Moneyline odds are based on a $100 wager, with the favorites getting a negative number (-) and the underdogs getting a positive number (+). A favorite at -140 moneyline odds means a $140 winning wager wins you $100 in profit. An underdog at +140 moneyline odds.

Money Line Betting is the most common and easiest way of betting on soccer games. When betting on money lines, you are making a straight-forward bet on who will win the match. As we have mentioned in Soccer Over/Under Bets, a lot of online sportsbooks will use decimal odds instead of American Odds, as soccer is so primarily popular in Europe, where these Decimal odds are mainly used by books and bettors.

Calculation of Decimal Odds Money Lines

Let us say Brazil is playing England in the World Cup – a very prestigious world tournament that is played every four years-. It is a group stage, and there is still a possibility of a draw (there are no penalties and no extra time like in the quarter-finals). Brazil is a favorite due to its higher ranking, the way it played this tournament and its famous players. England is the underdog.

* Please see illustration below to help understand money line bets, text explanation follows.

The odds are as follows:

Brazil 1.5
Draw 2
England 3

• If you bet $100 on Brazil, you would win $50. To calculate that you need to subtract 1 from 1.5 and multiply by $100:
  (1.5 – 1) * $100 = $50 (getting $150 total back including your bet)
• If you were to pick England, betting $100, you could potentially win $200. It is calculated as such:
  (3 – 1) * $100 = $200 ($300 total back)
• You can also bet on the draw since this is a group stage. Thus, if you were to bet $100 on a draw, you could win $100:
  (2 – 1) * $100 = $100 ($200 total back)

You might ask, “Why do I win less money when I bet on Brazil than England?” This is because Brazil is the favorite as mentioned above, and hence, they are more likely to win the match according to their stats and previous results/appearances. It simply provides an incentive to bet for the underdog, which all in all, is not a bad team either.

• The sportsbook you are betting at as to how the tie will be handled. Typically, if you are capable of betting on a tie, then the other two win bets would be losses in the event of a tie. If it is a sport where you are not capable of betting on a tie, both bets would typically be a push, and you would receive all of your money back with no profit or loss.
• Moneyline parlays allow you to tie together multiple moneyline bets and wager a single amount for a larger possible payout. The more moneyline picks you add to your parlay, the more money you could.
• When wagering on a three-way moneyline, you can bet either Team A to win, Team B to win, or for the event to end in a tie (sometimes referred to as a ‘draw’). Naturally, three-way moneylines come into play for sports where the result may end in a tie and, as.

Calculation of American Odds Money Lines

Many times you can choose to display decimal odds as American Odds, as all online sportsbooks will not give you this choice when viewing the available bets.

Using the same example as above, the American Odds would be displayed as:

Brazil (-200)
Draw (100)
England (+200)

• This way, you need to bet $200 to win $100. If you bet on a draw, you should bet $100 and win $100 ($200 total). If you bet on the underdog, England, then you would win $200 for a bet of $100 ($300 total)
• That taken care of, we will now continue with decimal odds from here on

Soccer Moneyline Betting Tips

Moneyline betting is the most widely available form of betting. If you are betting on a match from a big event or a big league, you will likely find a great number of different money lines from online betting sites. You should utilize their availability and search for those money lines that you think will provide the best odds and potential wins. If you are confident that an underdog will win, look for the best underdog payoff. If you want to be safe and bet on the favorite but do not want to risk too much, you can look for the least expensive odds for the favorite.

Star Players

Another important online soccer money line betting tip is to pay close attention to the star players or mvp (most important player). Star players, particularly goalies and forwards, can break or make the game. This especially applies to average teams with a few star players during international competitions. If a star player is in his best form and has been doing well lately, then you should consider that the team might do well. If the star players are injured and their team is left with average players playing against a strong opponent, then it might make sense to bet on the opponent.

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For many bettors, placing a moneyline wager is the simplest way to make a bet. This type of wager is as straightforward as they come, asking bettors to determine the straight-up winner of a game or match.

Certain sports provide an additional option beyond the classic two-way moneyline. Three-way moneylines also allow sports bettors to bet either one of the two sides, but they provide an additional option by allowing bettors to put their money on the likelihood of the event ending in a tie.

Read on for a deeper look at which sports offer three-way moneyline betting and how to turn a profit when placing these wagers.

Three-Way Moneylines, Made Simple

Whereas a typical moneyline bet involves a bet on one of two options, three-way moneyline betting involves three options. When wagering on a three-way moneyline, you can bet either Team A to win, Team B to win, or for the event to end in a tie (sometimes referred to as a ‘draw’).

Naturally, three-way moneylines come into play for sports where the result may end in a tie and, as such, a winner cannot be determined through regular game time. Because it is harder to accurately predict an outcome with three choices rather than two, betting on a three-way moneyline will offer more value to bettors than a traditional moneyline.

Oddsmakers primarily employ three-way moneyline bets in two sports, hockey and soccer. Unsurprisingly, this is because these two sports are significantly more likely to end in a tie or draw.

The Three-Way Moneyline in Soccer

Wagers in soccer are decided after full-time, which refers to the full 90 minutes on the clock, plus any additional time that is added by the referee for injuries, stoppages, or any other reason. Unlike in the large majority of other sports, ties (“draws” in soccer terms) are extremely common due to the lower-scoring nature of the game.

In fact, draws occur so often in soccer that three-way moneyline betting is the most standard and popular way to bet on a soccer match. However, there are many other ways to bet on soccer as well.

Operationally, betting on the draw is just like betting on a side. However, when betting on the draw, you’re hoping for the score to be tied at the end of full-time. An example of three-way moneyline odds for a soccer match could be as follows:

As you can see, the option of a draw is listed in the same fashion as choosing either team as the outright victor. It is worth noting that regular season matches can always end in a draw, but some tournament-style matches will extend into extra time and possibly into penalties. In these tournaments (where winners are guaranteed thanks to penalty kick shoot-outs), three-way moneyline bets are predicated on a result being determined in the 90 minutes of full-time play. In this case, your bet will be graded as a loss if the side you select to win does so after regular time.

Moneyline Bet Tie Game

Three-Way Moneyline in Hockey

There are many hockey leagues around the world, but most hockey bettors wager on the National Hockey League (NHL).

What Happens If You Tie A Moneyline Bet

Standard, two-way moneyline betting is a popular NHL wager. However, because games are often tied after three periods, most hockey betting sites also offer three-way moneylines on most games.

Two-way moneylines betting on the NHL ask you to pick a side to win outright, even if the game goes to overtime or ends in a shooutout. Whether your team wins after three periods, during overtime or through a shootout, if the team you pick wins—you win.

A standard, two-way moneyline bet looks like this:

To compare the differences, let’s look at three-way moneyline odds for this same game. Remember that the three-way moneyline eliminates overtime from the wager, meaning you’re simply betting on the outcome at the end of three periods.

As you can see below, Vegas is still the favorite. However, in the three-way moneyline option, odds for both Vegas and Vancouver are longer. This means that if you select either team as an outright winner, you’ll see a better return on the three-way moneyline than you would on the two-way moneyline.

The tie is deemed the least likely option, so it offers the longest odds and biggest payout.

So if you’re looking for better value, longer odds, and higher payouts, three-way moneyline betting is the way to go. But remember, if you’re betting on a winner of the game, the bet is toast if they win in overtime or during the shootout. Three-way moneylines aren’t always the safest bet, but they can offer superior value.

Ready to Learn More Betting Terms and Strategies?

Three-way moneyline betting is just one of numerous ways to expand your horizons betting on sports. If you’re looking to learn more about betting terms, strategies and the sports betting industry, be sure to visit our 101 guides to sports betting.