How -10 becomes -10 ½
Learn who sets betting odds and how the two more popular betting systems, point spread and money line, work.
Las Vegas betting odds are an intricate science. For starters, oddsmakers do not rely simply on statistical and numerical formulas to come up with point spreads. In addition to scrutinizing external elements like weather and locker room brawls between players, Las Vegas betting odds are concluded based on how many people are betting, not necessarily on who they think will win the came. This presents an opportunity for smarter gamblers to lay down high percentage bets and fatten their bankrolls. In order to win with Las Vegas betting odds on sports, you need to understand four important things.
As we all know, the people who calculate the odds in Las Vegas are the Las Vegas Sports Consultants Inc. They establish the odds for about 75% of the licensed sports books in the state of Nevada. Illegal bookies inside and outside of the state draw their odds from what is posted at casinos. The first rule with Las Vegas betting odds is to understand them.
The betting system of choice for most Americans is the point spread, which is also referred to as the “line.” Say the New York Knicks are playing the Portland Trail Blazers and everybody expects Portland to blow them out. Las Vegas betting odds will calculate the line on a game to try to get an equal amount of money bet on both teams. They might create a line of -10 for Portland, which means you win the bet if Portland wins by more than 10 points.
A second system of Las Vegas betting odds is the money line system. There are two money lines: the favorite and the underdog. When you bet on the favorite, money line figures tell you how much money you have to wager to win a minimum of $100. If the money line shows Portland -210, you have to bet $210 to win $100. This means recovering the original $210 bet plus $100 on top. When betting on the underdog, a money line of +140 would reveal the amount you would earn on a $100 bet. If you win a +135 bet, you win $135 plus recover your original $100 bet.
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