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There are several types of bets that can be made by sports gamblers, but none of those is as common and popular as the Moneyline or Straight up Bet. You will find Moneyline odds for every sport and every game you can virtually think of, making it the most primary type of bet you need to know about when you are thinking of becoming a professional sports bettor. If you’re still evaluating where to place your wagers, this guide on choosing an online sportsbook explains the key factors bettors should compare before opening an account.
What is A Moneyline or Straight Up Bet?
A Moneyline or straight up bet is a wager on which player or team will win the game outright without having to consider any point spread odds.
📌 The Basic Concept
The easiest way to think of a straight-up bet is that you are simply picking the winner of the game.
- 🔑 No Point Spread: The margin of victory does not matter.
- 🏆 Pick the Winner: Your selected team or player only needs to win outright.
- ✅ Simple Format: One of the easiest betting markets for beginners to understand.
A Moneyline bettor doesn’t have to think about who wins by how many goals or points; all that matters is who emerges victorious at the end of the sporting event.
📊 Why Many Bettors Prefer Moneylines
This simplicity is one of the main reasons many bettors prefer Moneylines over spreads, although each market has its own advantages depending on the matchup.
| Moneyline Betting | Point Spread Betting |
|---|---|
| Pick the winner | Pick a team to cover the spread |
| Simple to understand | Requires margin-of-victory analysis |
| Popular in hockey and baseball | Common in football and basketball |
If you’re trying to decide which option better fits your betting style, this guide on playing the difference between point spread and Moneyline betting breaks down when each wager type may be the better choice.
For a broader comparison of how these two wagering formats work across different sports and betting situations, bettors can also review this spread vs Money Line guide, which explains the key differences in risk, payout structure, and betting strategy.
🎯 Example of a Winning Moneyline Bet
If you pick a team to win a game and that team emerges victorious, then you win the bet, irrespective of the scoring or winning margin.
- ✅ Team Wins: Your bet cashes.
- ❌ Team Loses: Your bet loses.
- 💵 Margin Doesn’t Matter: A one-point win pays the same as a twenty-point win.
Because Moneyline betting is available at virtually every sportsbook, it is important to understand what to look for in a sportsbook when comparing available odds and betting markets.
Understanding and Wagering on Moneyline Bets
Usually, the money line comprises two different odds—one for the favorite (denoted by a negative sign in front of the line) and one for the underdog (denoted by a positive sign in front of the line), as is exemplified below. Bettors who are unfamiliar with American odds may benefit from learning how betting odds work before placing their first Moneyline wager.
- Dallas Cowboys -150
- Washington Redskins +170
In the example above, Dallas is the favorite (as is highlighted by the negative sign) while Washington is the underdog. The -150 odds simply mean that you have to bet $150 on Dallas to win $100 (for a total payout of $250 if the Cowboys win the game).
Conversely, the +170 odds mean that you will win $170 for every $100 dollar wagered on Washington (for a total payout of $270).
While potential winnings are easy to calculate from Moneyline odds, sportsbooks also manage exposure through betting limits, payout policies, and other operational safeguards. Understanding these controls can help bettors avoid surprises when placing larger wagers or withdrawing winnings, which is why it is useful to learn about sportsbook limits, payout speed, and risk controls before making significant bets.
Notably, you can also divide the odds to find out how much you can bet to win as low as $1. A betting odds calculator can simplify these calculations and help bettors quickly compare potential payouts across different Moneyline prices.
Using our example above, the odds mean that you have to bet $1.50 on Dallas to win $1, and cash out $1.7 for every $1 you bet on Washington.
Evidently, Moneyline bets are very profitable when you bet on the right underdog to win the game straight up. More advanced bettors sometimes compare traditional sportsbook Moneylines with exchange betting markets to search for better pricing opportunities.
Conclusion
As a final note, hockey and baseball are the two team sports that use Money lines as the primary betting option.
This is because hockey and baseball results tend to be low-scoring, with the teams involved often totaling single digit goals and runs, respectively, meaning point spreads don’t apply that much.
The concept, though, remains the same, so all you need is to figure out the right Straight Up (SU) pick to get paid. Some experienced bettors also seek out reduced juice wagering opportunities to improve long-term value when betting Moneylines.
MyBookie: Bet On Anything. Anywhere. Anytime.
MyBookie: Bet On Anything. Anywhere. Anytime.
About the Author
Henry Watkins is a Sports Writer at MyBookie. Originally from Scotland and currently residing in Metro Atlanta with his wife Penny, Henry covers a range of topics, including competitive and professional sports as well as sports business. In addition to his sports writing, he is also an author of horror fiction, with works such as Karaoke Night, Crueller, and Off The Grid.
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