What do the + and – mean in sports betting?

Understanding how to read US odds (the “-” and “+”) in online sports betting is essential to ensuring you’re getting the best possible value for your money.

Here we cover reading plus and minus odds for money lines and spreads, with specific betting examples for the major sports.

American betting explained 

ofUS odds are what you will find with the regulated online sportsbooks available in your country. Odds are another way of expressing the price for a bet. 

example,Odds are the centrepiece of online and in-person sports betting. We will break this down by looking at underdogs, favourites, a betting line example and also comparing it to other odds styles you may come across in your betting experience. 

How to read US odds 

In American odds, there are two key symbols: the “plus” sign (+) and the “minus” or “negative” sign (-). These are ubiquitous industry symbols in North America. 

while theThe “+” and “-” are placed in front of odds or lines, indicafavouritesfavorites and underdogs. The favourites are marked with a minus sign, while underdogs get the plus sign. 

This is the case for all types of bets, including moneylines and point spreads. 

When viewing a bet you wish to make, these symbols provide a quick and clear indication of the outcome that the online sportsbook deems more likely. 

Pros and Cons of American Opportunities 

While all quote formats show the same information, albeit presented differently, there are pros and cons to US quotes. 

minusThe US odds are excellent for quickly measuring and calculating payouts, especially if you use a $100 fixed bet. The “plus” odds show what you will win with a $100 bet; the “-” odds show what you have to bet to win $100. 

However, if you want to calculate the implied probability of winning, you must rely on fractional probabilities. 

),Odds of +200 show that you will win $200 on a $100 bet, but there is no quick way to determine the implied probability of winning. If these probabilities appeared as fractional probabilities (2/1 – you could quickly solve for the implied probability of winning using this formula: 

Decimal / (Numerator + Denominator) x 100%

That said, US odds are the standard for how bets are presented, both at online sportsbooks and even at sporting events. It comes down to preference, but becoming familiar with US odds is necessary to navigate online sports betting. 

American odds vs. decimal and fractional probabilities 

Let’s compare the plus and minus format odds to the other styles. 

Whichever quote system you see or use, they all represent the same price, just presented or expressed differently. 

Using the +200 example above, we know that this is the format for US odds. The table below illustrates the representation of decimal and fractional odds for +200 in US odds. 

AMERICAN OPPORTUNITIES	DECIMAL CHANCES	FRACTIONAL OPPORTUNITIES
+200	3.00	2/1

Decimal odds are not commonly seen in the North American sports betting scene, although most online sportsbooks have a feature that allows you to toggle how the odds appear. 

This odds type allows you to determine your payout by taking the decimal point and multiplying it by your stake. So if you bet $50, you will receive a total of $150, including the bet. 

For fractional probabilities, these are also used outside the United States, usually in the United Kingdom. This is also the primary odds type used for horse racing betting. 

What does +200 mean in betting? 

If you browse an online sportsbook and see a bet with a +200 next to it, it indicates that you are betting on the underdog. 

These odds can appear for any type of bet, but what they mean for cash payouts means the same thing. For example, using a $100 bet, if you bet $100 at odds of +200, you will win $200 on a winning bet. 

When the bet is settled, your virtual wallet will receive a total of $300 ($100 back from the original bet plus the additional $200 in winnings). 

Moneyline- en puntspreads

Moneyline and point spread bets are different, but the odds are most important as they show what kind of monetary advantage you have. 

Moneyline Betting 

The moneyline bet—who will win the game or match—is the simplest bet type in online sports betting. 

If you see a +200 money line, it indicates that the team you are betting on is an underdog. For a favorite, you will always see a “-” sign. 

When you see this, the best way to think about it is that it shows you how much you have to bet to win $100. 

For example, if you see odds of -130, you need to bet $130 to win $100. 

Point spreads 

Point spreads are a harder bet to make, and all odds, both + and -, can appear whether the team is a favorite or an underdog.

The purpose of a point spread is to try to make the two teams as even as possible, taking into account each team’s advantages and disadvantages. 

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers take on the Los Angeles Rams. The Rams are two-point favorites. For a spread, the favorite appears as -2 and the underdog Buccaneers as +2.

When betting on point spreads, keep the following in mind: 

• On “minus” point spreads, that team must win by more than the number. 
• On “plus” point spreads, that team cannot lose more than that number. 

If the Rams win 24-23, yes, they win the game, but with a spread of -2 points, the game will have a score of 23-22 in favour of the Buccaneers in sports betting. 

In spread point betting, -110 is a typical line you see, but it varies from sport to sport. 

If you see point spread bets with a “+,” this is something to look out for immediately, as “+” bets don’t appear often and this can have value. 

For example, in the NFL, it is rare for the odds for point betting to be anything other than the -105 to -115 range. If there was a point spread with a “+” value, it might be worth looking at because of its rarity. 

How to calculate and bet using US odds 

While money lines and point spreads are common to each sport, the contextual differences for these depend on the sport. 

For example, in sports such as the NBA or NFL, point spread bets have the standard point spread of -110. Sports like MLB or NHL don’t have this, however, because the point spread — also known as run line or puck line in baseball and hockey, respectively — is measured differently.

Below, we provide examples for each popular sport for sports betting in the US. 

NFL football 

The NFL is the most popular sport to bet on in the US today. There are some unique things to keep in mind when it comes to NFL betting. 

Let’s look at an example of a money line. 

TEAM	MONEY LINE	WINNINGS ON A $100 BET
Rams from Los Angeles	-120	$ 83,33
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	+110	$ 110

With these money lines so close together, it indicates that the perceived margin of superiority and inferiority is relatively small. 

In the above example, one would have to bet $120 on the Rams to win $100, while betting $100 on the Buccaneers would result in a profit of $110 if they won. 

While there is no direct correlation between the moneyline and what the spread will be, we can assume that the spread is small given the small moneyline gap. 

TEAM	POINTS SPREAD / ODD	WINNINGS ON A $100 BET
Rams from Los Angeles	-2 (-110)	$ 90,91
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	+2 (-110)	$ 90,91

Note with point spreads that the probabilities remain the same. This is common in NFL betting. The goal of the point spread in NFL betting is to make these teams as even as possible. So the odds are also equal. 

In sports betting, -110 is common because the extra -10 acts as a commission to the online sportsbook in case both bets are tied. 

While both bets are “-,” you can see that the favourite and the underdog are represented by the -2 and e both bets are “

When it comes to NBA betting, the same principles as NFL betting apply. It’s common to see point spreads similar to those in the NFL, even with that many points scored. 

Team	Money	Lines on a $100 Bet
Boston Celtics: 190		$, 52 63
Portland pioneers	+160	$ 160

While there are parallels between the NBA and the NFL, it’s possible that the NBA has “plus” opportunities for underdogs. We’ll use an example of that, but keep in mind that -110 almost always occurs. 

TEAM	POINTS SPREAD / ODD	WINNINGS ON A $100 BET
Boston Celtics	(8,5) (110).	$ 90,91
Portland Pioneers +8,5	(+100)	$ 100

MLB Things get a little different with Major League Baseball, especially when compared to the NFL and NBA. The moneyline is the moneyline regardless of the sport, but the point spread is where the difference can be seen. 

For baseball, the bets on the point spread, also known as the run line for MLB betting, are rarely the same. However, you will notice that the run line is relatively consistent at -1.5. 

In MLB betting, 1.5 points is a big deal because sometimes that can be more than what a real team scores. Therefore, the 1.5 run line is displayed differently from team to team, and the odds reflect more than

	EXECUTE LINE / CHANCES	WINNINGS ON A $100 BET
Tampa Bay rays	-1,5 (+200)	$ 200
Oakland Athletics: 1,5	(-170)	$ e odds reflect

The bets presented in the NHL are the same as in MLB. In MLB, the point spread is called the “run line,” and in the NHL, it’s called the “puck line.” 

TEAM	PUCK LINE / OPPORTUNITIES	WINNINGS ON A $100 BET
Blixem in Tampa Bay	-1,5 (+140)	$ 140
Colorado lawine	+1,5 (-110)	$ 90,92

The most common form of betting in golf is choosing the outright winner from a large field. Essentially, you are betting on the moneyline for every golfer. 

With such large fields of players, even the top favourite can still have a “money line” that is considered a huge underdog in other sports. 

GOLF PLAYER	RULE WINNER MONEYLINE	WINNINGS ON A $100 BET
John Rahm	+1200	$ 1.200
Justin Tomas	+1400	$ 1.400
Ryan Vos	+25000	$ 25.000
Scott Scheffler:		1400 dollars; 1.400 UFC

There are multiple ways to bet on each sport, including the UFC. However, the most common bet is a moneyline bet where you choose which fighter will win. 

There can be huge differences in UFC betting. Since this is a physical sport and there is a chance that it will end with a single punch or submission, +700 bets can be looked at differently here compared to, say, the NFL. 

Let’s look at the relatively lopsided moneyline in the  chance that it will end

Dustin Poirier-425
Nate Diaz+340

It boils down

The plus and minus signs in betting are simple, but it can take a while to feel like a normal way of looking at a team’s chances of winning. 

American odds essentially give you an implied probability for a game, but in betting, the sportsbooks express the percentages in the form of a price. The “+” and “-” give you the cost and potential payout. 

American odds, which use the plus and minus symbols, revolve around the $100 bet amount, but you can bet less or more. This depends on the person.