Types of Sports Betting Articles | Gambling

By: Richard Bleuze

There are lots of options when it comes to sports betting.  However, it really only boils down to 4 types of bets.

The major types of sports bets

1) Totals Betting:
Many players like to place bets on what the total points scored in a game will be, irrespective of who wins or who loses. This is called "totals", or over/under betting.

Over +25.0 -110
Under +25.0 -110

In the above example, the oddsmaker has decided that the total points scored in a given game will be twenty five points.  If a sports bettor thinks there will be more than 25 points scored in the game, he or she bets the Over.  If a sports bettor thinks that the there will be less than 25 points scored in the game, he or she bets the under.  If the total is exactly 25 points, then the bet is deemed a push. All bets are voided and the stakes returned in this instance.

The second number, -110, after each team is the price of a winning bet.  A winning sports bettor will win $100 for every $110 bet.

2)  Parlay Betting:
Many players enjoy the thrill of the parlay bet, where a number of bets are placed one after the other, with the potential return (and the associated risk) multiplying after each event.

However,it is important to note that all individual propositions bets must win for the bet to win. If one loses, the entire bet is a loser.  Thus, I suggest only betting on parlays of 2 tearms to win!

3)  Teaser Betting:
Many players like to reduce the risk in a parlay bet by making a teaser bet. A teaser bet is a parlay bet placed on pointspreads and/or totals in American football and basketball only, with the pointspread and/or total adjusted, or "teased", to give the sports bettor a greater chance of winning.

In a teaser bet the sports bettor wants to give him or herself a better chance of winning, even at a reduced payout?  He or she may then chose a 6, 6.5 or 7 point teaser to give the bet a better chance to win.  Let's say he or she chooses the 6 point teaser, and clicks the 6 point teaser option in the betcard.

Thus, the sports bettor now has six more points added to the spread and the total that he or she has to beat for his or her bet to be successful.  This then makes the total points scored in the game having to be 6 points higher.

In each case, the number that the sports bettor has to beat has been increased, or "teased" by 6 points because the sports bettor chose a 6 point parlay.  If the sports bettor chose a 6.5 or 7 point parlay, the numbers would be adjusted by 6.5 or 7 accordingly.

The payout on the teaser bet is reduced to appropriately reflect the sports bettor’s increased chance of winning.

4)  Futures Betting:
A futures bet is a bet in an event where there are many competitors, sometimes made considerably before the event takes place.  Futures are usually posted in major competitions, like the MLB and the NFL, at the start of the season, where players can get better odds on a team in which they have confidence than they would get later in the season.  Because of the number of competitors, futures bets offer larger payouts.  The larger payoffs are offset by the increased difficulty of picking a winner.