Quote:
I just got hooked on this relatively new sports betting site. It give you free money to start with and you can make real money. I have like 50 cents right now but i just started the other day. You guys should check it out, it's at
http://www.centsports.com/?opcode=506997
so easy and best yet its free and you can cash out once you get at least 20 bucks. the advertisers pay for the money because you have to see an ad if you want to get a bonus on your bet. Not too bad of a deal i think.
If you are betting on a sporting event, straight up bets might be the easiest to understand. They are represented by "moneylines." Generally, moneylines aren't even money lines. That is, heavy favorites will have a lower payout than the dollar amount that you bet. So for instance, if you bet $50 on a moneyline that is -200, and you win the bet, you'd win $25 plus you'd be returned your $50 you bet. If the underdog was +150, and you bet $50 and won, you'd win $75 and you'd be returned your original stake for a total of $125.
Pointspreads are more common, especially in basketball and football. Bookmakers assume that most teams will have uneven matchups and instead of wagering straight up, you have the point spread. A favorite is represented by a negative number, like -7. That means that in order to win a pointspread bet when you bet on this favorite, they'd have to win by at least 8 points. If they win by only 7, then it'd be a push (aka tie) and you'd be returned your bet amount. If the spread is -7.5, you'd still have to win by 8 or more points, but there is no possibility of a push. If you took the underdog +7, they can lose by 6 or less and you still win the bet.
The payouts for spread betting are usually -110. That means that you'd have to bet $110 to win $100. Though you might see some variations of this. The win amount is relative to the amount that you actually bet.
Next, you can bet on Over/Unders. This is where you bet the total combined score for a game is over or under a certain number. The payouts for over/unders are usually -110 or close to it, as well.
Of course, there are other types of bets you can make that involve first quarters, halves, etc depending on the sporting event and the bookmaker you choose. But this should give you a good start.
There's also a page at my site http://dagus-statistics.com/sportsbetting101.htm with a guide to help you make smart picks. Navigate around and you'll also find a sports betting glossary, online sportsbook reviews, and my free daily sports picks. Hope this helps!