Learning how to bet is like learning how to drive: What does this lever do? What happens when you push that button? What does P, N, R, D, D1, D2, D3 mean? Your hands might be sweating, and your brain might be ready to short circuit. But with a good teacher, you’ll quickly be looking back at that first experience.
Learning how to bet is not very different: What do the odds actually mean? What’s a moneyline? Parlay? Prop? Cover?
Regardless of whatever sport you’re prefer, the terms mean the same thing and the odds work the same way. All you need is the right teacher – BetBasics.com.
Instead of looking at dozens of sportsbooks and casinos, we compared all the odds for every bet you can think of! At Bet Basics you can compare lines, find the best odds and get a boosted bonus to top it.
We offer a free betting odds calculator that immediately shows the odds, the payoff, and the amount you win. Because you should know exactly what’s going on with your money.
With that in mind, we explain how the odds work and the terminology.
For example, many first-time bettors don’t understand the difference between the moneyline and the betting line. The moneyline means you’re picking one team to win, regardless of score. The betting line – say Cowboys -6 over Commanders – means that Dallas is favored to win the game by six points. If you place your wager on the Cowboys, and if they win by seven on more points, you win.
The odds can really be confusing. Let’s say a team is heavily favored to win. This time we’ll go with the Bengals are -190 to beat the Steelers. You place $100 on Cincy. The payoff is $152.63. But remember, you already wagered or staked $100, so all you won was $52.63. However, if you bet $100 on the Steelers at +158 to upset the Bengals, the payout is $258. Take away that $100 initial stake and you walk away with $158 to buy Christmas presents.
We know it takes a little time to understand the betting options. So, here’s the deal: You worry about looking both ways before entering an intersection. We’ll help you understand the world of American, Decimal, Fractional and Implied odds, so you'll know what -200 and +150 odds mean, what moneylines, parlays, spreads and proposition bets mean.