline Bet Step By Step
Reading about odds is one thing, but it's time to actually put that knowledge to work. Let's walk through exactly how to place your first moneyline wager on a real sportsbook, turning theory into a confident bet.
For this example, we'll use MyBookie. I find their site is clean and straightforward, which makes it perfect for anyone just getting started. It’s especially easy if you're funding your account with crypto for a quick deposit. Let's dive in.
A Quick Betting Guide
Placing a bet feels second nature after you've done it a couple of times. Just follow these simple steps to lock in your first wager.
- Navigate to Your Sport: Once you're logged into your account on a site like MyBookie, head to the sportsbook section. From there, pick the league you're interested in, like the NFL or NBA.
- Select Your Game and Bet: Find the specific matchup you want to bet on. Look for the "Moneyline" or "ML" column and just click on the odds next to the team you're backing.
- Enter Your Stake: Clicking the odds will add that pick to your bet slip, which usually pops up on the side of the screen. In the slip, type in the amount you want to risk (this is your stake).
- Confirm Your Wager: The bet slip will instantly calculate your potential payout. Always double-check your pick and your stake before you hit that 'Place Bet' button to make it official.
Here’s a look at the NFL betting lines on MyBookie. You can see how the moneyline odds are clearly listed for every game, making it easy to spot the favorites and underdogs.
This simple view lets you compare your options before adding a pick to your bet slip. Once you follow these steps, any hesitation about placing your first bet will disappear.
Simple Moneyline Betting Strategies To Get Started
Alright, now that you've got the nuts and bolts of what a moneyline bet is, let's talk strategy. Knowing how to read the odds is one thing; knowing how to find an edge is another.
A great place to start is with a classic contrarian strategy: fading the public. This just means betting against the team that everyone and their brother is piling on. When a huge majority of bets come in on one side, sportsbooks will often inflate the line to limit their risk, creating value on the other side.
Another tactic I've found success with is sniffing out live underdogs. Keep an eye out for undervalued home teams that have a real, legitimate chance to win. A motivated underdog playing in front of their home crowd sometimes has an intangible advantage that the oddsmakers can't fully price into the line.
Getting The Best Price For Your Bet
If you take one thing away from this guide, let it be this: line shopping is the most important discipline for any serious bettor. It's not flashy, but it's the simplest and most effective way to ensure you're getting the best possible return on your money.
The concept is dead simple: check the moneyline odds for the same exact game at a few different offshore sportsbooks before you place your bet. A team could be -140 on one site and -130 on another. That 10-cent difference may not seem like much, but it has a massive impact on your bankroll over the long haul.
It's a habit you need to build. For instance, before locking in a bet, you should always do a quick comparison.
- BetUS might have the team you like at +120.
- Bookmaker.eu could be offering them at +125.
- Cosmobet may have them listed at a less attractive +115.
By always grabbing the best available price—in this case, +125 at Bookmaker.eu—you are maximizing what you stand to win on every single bet. This simple habit is often what separates casual bettors from the ones who actually turn a profit.
Got Questions About Moneyline Betting? We've Got Answers.
Once you start getting the hang of moneyline betting, a few questions always seem to surface. Nailing down these key concepts is the last piece of the puzzle before you can start betting with real confidence.
What Happens in a Tie?
This is one of the first things that trips people up. What if the game ends in a tie? In sports where that's a real possibility, like an NFL regular season game, a moneyline bet on either team is simply a push. That just means your original bet amount is refunded right back to your account. No win, no loss.
The Vig and Why You Shouldn't Always Bet Favorites
You'll often hear bettors talk about the vig or the juice. This is just the sportsbook's built-in commission—it's how they make their money. If you look at the odds on a site like Heritage Sports or Xbet, you'll see they don't add up to a perfect 50/50 probability. That little sliver in between? That's the vig.
This built-in margin is precisely why you shouldn't blindly bet on every favorite. While favorites win more often, the lower payouts mean you need a very high win rate to stay profitable over time. The key is to find value, not just likely winners.
So, is it a good strategy to just always back the favorite? The short answer is a hard no. Sharp, experienced bettors are always hunting for value. They look for spots where the odds don't quite match up with a team's actual chances of winning, and that often means finding an underdog with a real shot.
At USASportsbookList, we provide detailed reviews on offshore sportsbooks like MyBookie and BetUS to help you find the best odds and bonuses. Check out our expert guides and start betting smarter today at https://usasportsbooklist.com.
