The alternative name for a single is a straight bet. You have one opinion on a sporting event and you want to place a wager on it. This is often the first wager a new bettor will place, largely because it is such a simple transaction.
Many bettors love the challenge of a parlay, in which you cover multiple selections with a single stake. What makes parlays so tempting is that if your picks are all right, the return on each rolls on to the next one – your payout could be substantial. However, if just one lets you down, you end up empty-handed.
Gone are the days when you had to place your wager before a sporting event got under way. Now that odds can be updated instantly in response to fluctuations in the game, betting can continue while the action is unfolding. This is a great way to add to your enjoyment of a game and is particularly appealing to mobile bettors.
This is effectively a handicap; the sportsbook gives one side a head start so that the odds about each team are roughly equal. You then have to decide if the favorite will win by more than that start – and “cover the spread”, as it’s known. This is a seriously popular wagering option for many American sports fans.
In any sporting event, there are many outcomes that can be measured in simple totals. For instance, how many points will both teams score between them? In the whole game, or in the first period? The sportsbook suggests a total, and you decide whether the actual number will be more (over) or fewer (under) – then place your wager according to your choice.
Your wager on a game or race does not have to concern the overall outcome. Within each event, there are an enormous number of outcomes that can be covered by a prop bet. These can include the number of points a player scores, or the result of the first period… the length of a list of prop bets on a big game will amaze you.
