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Best Sportsbooks US / Betting Guide / What are Betting Lines?

What are Betting Lines?

Publish Date: 30/03/2022
Fact checked by: Sam

Betting the Moneyline - Sportsbooks, NFL & the Super Bowl

Looking to have betting lines explained? You’re in the right place! Join us as we take a look through all of the different sportsbook lines you’ll be betting on at the best US betting sites!

Our guide covers everything from the basic betting money line to more advanced bets like totals, player props and much more. Plus we’ll even see how you can try different kinds of bets like parlays, futures and live bets. All of which means that you’ll have lots of ways to bet on the big game. Keep reading to find out more!

Betting lines explained in simple terms

So, it’s really important you understand the betting rules and terminology. Betting line refers to a single type of bet that you can put on sport. You will see lots of different betting lines for a single sporting event, which means that there are lots of different ways to bet on a sporting encounter.

Let’s take an example of an NFL game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles. Here there would be a betting line that the Steelers would win or that the Eagles would win. But other betting lines could cover everything from how many points will be scored in the game to how many rushing yards a running back will get.

Why it pays to understand different betting lines

Just like it’s important to understand sports gambling tax, it’s also important to have a good understanding of how different betting lines work as each betting line will have a different chance of winning and you’ll get different amounts of payouts too.

An example could be a football game where there is a real favorite like the Kansas City Chiefs and a definite underdog like the New York Giants. Here you won’t get much of a return from backing the Chiefs and the Giants have little chance of winning.

As a result, you could browse around the alternative betting lines to see which bets offer you greater value. You could also google “sportsbook near me” and visit your local bricks n mortar establishment to view their betting lines.  Either way, scouting around the different betting lines can add a lot of interest to even the dullest sporting encounter!

What does betting the money line mean?

We should probably start by having the betting moneyline explained as this is probably the simplest betting line to understand. Here you are just betting on who wins the game. So in an NFL game between the New Orleans Saints and Denver Broncos, you’d be betting on whether the Saints or Broncos win.

Understanding points spread betting lines

Points spread betting offers a way to balance an uneven playing field between two unequally matched teams. So if you’ve got a real favorite like the LA Rams taking on rank outsiders like the Jacksonville Jaguars, you could try a points spread bet.

Here the Rams would be put at a points disadvantage because they were the favorites. This means that the Rams would have to score more points in order to win the bet, but their odds and spreads would be longer and your returns would be better as a result.

Conversely, the Jaguars would start the game at a points advantage which means that they wouldn’t actually have to win the game in order for you to win your bets. Just remember that the odds and spreads for a Jaguar win won’t be quite so long.

Betting on totals or over/under bets

Want a different challenge? Then try betting on totals. Here you are betting on whether a certain quantity will be lower or higher than a number set by the sportsbook.

For example, you could try betting on whether there will be over 40 points scored in an NFL game between Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals. Or you could even try betting that Derrick Henry rushes over 100 yards in his next game.

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All about prop bets

Prop bets refer to those betting lines that are independent of the game result. This means that they could be anything from whether the game goes to overtime or even what color of liquid will be poured over the winning football coach at the Super Bowl!

Try player prop bets on your favorite player

Lots of people love betting on what individual players do in a game. These are known as player prop bets as they are completely independent of what the end game result will be. Examples could include anything from betting on how many touchdown passes Patrick Mahomes throws to how many sacks T.J. Watt gets in his next game.

Betting on halves, quarters and periods

Most sportsbooks will also give you the option of betting on what happens in a certain time period. This can be great for when you know that a certain team has a tendency of starting strongly but fading away as time goes on.

So you could bet on something like Miami Dolphins to be leading Atlanta Falcons in the first quarter, or that there would be over 20 points scored between both teams by half-time.

Unique betting lines for different sports

It is true to say that betting companies that allow US players are climbing over each other to give the bettors what they want. We’ve been focusing on football betting, but it’s important to remember that each sport will tend to have its own unique betting lines. For example, hockey fans will be able to bet on what happens for different periods in each NHL game, so operators need to appeal to different groups.

You could bet on unique baseball betting markets like the run line or even a one specified pitcher for an MLB game. Plus basketball fans will be able to bet on everything from three-pointers to combined points, rebounds, and assists.

It’s something that helps us realize how unique each sport is. After all, only soccer fans will be able to bet on the number of corners earned by a team, and only tennis fans will bet on who wins the first set. Plus with some even more unusual betting lines offered for racing sports like NASCAR racing, it shows that there is no shortage of betting options out there.

Your guide to live betting lines

We should note that you won’t just get lots of betting lines when you bet before the game begins. This is because all good sportsbooks will serve up nearly as many betting lines that you can wager on live. Live betting is great fun as you’ll see the odds changing in correspondence to the live action. It can take a fair amount of skill to get right, but once you know the betting lines well enough, you’ll be able to put even the most complex live betting scenario.

Betting on futures

Just so you know, sportsbooks will also offer you bets called futures which offer some true betting deals. These refer to what happens in the long-term such as who the winner of next year’s Super Bowl will be, who’ll win the next Stanley Cup and so on. You might even get to wager on who’ll be the next NFL coach to get the sack!

A quick word about parlay betting

You’ll probably see some sportsbooks giving you the chance to try a parlay bet. This is where you combine lots of different betting lines into one bet. Each of these betting lines has to succeed for your parlay bet to win, but the way in which the odds combine can produce some spectacular returns.

You could try a same game parlay for things like team to win, total points scored and correct score. Or try a parlay for multiple results such as the Titans, Chargers and Bills to all win their next NFL games.

An example of finding a betting line for Super Bowl

OK let’s take a massive leap of faith and pretend that the next Super Bowl is going to be between the New York Jets and Detroit Lions. Yeah, we know, it’s unlikely, but stranger things have happened.

It’s a game that the Jets are the strong favorites to win. As such, you won’t get much of a return from backing the Jets, and backing the Lions is probably going to be doomed to failure.

So here you could try betting on the points spread which means that the playing field will be leveled up. However, you might think that both defenses are fairly weak and so you could try a totals bet that there will be over 50 points scored in the Super Bowl.

But then you realize in the second quarter that the Jets quarterback is on a strong run of form and so you might try a live bet that he’ll throw more than three passes in the game.

However, you want to stay entertained outside of the game and so you’ll put down some prop bets on things like how long the national anthem will last and much more. All of which shows just how much fun you can have with betting lines when trying your luck on the Super Bowl!

Conclusion – discover the best betting lines NFL has right now!

By now you’ll see that if you want to start betting, money line isn’t the only option that you’ll get. After all, every good sportsbook will not only have sportsbook promotions a plenty, but also put on dozens of different betting lines that cover everything from the points spread to totals, player props and beyond. This means that you’ll have great fun browsing the different lines to see which bets offer you the greatest value.

Remember that sportsbooks will constantly be thinking of new and ever more inventive ways to let you bet on your favorite sport. Just giving you the best free bets today isn’t enough to keep bettors coming back. So keep it here to find the best betting lines for everything from football and basketball to hockey and baseball!

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Betting lines explained FAQ

🏈Where can I get betting lines explained for football?

Check out our guide that has all of the betting lines NFL has to offer explained in simple terms. Don’t forget we also publish guides on all things sports betting-related, including which sports betting apps allow quick and easy betting options. This means that you’ll quickly be able to see what all of the different bets like totals, player props and halves mean. Now all you need to do is to see what betting lines are available for the big game and figure out which bets offer you the best value and the best chance of winning!

💪Who has the best betting lines today?

Make sure that you not only read our sportsbook reviews but also our guide where you’ll get help in evaluating which sportsbook lines represent the best value for money. This is important as most online sportsbooks will serve up hundreds of betting lines for every NFL game and you’ll need to think carefully about which bet could work out best for you. Thankfully our guide will help you figure out which sportsbook has the best betting lines today.

👀Where can I get betting odds and spreads explained?

We couldn’t have a guide about betting lines without including a look at the odds that these betting lines refer to. So be sure to read our guide to get a quick explanation of how betting odds work. You may also find a betting sites odds/spreads calculator a useful tool. This means that you’ll quickly be able to see what low and high odds mean and we’ll help you find the odds and spreads that work for you. All you need to get a deeper understanding of sports betting!

❓What do odds of -200 mean?

Read our guide to see what betting the moneyline means when odds of -200 crop up. You’ll quickly get to understand whether it means you’re backing the favorite or the underdog, and we’ll help you see if these odds could be good value. All of which means that you’ll know whether you should bet on odds of -200 or see if you can get even better odds elsewhere!

☝Where can I get NFL betting lines explained?

Right here! This is because we’ve got a special guide that is devoted to having NFL betting lines explained in simple terms that anyone can understand. We’ll walk you through the fundamental aspects of each betting line and give you some concrete examples of how these betting lines work for the NFL. All of which should give you the perfect way to know how you can successfully bet on football.

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