Casually betting on the outcome of basketball games makes watching them all the more exciting. When betting basketball, the betting line can be expressed in terms of a point spread or it can be stated through the money line. When betting through the use of a point spread, the underdog gets points added to the total number of points they score. Likewise, the favorite has points deducted from their score, which means they must win by a margin greater than the number of points they have spotted the dog in order to “cover” the spread.
Unlike point spread basketball betting, money line betting does not involve either team spotting the opposing team points. Instead of spotting points, the money line bets are decided straight up, which means the bet is settled based on the actual outcome of the basketball game. A sample NBA money line listing may look like the following:
San Antonio Spurs +170
Los Angeles Lakers -200
In this sample basketball money line, the Spurs are listed at +170, while the Lakers list at -200. The positive number is associated with the underdog, while the negative number is associated with the favorite in this basketball game. With basketball money line betting, the positive number reflects the amount of money that will be won for every $100 wagered. In this sample match, if $100 is wagered on a Spurs win and they do win, the bet pays $170. Likewise, if $500 were bet on the Spurs to win, a winning $500 wager pays $850.
The Lakers are listed at -200 on the money line. The negative number reflects the amount of money that is needed to win $100. Thus, a person betting on the Lakers to win and wishing to receive a $100 return on their wager would need to put up $200 to win $100. Likewise, a person wagering $1K on the Lakers to win would get a return of $500 on their wager if the Lakers pulled off the victory.
Money line betting is a way to bet on the actual results of NBA games without having to worry about spotting a team points or receiving points. Using the money line when betting basketball games is an easy means by which to profit on basketball games and adds to the fun and excitement of watching basketball live or on the television.