Favorite / Underdog

The favorite is the team expected to win. The underdog is the one people don’t expect to win.

• The favorite always has a minus sign (-) in front of their odds.
• The underdog always has a plus sign (+).

💡 Example:

• Saints -150 = Saints are the favorite
• Falcons +150 = Falcons are the underdog

That plus or minus also affects how much money you win. Keep reading…

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Lotto

A lotto is just a really big parlay.

You’re betting on a bunch of picks at once — and you have to hit all of them to win. But since the odds are so high, you don’t have to bet a lot to win big.

💡 Example:

You could bet just 10 cents or $1 and still win a few hundred dollars — or more — depending on how big your odds are.

It’s high risk, but high reward. That’s why people call it a “lotto” — like hitting the jackpot.

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Moneyline

This is the most basic bet — just pick who you think will win the game.

• ✅ If you bet on a team with +150, you bet $100 and win $150.
• ✅ If you bet on a team with -150, you bet $150 to win $100.

💡 You win if your team wins — that’s it. Doesn’t matter by how many points.

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Odds (in Money Terms)

Odds tell you how much money you’ll win based on what you bet.

• + odds (like +200): You win more than you risk. Bet $100, win $200.
• – odds (like -110): You risk more than you win. Bet $110 to win $100.

💡 Minus = favorite

Plus = underdog

The bigger the plus number, the more money you win — but it’s usually riskier.

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Over/Under (Total)

You’re betting on the total number of points, runs, or goals in the game — not who wins.

• ✅ If the total is 47.5 points:
  • Bet the Over if you think both teams will combine for 48 or more
  • Bet the Under if you think it’ll be 47 or less

💡 Great when you don’t know which team will win, but you know it’ll be a high (or low) scoring game.

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Parlay

This is when you combine multiple bets into one ticket — and you have to win all of them to cash out.

• ✅ Example: You pick the Lakers, Yankees, and Chiefs to win.
  • If all 3 win, you win big 💰
  • If just 1 loses, you lose the whole bet ❌

💡 Parlays are riskier, but they pay more because you’re stacking bets together.

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Point Spread

This is about how much a team wins or loses by — not just who wins.

The underdog (plus) gets points added before the game even starts.

The favorite (minus) has to win by more than the spread.

💡 Example:

Falcons +3 vs Saints -3

That means the Falcons start the game with 3 extra points.

So if the score is Falcons 10 – Saints 10, the adjusted score is Falcons 13 – Saints 10, and you win your bet on the Falcons.

But if the final is Saints 20 – Falcons 17, it’s a push (tie).

If the Saints win 20 – 16, they covered the spread (won by more than 3), so they win against the spread.

🧠 Just remember:

• Plus = head start
• Minus = they gotta win by more

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Prop Bet (Player Prop)

A bet on something that happens inside the game, not the final score.

• ✅ “Will Curry make 5 or more three-pointers?”
• ✅ “Will Ohtani hit a home run?”
• ✅ “Who scores the first touchdown?”

💡 Great for mixing things up and building fun parlays.

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Push

A push means the final score hit the line exactly — nobody wins, nobody loses.

• ✅ You bet Over 44, and the game ends with exactly 44 → That’s a push.
• ✅ You get your money back.

💡 It’s like a tie. The bet doesn’t count.

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Round Robin

This is a way to play several parlays at once — but safer.

You don’t have to hit every pick to win something.

💡 Example:

You pick 3 teams → It creates 3 smaller parlays

• If 2 out of 3 win, you still get paid
• If all 3 win, you get more

It costs more to place, but it gives you more chances to win something back.

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Run Line (Baseball Only)

This is baseball’s version of a point spread.

The run line is usually -1.5 for the favorite and +1.5 for the underdog.

• ✅ If you bet Yankees -1.5, they need to win by 2 runs or more.
• ✅ If you bet Red Sox +1.5, they can lose by 1 run or win the game, and you still win your bet.

💡 Betting the run line usually gives you better odds than just picking the winner.

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Upset

An upset is when the underdog wins — and catches everybody off guard.

If the team nobody expected to win actually does, that’s an upset.

💡 Example:

If the Falcons are +200 underdogs and they beat the Saints, that’s an upset.

Since underdogs have plus money, you get a bigger payout when they pull it off.

🧠 Some people only bet on favorites — they might win more often, but they win less money.

If you mix in a few underdogs, there’s more value, and bigger payouts if they hit.