Sports betting is becoming more popular than ever before with legalization causing a boom in the United States, but it’s important for new bettors to understand the different types of wagers and the terminology used. The more you learn about the teams, players and various betting options available to you, the better your chances of winning.
Moneylines are one of the most common bets you’ll see at online sportsbooks and involve placing a wager on the team that you think will win. If you pick correctly, you’ll win the amount of your bet plus any additional money if they win. However, it’s important to remember that luck is always a factor and losing a bet doesn’t mean you can’t make up for it the next time around.
Spread bets are a great way to level the playing field between two evenly matched opponents. They set a margin of victory that the favored team must cover in order for bettors to cash their tickets. In order to cover the spread, the Chiefs had to win by 15 points against the Texans in 2021.
Totals bets are quite similar to spreads, but they focus on the combined total of all runs, goals and points scored by both sides. The minus or plus sign used in the odds will indicate whether you are betting on the under or over. If you think that the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks will combine for more than 42 points, then you should place a bet on the over.