Money Line (Outright winner)
This is the simplest bet to make -- you pick the winner of the game. If the team you bet on wins, you win your bet.
The Money Line can be called something different depending on the sport, such as Run Line for baseball or Puck Line for hockey.
EXAMPLE: If you bet $100 on Dallas’ Money Line (+150) and they beat Chicago, you will receive a total payout of $250 ($100 wager + $150 winnings).
Win/Draw/Win (Money Line 3-way)
This type of bet includes a market for the teams to draw (tie). If both teams have the same score at the end of regulation (excluding overtime), and you bet on one of the teams to win, your bet will count as a loss.
EXAMPLE: If you bet $100 on the Win/Draw/Win for Philadelphia to beat New Orleans, and both teams are tied at the end of regulation, you would lose the bet even if Philadelphia won in overtime.
Spread Betting (Point Spread)
This kind of bet creates a more even matchup between two teams (or players) by applying a handicap to the final scores. Much like Money Line bets, this type of bet is on the final score of the game, but either team’s score has a certain number of points (the Spread) added or taken away based on an estimated difference in scores.
A team only covers the Spread if their final score beats their opponent’s final score with the handicap added. Most Spreads have a .5 at the end to prevent ties (pushes).
EXAMPLE: In a game between Denver (-4.5) and Minnesota (+4.5), Denver is favored to win the game and would need to beat Minnesota by 5 or more points to cover the Spread. If Denver won the game, but the final score was 23-20, that means they failed to cover the Spread.
Total (Over/Under)
This bet is based on the total number of points scored by both teams combined. A number is chosen based on a likely combined point total, and then you bet on if the final point total will be higher (Over) or lower (Under) than that set number. Most Total odds are set at around -110.
EXAMPLE: Say the Total for the Boston @ Cleveland basketball game is set for 210.5. If Boston scores 105 and Cleveland scores 108, the Over would hit because the combined total would be 213 points (more than 210.5).
Proposition bets (also known as Props)
This type of wager is one that is made on the occurrence of a certain event within the game, regardless of the game’s final outcome.
EXAMPLE: You can bet on a player to score the first touchdown in a game. For the bet to be a winner, that player just needs to score the first touchdown – it doesn’t matter if that player’s team ends up winning the game or not.
Parlay (also known as an Accumulator)
A parlay is a combination of multiple legs (or selections) into a single wager. You would win if every leg of the parlay was a winner. If even just one of the legs lost, the whole parlay would be a loss.
The odds get higher after each selection. You cannot add selections that are related to the same game in a single standard parlay. To build a parlay from one game, check out our Same Game Parlay feature!
EXAMPLE: In a four-leg basketball parlay, you can wager on the outcomes of four different matchups. Each selection can be a different type of bet (Spread, Money Line, Total, etc.).
Futures
A Futures bet is a wager placed on a whole competition or tournament instead of on a single game. Before the competition or tournament starts, the odds reflect the form of each competitor relative to the other competitors. During the competition or tournament, the odds may change to reflect each competitor’s performance.
EXAMPLE: Bets placed on who will win the Super Bowl in a given season, the men's singles winner of the U.S. Open tennis tournament, or the winner of the NBA Finals would be considered Futures bets.