BETTING THE MONEYLINE

Let’s say you are a huge 49ers fan, and you want to place a bet on San Francisco to win this game. It doesn’t matter if San Francisco wins by one point or wins by 14 points; you simply want to bet that the 49ers will win. If so, you’ll want to take the 49ers to win straight up (SU). This kind of bet is called a moneyline (ML) bet. Easy, right?

Looking at the menu on the previous page, you will see the offering for ML bets on the top. They are simply listed with a + or - sign. The 49ers are +120 on the ML, while the Eagles are -143.

But hold up: What does that mean?

The plus and minus signs are shorthand to tell you what your payout will be if you win your bet.

If you see a minus sign next to your bet, your payout will be less than 100 percent of your initial investment if you win the bet. If you see a plus sign, your payout will be more than 100 percent of your initial investment.

The minus sign on an ML bet also indicates the team is favored. It makes sense, right? The sportsbook will not pay big dividends for betting on the favorite.

Conversely, the plus sign on an ML bet indicates the underdog. Sportsbooks are willing to pay out more for the less-likely outcome. In our example, the San Francisco 49ers are the underdog, and the payout will be more than what you initially invested should the 49ers win the game.

So, we are taking the 49ers on the ML at +120. According to the oddsmakers, this is a bet that you are less likely to win, so if the 49ers win, the sportsbook will pay you 1.20 times, or 120 percent of, your initial investment. If you put $100 on the 49ers to win, and they do, your profit will be $120, bringing your total payout to $220. So, $100 in and $220 out if the Niners win the game.

Now, let’s say your college roommate is a Philadelphia Eagles fan. He is all-in on Jalen Hurts and the Eagles as the favorites and decides to invest his $100 for a -143 payout. Should Philadelphia win this game, his profit would be only $69.93, and the payout would be $169.93.

Also, bear this in mind: The Philadelphia fan will lose $143 if their team, the favorite, gets upset. You will only lose $100 if the 49ers, the underdogs, do not win the game. This is why it’s often not worth the risk for the limited potential payout if a team is heavily favored.

In summary: Betting the team SU (straight up) is a type of ML (moneyline) bet. Your payout is indicated by the “price” represented by a plus or minus sign in the moneyline row of the above wagering menu.