In sporting events where there is a significant difference between the sports betting odds, a bookie will incorporate a “handicap” condition in order to create a “virtual balance” (a betting line) between the two participating teams. Bear in mind that line betting is possible in sporting events when there are two outcomes only – win or lose. With that being said, it doesn’t come as a surprise that the most famous Basketball, American Football, and Baseball leagues are covered by almost every sportsbook online.
The National Basketball Association is made up of 30 teams in total, separated into two conferences. Every conference is separated into three divisions, where teams compete for dominance. With so many betting possibilities, it doesn’t come as a surprise that there will be a lot of betting lines offered by bookies.
In basketball, it is very common for the favourite team to win – which make moneyline bets one of the most popular ones in the NBA. A moneyline bet is a straight wager on “who will win”, and can be often handicapped. Since the amount of scored points in basketball is a lot bigger than the one in other sports, bookies tend to also offer an “over/under” total points bet.
Although placing a wager on the favourite team is a logical decision, there are some factors that can yield surprising results. For example, there are many stories where underdogs have managed to triumph due to a home-court advantage. In all cases, the NBA betting lines provide stable odds and numerous opportunities for betting.
The National Hockey League consists of 31 teams, 24 of which come from the USA, and seven from Canada. Considered to be the most premier hockey league in the world, the NHL is a natural source for sportsbook markets. Like with basketball, NHL punters will be able to wager on the moneyline, a three-way line, and the puck line.
While the moneyline bet is pretty self-explanatory, the three-way allows punters to wager on win, lose, and draw. The “puck line” is a fancy way of referring to a handicap spread of points in order to even out the playing field between the underdog and favourite teams. We should also mention that the three-way line is an in-play market, which means that punters will have around 60 minutes to place their wagers.
Just like the NBA and the NHL, the Major League Baseball is the largest and most popular event for all baseball competitions. Founded nearly a century ago, the MLB is still going strong today and is favoured by many sportsbooks worldwide. Just like the NBA and NFL, the most common wager that can be made on any baseball markets is the moneyline. Another popular bet is made on “over/under” odds, similar to that of the NBA. When it comes to spread betting, the baseball equivalent to that is called “the run bet”. As the name suggests, this type of bet reflects the run distance of one of the two participating teams.
While there are different names for the most common markets in the NHL, NBA, and MLB, they refer to either the main game outcomes (win, lose, draw) or the count of points specific to the sport in question. Sportsbook history has proven that the simplest betting opportunities are the most favoured ones. Although bookies do release “exotic markets” from time to time, punters still favour the most classic betting lines – and for a good reason. Of course no matter what kind of sports you are involved or just like, with the right betting strategy you can earn a good amounts of money.