How to read betting odds and spreads
Welcome to our guide on how to read betting odds and spreads. What might seem daunting at first will soon become clear to you. Afterwards, you’ll be able to take on sportsbooks and bet on all your favorite markets with confidence.
Betting odds and spreads explained plus minus isn’t a foreign concept. All sportsbooks offer odds and spreads in this format. All you need to know is what the signs mean and how this will affect your betting. Our experts have compiled an easy-to-understand guide that summarizes all you need to know.
Understanding betting odds and spreads
It’s absolutely vital to get to know how betting odds and spreads work online. There are no two ways about it. If you don’t, then you’ll feel lost at sea as you attempt to bet online. There are different ways in which betting odds and spreads are displayed online. You’ll come across these different options when you view sports betting markets, including live betting. There are fractional odds, decimal odds, and then odds and spreads that have a plus minus attached to them. It’s the latter that we will be focusing on!
Our latest guide is tailored in a way that makes it easy for newcomers and experienced bettors alike. As a newcomer, you’ll need to understand the fundamentals of how to read betting odds and spreads before you start betting. If you’re an experienced bettor, it’s never a bad idea to have a refresher on the subject. Plus, you’ll pick up some insightful tips in the process!
Betting odds explained plus minus
In the US, betting odds are displayed in the form of a number and a plus and/or minus in front of the number. Known as moneyline odds or simply the American style format, it provides you with the ability to understand who is the favorite, the underdog, and the potential returns on your bets. So, with these aspects outlined, let’s get down to the crux of it. Moneyline odds are expressed in terms of money (with $100 being the base number).
The plus and minus sign simply refers to which odds and spreads represent the favorite or the underdog. The favorite will have odds with a minus sign while the underdog will have odds and spreads with a plus sign. Let’s look at an example!
A practical example of plus minus betting odds and spreads
Let’s assume that the New England Patriots and the Miami Dolphins are up against one another. The odds and spreads are expressed as follows:
- Patriots: -120
- Dolphins: +250
It’s clear that the Patriots are the favorites as their odds and spreads have a minus sign. The Dolphins, on the other hand, are the underdogs as their odds have a plus sign. Now, what does it mean if the odds are -120 or +250?
When it comes to favorites, the odds and spreads displayed express how much money you need to wager in order to realize a return of $100. Therefore, in this example, you will need to wager $120 for every $100 won.
The underdogs have odds of +250. This tells you that you stand to win $250 for every $100 wagered. If you wager $50, and your bet is successful, you’ll receive $125 in winnings. If you wager $200, your winnings will total $500.
Discouraging you from betting on favorites
You might be wondering why there are such high odds and spreads for certain fixtures. Remember, sportsbooks apply what is known as the vig (or juice) on sports markets and underlying odds and spreads. This is simply the house edge and ensures that the sportsbook makes a profit in the long run. If there is a heavy favorite in an upcoming fixture, then the sportsbook might apply odds of -400 or even higher. In this case, you’ll need to wager $400 just to receive a $100 in winnings. This is done to discourage you from taking advantage of betting deals on a team that is pretty much guaranteed to win nine times out of ten.
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Where to find the best betting odds and spreads online
Now that you know how to read betting odds and spreads, you might be wondering where you can find the best plus minus betting odds and spreads online. Moneyline odds and spreads are on offer on all US sportsbooks. Therefore, you needn’t have to worry about signing up with a site which fails to offer you odds and spreads in this format. What is important to take note of is that certain sites will offer betting moneyline odds and spreads than other – not necessarily all of the time but for certain fixtures and events. As such, you should take the time to shop around so that you are able to capitalize on top odds and spreads throughout.
With this in mind, head on over to our sportsbook reviews. We dedicate an entire section to the odds and spreads that you can expect to receive with these betting sites. There is no need to have to do this on your own! Find the best plus minus (moneyline) odds with us!
Top tips: betting odds and spreads explained + -
Having betting odds and spreads explained plus minus format is the first step to becoming a more skilled bettor. However, there are also a number of tips that we can provide you over and above telling you how to read betting odds and spreads. These tips will help you find moneyline odds and spreads which are competitive and provide you with decent value.
We will always underline the fact that you should shop around for odds and spreads. There is no way that one sportsbook will always offer the most competitive odds and spreads week in and week out. As such, you need to keep your options open as much as possible.
Use odds boost promotions
You know how to read betting odds and spreads but do you know how to tilt them in your favor? Sportsbooks offer odds and spreads boost promotions which enable you to boost the underlying odds and ensure that your potential return is higher than what it would usually be. Imagine the odds and spreads on a team are priced at -150. With an odds boost sportsbook promotion, you could increase the odds to -120. This means that you will potentially receive more in winnings if your bet comes off.
Find out more about betting approaches
You should take the time to find out more about betting techniques which enable you to spot value odds and spreads on various markets. Remember, sportsbooks can’t always get it right. There is always the chance that the odds and spreads that have been listed don’t quite correlate with your expected value. Getting to know how you can utilize techniques to spot value bets will make your life a lot easier in the long run. Yes, nothing is certain. However, you need to build on your knowledge of knowing how to read betting odds.
Don’t bet on your favorite team all the time
When betting on moneyline odds, it’s important that you take the emotion out of it. There’s no reason for you to remain loyal to your team when betting. If you come across betting odds and spreads explained plus minus which prove to be decent, then take advantage of it – regardless of whether you are betting on your team or another team to win/lose. Remaining objective is an important part of becoming a more precise, and potentially more successful, bettor in the long run.
It is vital that you do your homework before you bet on sports online. Yes, it’s great that you have taken the time to read our betting odds and spreads explained plus minus guide. However, you need to continue on in the same vein. This includes reading up on past performances of teams you are looking to bet on. Follow the latest news and developments and learn the stats. All of this will make you a more insightful bettor. It will also enable you, not only to know how to read betting odds and spreads, but to identify odds and spreads that you feel are overvalued.
Alternative betting guides - up your knowledge
We hope to remind you that we have a range of comprehensive guides that will help you navigate the online betting marketplace. In the US, sports betting is growing ten-fold from north to south and east to west. Therefore, there’s a lot to catch up on. Make use of our betting resources so that you can solidify your knowledge in order to make the most of an online sportsbook near me, and all the markets on offer, whenever you wish to do so! There’s no reason to ever feel as if you don’t have a reliable site whereby you can consult objective and informative reviews.
Conclusion - how to read betting odds and spreads
After reading our guide, we hope that you have come to realize that reading betting odds and spreads isn’t that complicated. You should know how to read betting odds and spreads with ease. As such, you’ll definitely feel a lot more confident in how you assess odds and being able to spot odd which you feel provide value to you. Remember, it’s important that you continue to shop around for the best plus minus odds and spreads. Sportsbooks regularly update their odds and spreads so keep track of these changes across the board!
It’s now time that you complete a sportsbook sign up process so that you can put your knowledge to the test. We feel that there’s no better time than today to get started. Keep improving on your knowledge and you will find yourself shooting for the stars! Betting on sports can be extremely fun once you get the hang of it.
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Betting odds and spreads explained plus minus FAQs
🔮How to read odds online
It’s vital that you get to know how to read odds and spreads online. If you don’t do this, then you will end up being unable to identify which betting opportunities are worth your time and which aren’t. Understanding odds and spreads is fundamental to any online betting approach. All you need to do is make sure that you read our latest guide or consult a sports betting app and you will know precisely how to read odds and spreads online. There is no need to feel overwhelmed as it’s a lot easier than you might expect.
🔎Where can I find the best plus minus odds and spreads?
Once you understand how plus minus odds and spreads work, you will be keen to find a sportsbook where there are competitive odds listings. After all, finding the best odds and spreads is part of the process of betting online. All you need to do is keep an open mind instead of opting for the first sportsbook you come across. Read our latest guide to find out more about this. We have compiled our guide in a way that is easy to read and put into action.
❓What do plus minus odds mean?
Plus minus odds are one way of reading odds and spreads. It makes up one of several different formats that are most widely used online. Once you know how to read odds and spreads online, then you will be able to start betting with more confidence. Our latest guide will be sure to get you where you need to be in order to understand odds at a glance!
🔖What type of odds and spreads are there online?
Odds and spreads come in different formats. Plus minus odds and spreads are just one of several popular ways in which to display odds online. You might end up realizing that you prefer fractional or decimal odds. However, we recommend that you get to know plus minus (or American style) odds as this is what you will find when you log onto sportsbook sites. It’ll ensure that you can quickly read odds and understand the state of play without having to consult our guide time and time again.
💯Are plus minus odds and spreads the best?
It is really a matter of preference. In the US, plus minus odds are the preferred way of displaying odds and spreads online. You will come to find that all sportsbooks default setting in the US is plus minus odds and spreads. Once you understand what it means, you will most likely stick with it. All you need to do is read our latest guide to find out more!
