Straight Wagers
There are many ways to bet on sports, but chief among them is a simple even money bet (minus the juice), but with a point spread to give both the favorite and underdog an equal chance to win the bet (in the eyes of the oddsmaker – sort of).
What are straight wagers?
Straight wagers are the most common of bets made at sportsbooks. The are simply bets made using a pointspread. For these wagers, the payout is almost always -110, or risk $110 to win $100 (risk $10 to win $9.10).
How do I win a straight wager?
To win a straight wager, you need to figure in the pointspread. Simply add your pointspread to the the final score for the team you chose. If that number is bigger than their opponent, you won. Winning against the spread is called “covering” the wager.
Remember, if you chose the favorite, the pointspread will be negative. So you are actually subtracting!
Give me an example
San Francisco -5
St. Louis +5
The odds are risk $1.10 to win $1.00 (-110) unless otherwise indicated.
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What sports bet this way?
Football, basketball almost exclusively are bet using the pointspread (although, often moneylines are also available). Hockey uses a pointspread, but combines it with a moneyline (so the payout isn’t always -110). Baseball and soccer are commonly bet as moneylines.
Historically, do favorites or underdogs have an advantage?
Over a year you will find underdogs and favorites win about an equal number of games, except in moneyline sports like soccer and baseball. Here, favorites will win more often since there isn’t a spread to make the game more even. It is human nature to pick the favorites, but remember the underdogs will win half the time overall!
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