In the world of sports betting, a money line bet is simply betting on which team you expect to win. It doesn’t have anything to do with a spread. You may also see a money line bet listed as “Money Line” or “ML” in different spaces.

Spread betting also involves countless half point betting lines. Exactly like half point over/under betting, half point spread betting ensures that a PUSH is not possible. The half point betting line is just as relevant as it is when betting the over/under. When betting on a favorite, buying points allows a player to take off a half point, full point or 1.5 points. When betting an underdog, a player can buy points to add a half point, full point or 1.5 points. For each half point that you change the point-spread in football or basketball in.

Money lines are represented in negative and positive values.

Negative money line: -145, -220, or anything similar

When you see a minus (-) sign in front of a price, it shows you that team is the favorite to win the game.

That number also indicates how much money you need to bet/spend in order to win $100.

For example, a -220 money line means you need to bet $220 in order to win $100 provided the team you bet on actually does win.

Heavy favorites are known in sports betting as a “chalk” pick. A heavy favorite usually has a number pushing +300 or more. Here, you’re wagering a lot on the favorite to win a little. Don’t assume that a heavy favorite, or chalk pick, is a guaranteed winner…

Positive money line: +145, +220, or anything similar

When you see a plus (+) sign in front of a price, it shows you that team is the underdog. Higher numbers like +400, +500, +5000, etc. represent how much of an underdog the team is in the game. The higher the number the more likely the team is expected to lose in the eyes of the oddsmakers.

The number also indicates how much money would win in comparison to every $100 you wager.

For example, a +150 money line means you would win $150 for each $100 wager you place should that team win the game.

Money line examples:

Lets use an NFL example here:

New England Patriots -240

Miami Dolphins +220

To bet the New England Patriots to win on the money line, you would need to spend $240 on the bet for a chance to win $100 if the Patriots beat the Dolphins. Your return would be $340 – the original $240 stake (bet) and the $100 bet profit.

To bet the Miami Dolphins to win on the money line, you would spend $100 on the bet for a chance to win $220 if the Dolphins, as the underdog, beat the Patriots. Your return would be $320 – the original $100 stake (bet) and the $220 profit.

In both situations, it doesn’t matter if the team you bet on wins by one point or 100 points. You’re purely betting on the team you believe will win the game. As Al Davis said, “Just win, baby.” That’s exactly what you’d be looking for out of your selection. It doesn’t have to be pretty, it just has to happen or your original stake is lost.

Generally speaking, when betting on sports, we are all at the mercy of the sportsbooks. Whatever lines or prices they put out, we must abide by them and decide if they are worth betting or not. Fortunately for bettors, there is a way around this and it comes in the form of “alternative lines.” This option allows us to find a line we would like to bet and bet it. Easy, right? The setback to this is that the lines we choose typically come with very high odds, thus draining the bet of any real value.

What is an Alternative Line?

When you hear someone using the term “alternative line” in relation to basketball, they are referring to an opportunity in which the bettor can wager on a different point spread than originally offered at a sportsbook.

The concept of the “alternative line” is similar to that of a teaser in that it gives bettors a more favorable point spread in exchange for less favorable odds. However, an “alternative line”wager is a bet on a single game, where as a teaser must involve multiple options.

An “alternative line” is similar to buying points, but offers bettors a much bigger selection than just your standard half point or full point.

How Do Alternative Lines Work?

The standard “alternative line” is just an extension of the original point spread listed for a particular game. For example, if the Mavericks are four-point favorites against the Timberwolves, some books will offer up an “alternative line” of Dallas -1.5 or Dallas -6.5 If you decided to take the alternative line of -1.5, the price to pay will be much higherthan the standard -110 point spread price. If you decided to lay more points and take the Mavericks -6.5, the price would be much more appealing, perhaps even-money or better. This “alternative line” option is available for both the favorite and underdog, but with the underdog the prices are reversed (you pay a higher price i.e. -150 to get 6.5 points or even-money to get 1.5 points.)

Some books even extend their “alternative lines” as high as 15 points in either direction on both the favorite and underdog. The prices are adjusted accordingly, but if you want to bet the underdog and lay three points, you will be looking at juicy odds.

Are Alternative Lines Worth Betting?

Betting Points Explained

Just like every other betting option available to bettors, “alternative lines” have pros and cons associated with it. “Alternative lines” are not better or worse, but often times they won’t offer much value than the original point spread line. If you asked any successful handicapper to give you a tip on how to be successful, they will tell you to find out the risk and cost of your bet and then compare it to the reward. If the reward outweighs the risk, it’s worth making a play. If not, move along.

Betting Lines Nfl

Half Point Line Betting Odds

The one positive with betting alternative lines is that this option seems to get very little attention. Most squares bet into the standard point spread line which can change the line or juice. With the “alternative lines” this very rarely happens, which means smart bettors have an opportunity to find value.

Half Point Line Betting Lines

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