So you think you can bet?
You’ve probably done some research, or maybe none at all. Downloaded an
app or two.
Then you got past the welcome screen and suddenly it was like your phone magically changed the language without permission.
Then a Google search came into play. Maybe something along the lines of, “How to bet on sports? What is a moneyline bet? What does the spread mean?”
Depending on the framing of the question, that last answer might bring up images of the best food
buffet you’ll ever see, but in our case that won’t be putting any extra money in your pocket anytime
soon.
However, the sportsbooks do have at least one thing in common with food.
They offer just about anything imaginable, just like those great buffets.
From spreads, moneylines, totals, player props, futures, parlays and everything in between, the sportsbooks have it all.
Yes, even those hilarious Gatorade bath props for the Super Bowl.
Let’s take a look at the menu, shall we?
Moneyline: Betting which team will win the game
Ex: Picking the Golden State Warriors moneyline against the Boston Celtics means you are wagering on
the Warriors to win outright, with no other qualifiers attached.
If you already have the odds and just need our help calculating them, go to our betting calculator.
Spread: Adding or subtracting points, goals, or runs, from a team to make the matchup more “fair”
Ex: If the New York Jets are +7.5 against the Buffalo Bills, that means picking the Jets will give you an
extra 7.5 points on their final point total. If you pick the Bills, they will 'lose' 7.5 points on their total, so they will need to win by 8 points or more for you to beat the spread.
Before the game starts, the Jets would hold a 7.5-0 lead in the betting world.
Totals: Combining the points, goals, or runs between each team in a given game to give one “total” score.
Ex: If the final score between the Kansas City Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals was 34-31, the combined
total between the two teams would be 65 points. If the betting total was 51.5 total points, the winning
wager would be the over.
Player Props: Betting on a particular player and their stats for a given game
Ex: You can bet on MLB pitchers' strikeout numbers for a game, whether a player will hit a home run, get
a base hit, steal a base, among many other things in every sport.
Futures: Betting on a particular outcome over a longer period of time
Ex: Which team is going to win their division, league or conference, finish with the top pick in the draft,
or win the whole thing? Which players will win the awards and what will their final stats look like for the
season? You can bet on all of that too!
Parlays: Combining multiple bets into one larger wager, increasing payout but also risk
Ex: Feeling lucky and want to combine multiple outcomes to win more? Combine your favorite picks and
create a parlay, which is a little riskier, but the payouts can be tremendous. Be careful though, because
one loss will ruin the whole thing.
Luckily for you, all those searches brought you here. To Bet Basics.
We may not be Babbel or Rosetta Stone, but we are here to help you understand the language of sports betting.
Think of it as the online, less serious and more fun version of “Sports Betting for Dummies.”
With Bet Basics, you can find any line or bet event and look at it's betting card. The card includes all the active betting odds and lines available. So if you'd like to bet on Mahomes to pass over 300 yards, simply look for Mahomes and look at his Props. A quick slide will get you there. Pick Over if you think he'll pass more than 300 or Under if you think he won't, We will then show you the best possible odds for your selected bet.
You can travel across the sports world, from NFL, to NBA, and MLB, learning about and exploring the many options available to you in this journey.
Want to know how to place a moneyline wager on your favorite NFL team?
Head over to the Bet Basics NFL page and shop for only the best odds that the various sportsbooks have to offer.
We understand that your time is valuable, so let us put the work in, comparing the odds from all your favorites like FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM, Caesars, and
many more.
Right now, you’re perusing the site for free, but do you know what’s even better than free? How about, free with added benefits? That’s right, you can sign up, for free, and unlock exclusive benefits like betting projections,
insights, player prop projections, betting tips, entry into our free-to-play contests, and so much more.
Bet Basics at its core is designed to help you get started, but we are also here to keep you going. Get in
on the action and come along for what promises to be an incredible ride.