Sports bet types explained: moneyline to Asian handicap

The common sports bets come down to a handful of questions: who wins, by how much, how many points or goals in total, what happens inside the game, and who wins over a whole season. US sportsbooks and UK bookmakers use different words for the same bets. Below, the US term comes first with the UK equivalent in brackets.

None of these types removes the bookmaker's margin. Choosing a bet type changes how often you win and how much you get paid, not the long-run cost. Our guide to betting margins and value shows how to measure that cost.

Moneyline (match result or 1X2)

A moneyline bet is a bet on the winner. US odds show a favourite with a minus sign and an underdog with a plus sign:

• -150 means you stake $150 to win $100 profit (decimal 1.67).
• +130 means a $100 stake wins $130 profit (decimal 2.30).

In football (soccer) the UK standard is the match result, also called 1X2: 1 is a home win, X a draw, 2 an away win. Because the draw is a separate outcome, each price is longer than it would be in a two-way market.

If you are not sure how to read a price, convert it here:

Point spread (handicap)

A point spread gives the underdog a head start. If a team is -6.5, it must win by 7 or more for your bet to win. If the other side is +6.5, it can lose by up to 6 and your bet still wins. Spreads in whole numbers can land exactly on the line, which is a push: your stake comes back.

The UK term is handicap. A European handicap works in whole goals and keeps the draw as a third outcome. An Asian handicap removes the draw by using half-goal and quarter-goal lines.

Asian handicap, including quarter lines

Half-goal lines are simple: -0.5 wins only if your team wins, +0.5 wins if your team wins or draws. Whole lines can push: -1.0 returns your stake if your team wins by exactly one goal.

Quarter lines (-0.25, -0.75, +0.25 and so on) split your stake into two equal halves on the two nearest lines. Each half settles separately. Here is an illustrative £20 stake on each line:

On -0.25, a draw is a half loss: you are down £10. On +0.25, a draw is a half win: you are up £9. Quarter lines soften the outcome around the line, and the price reflects that.

Totals (over/under)

A total is a bet on the combined score. Over 2.5 goals wins with three or more goals; under 2.5 wins with two or fewer. Whole-number totals can push. Quarter-line totals split the stake in the same way as Asian handicaps:

• Over 2.25 at 1.90, £20 stake: £10 on over 2.0 and £10 on over 2.5.
• Exactly two goals: the over 2.0 half pushes (£10 back) and the over 2.5 half loses. You get £10 back.
• Three or more goals: both halves win and you get £38.

Props (specials)

A prop (proposition bet) is a bet on something inside the game rather than the final result: a player's points, the first goalscorer, the number of corners, whether both teams score. UK bookmakers group many of these as specials or player markets.

Props can be fun to follow, but each one is priced separately and the margin is not shown. Check the overround before treating a prop price as good value.

Futures (outrights or ante-post)

A future is a bet on an outcome settled at the end of a season or tournament: league winner, championship winner, top scorer. In the UK this is an outright bet, and horse-racing bets struck days or weeks ahead are ante-post.

Two costs to keep in mind. Your stake is tied up until settlement, sometimes for months. And outright markets have many runners, so add up the implied probabilities of the whole book to see how big the margin is. Futures can also be voided or settled under special rules if a competition is cancelled or a player does not take part; read the sportsbook's rules for that market.

Draw no bet

Draw no bet is a match-result bet with the draw removed: if the match is drawn, your stake is refunded. It is the same as an Asian handicap of 0.

You pay for that refund with a shorter price. With a 1X2 market of home 2.10, draw 3.40, away 3.80, a draw-no-bet price built from those odds (illustrative prices, our calculation) is:

• Home: 2.10 × (3.40 - 1) ÷ 3.40 = 1.48
• Away: 3.80 × (3.40 - 1) ÷ 3.40 = 2.68

Sportsbooks set their own draw-no-bet prices, so the real offer may differ, but this is how the trade-off works.

Double chance

Double chance covers two of the three outcomes in one bet: home or draw (1X), draw or away (X2), or home or away (12). From the same market:

• 1X: 1 ÷ (1/2.10 + 1/3.40) = 1.30
• X2: 1 ÷ (1/3.40 + 1/3.80) = 1.79
• 12: 1 ÷ (1/2.10 + 1/3.80) = 1.35

These prices still contain the margin from the original market, because they are built from the same odds.

Dead heats and ties

When two or more competitors tie for a position that pays out, such as joint top scorer, the bet is usually settled under a dead heat rule: your stake is divided by the number tied and paid at full odds on that share. Betfair's exchange rules give the example of a stake of 300 at 4.0 in a three-way dead heat for first: the stake is reduced to 100, which returns 400, a net win of 100. Check your sportsbook's own rules, because settlement terms differ.

Mistakes to avoid

• Ignoring how a market settles. Whole lines push, quarter lines split, and some sportsbooks settle moneylines that end in a draw differently. Read the market rules.
• Thinking safer means cheaper. Draw no bet and double chance lose less often but pay less. The margin is still there.
• Assuming every market carries the same margin. Check props and futures separately.
• Mixing up US and UK terms. A UK "handicap" is a US "spread"; an "outright" is a "future".

Where to bet

In the US, sports betting is legal only where a state has authorised it, following the Supreme Court's 2018 decision in Murphy v. NCAA. See our New Jersey sportsbook listings and UK betting site listings, or compare every region on our sports betting markets hub. New to prices? Start with how to read betting odds, then read about parlays and bet builders and live in-play betting.