A moneyline bet is a straight-up wager on which team wins. No point spread, no margin of victory — just pick the winner.
A moneyline bet is a wager on which team or player wins outright. There's no point spread — just pick the winner. The odds reflect the probability of each side winning.
Moneyline odds are expressed as positive or negative numbers:
Negative odds (favorites): The number tells you how much you must bet to win $100.
Positive odds (underdogs): The number tells you how much you win on a $100 bet.
Lakers vs. Celtics:
If you bet the Lakers at -160 and they win, you profit $100 on a $160 bet. If the Celtics win at +140, you profit $140 on a $100 bet.
The point spread is popular in football and basketball. The moneyline is more common in baseball, hockey, and soccer — sports where scoring is lower and a 1-goal/run margin matters a lot.
For hedging: Moneylines are the primary market for bonus bet hedges. You bet the underdog (positive odds) with your bonus bet and the favorite (negative odds) with your cash — maximizing the asymmetry the bonus creates.
For the full breakdown of bet types, read our guide to how sports betting works.
This is part of our complete guide. Read the full breakdown for the complete strategy.
Read: How Sports Betting Works: A Beginner's Guide (2026) →