A market is sportsbook term for the type of outcome you’re going to bet on. Moneyline, Point Spread, Totals, Props—these are all different markets that revolve around different outcomes: who will win? Will the favourite beat the spread or will the underdog cover? Will the game go over or under a certain point total? Will my team win the tipoff? Different ‘markets’ let you bet on different things. Here are the most popular markets on PROLINE+:

A team is shown above a slider, representing the assigned point margin.

POINT SPREAD

In Point Spreads, you choose who you think the winner will be, but not necessarily based on who has the winning score in the game. Instead, the winner is whoever beats or covers the Point Spread, a handicap which is added to the underdog team and deducted from the favourite team. Point Spreads are expressed as a plus (+) for the underdog and a minus (-) for the favourite.

Point Spreads help even the “playing field” when it comes to betting. Since the favourite is expected to win, they need to win by more than a certain amount. Since the underdog is expected to lose, a bet on them could still win if they don’t lose by too much. Check out this football example:

POINT SPREAD (MATCH)
BUFFALO -6.5 1.91	DETROIT +6.5 1.91

Buffalo is the favourite with a Point Spread of -6.5. This means they need to win by more than 7 points to beat the spread and win the bet. Detroit is the underdog with a positive Point Spread of +6.5. This means they need to win the game or lose by 7 points or less to cover the spread and win the bet.

TIP

Want a simple way to see whether a Point Spread bet has won? Simply add the Point Spread amount to the underdog’s final score, and subtract it from the favourite’s final score.

Point Spreads are often set at half-point values to avoid ties, since most sports have no half-points. However, in some sports like football and basketball, you may see Point Spreads with whole numbers, indicating that ties are possible. If so, and a game results in a tie, then the result for your Point Spread bet is called a “Push”, which means you neither win nor lose, you simply get your money back.

POINT SPREAD ODDS & PAYOUTS

PROLINE+ odds are set using algorithms that are based on a range of factors including in-game activity and overall betting action, and they’re monitored by a team of sports analysts. You bet with, or against those odds. The decimal odds you see in a Point Spread matchup give you each team’s likelihood of covering the spread, and help calculate your potential payout by multiplying your wager amount by the decimal figure for each pick.

In the example above, a $10 bet on the underdog will return $19.10 (including the original bet) if they lose by less than 7 points or win the game outright. A $10 bet on the favourite will return $19.10 (including the original bet) if they win by more than 7 points.

You can see the odds are even—from a betting perspective, Point Spreads help keep the matchup competitive and interesting; the underdog team is just as likely to cover the Point Spread as the favourite is to beat the Point Spread, and the odds reflect that. This is different from a Moneyline market, where one team either wins or loses outright, and favourites and underdogs are often assigned different odds of winning.

FYI

Point Spreads are called “Run Lines” in baseball, and “Puck Lines” in hockey.

If you’re a fan of baseball, basketball, hockey, or football, we’ve got the quick facts for betting on your favourite sport.

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