Ever wondered how to make a straight sports bet? It’s like choosing between two slices of pizza—one might look more appealing because it has all your favorite toppings (the favorite team), while the other seems less enticing but could surprise you with its flavor (the underdog). In the realm of sports betting, making a straight bet is akin to picking one slice and hoping it satisfies your appetite for victory.
Straight bets are the bread and butter of sports wagering, offering a straightforward approach to betting that appeals to both novices and seasoned players alike. Whether you’re eyeing an NFL showdown, an NBA clash, or an MLB matchup, placing a straight bet means you’re putting your money on one outcome. Your chosen team must either win outright or cover the point spread.
How Favorites and Underdogs Work
Imagine you’re at a sportsbook; you’ll see favorites marked with a minus sign and underdogs with a plus sign. If you back the favorite, they need to win by more than the set margin. On the flip side, if you support the underdog, they can afford to lose by less than the spread or even win outright for your bet to cash in. This is called covering the point spread.
Now let’s talk numbers. Typically, straight bets using point spreads come with odds of 11-to-10; this implies that for every $11 staked, you stand to win $10. To break even over time, remember this magic number: 52.38%. That’s the percentage of straight point spread bets you need to win just to offset the vigorish, which is the fee the bookmaker charges to accept the wager.
But what about those totals? They allow you to predict whether both teams’ collective scores will go above or below a certain number set by oddsmakers. Totals are also referred to as over/unders because those are the two sides available. Betting the exact score is considered a prop bet. And don’t forget about moneyline straight bets—these simply require picking which team will emerge victorious without any point spread involved.
Straights Can Be All Types of Bets
Straight bets must mean that one outcome is on a ticket. A single prop, future, in-game, or microbetting wager is straight. In every case, the straight bet has a smaller house advantage than betting parlays, teasers, or pleasers. While you will not get huge payouts betting a single outcome, it lowers your variance substantially. Straight bets that do not include half points can push. This also lowers the house advantage.