Almost every game on a US sportsbook board opens with the same three markets stacked side by side: moneyline, spread, and total. They answer three different questions about the same game. Each has its own grading rules, its own pricing quirks, and its own break-even rate. The comparison comes first; the detail follows.
| Market | Question it answers | Typical price shape | Can it push? | Common names |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moneyline | Who wins the game? | Uneven prices, e.g. -170 / +145 | Only if a tie is possible and not offered as a third outcome | ML, straight up |
| Point spread | Does the team cover the margin? | Near -110 on both sides | Yes, on whole-number spreads | Spread, ATS, run line (MLB), puck line (NHL) |
| Total | Combined score over or under a number? | Near -110 on both sides | Yes, on whole-number totals | Over/under, O/U |
Reading the prices themselves (-170, +145, -110) is covered in American odds explained. This page assumes you can convert a price into a payout.
The moneyline
Pick the winner. Margin does not matter. A one-point win and a 30-point win pay the same.
NFL example
Hypothetical line (example only): Kansas City -170, Denver +145.
- $85 on Kansas City wins 85 × (100 ÷ 170) = $50 profit.
- $50 on Denver wins 50 × 1.45 = $72.50 profit.
- Break-even: Kansas City 62.96%, Denver 40.82%. Sum 103.78%.
The moneyline is the cleanest market for one reason: no margin to cover. It is also the market where favorites get expensive. At -300 you need to win 75% of the time to break even, and one upset wipes out the profit from three wins.
MLB: the moneyline is the main market
Baseball is low-scoring, so the moneyline, not the spread, is the headline bet. Prices move with the starting pitchers. Many books grade an MLB moneyline as “action” regardless of who starts, while a “listed pitcher” bet is voided if a named starter is scratched. Check the house rules of your book before you assume either.
The point spread
The spread is a handicap. The favorite gives points, the other side gets them, and the bet is graded on the adjusted score. The goal for the book is a market that can be priced near -110 on both sides.
NFL example
Hypothetical line (example only): Philadelphia -6.5 (-110), Dallas +6.5 (-110).
- Philadelphia wins 27-20 (margin 7): Philadelphia covers.
- Philadelphia wins 24-20 (margin 4): Dallas covers, despite losing.
- Dallas wins outright: Dallas covers.
Half points (.5) make a push impossible. Whole numbers do not. On Philadelphia -7, a 7-point Philadelphia win is a push: both sides get their stakes back.
Why 3 and 7 cost extra in football
NFL scoring comes in chunks: field goals worth 3, touchdowns worth 6 plus a one- or two-point try. Final margins therefore cluster on certain numbers, with 3 and 7 the best-known examples. Books price this in. Buying a half point from -3 to -2.5 usually costs noticeably more than buying a half point from -5 to -4.5. The size of that difference is a book-by-book pricing decision, so compare alternate lines across books before paying for it.
NBA example
Hypothetical line (example only): Boston -8.5 (-110), Miami +8.5 (-110). Basketball scoring is more granular than football, so final margins spread more evenly and individual half points matter less. Boston has to win by 9 or more for a Boston ticket to cash.
Run line and puck line
Baseball and hockey use a fixed spread of 1.5 runs or goals, with the price doing the work. A hypothetical MLB run line: favorite -1.5 (+135), other side +1.5 (-160). The favorite must win by 2 or more. The other side cashes on any win or any one-run loss.
The total (over/under)
Ignore who wins. Add the two teams’ final scores and compare with the posted number.
NBA example
Hypothetical total (example only): 226.5, Over -110, Under -110. Final score 118-112 = 230. Over wins. Final 110-109 = 219. Under wins.
MLB example
Hypothetical total: 8.5 runs, Over -115, Under -105. Break-even on the over is 53.49%; on the under 51.22%. The book has shaded the price toward the over, which tells you which side it expects more money on, or which side it rates as more likely. Totals in baseball are sensitive to weather, ballpark, and the posted starting pitchers.
Overtime counts
For most US sports, overtime and extra innings count toward the total and the spread unless the market specifies “regulation only.” This is where a lot of disputes begin. A football total of 44.5 that sits at 41 at the end of regulation can go over in overtime and be graded as an over.
Grading rules side by side
| Scenario (hypothetical) | Moneyline | Spread -3 | Total 47 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Favorite wins 24-20 | Favorite wins | Favorite covers (margin 4) | Under (44) |
| Favorite wins 27-24 | Favorite wins | Push (margin 3) | Over (51) |
| Favorite wins 23-21 | Favorite wins | Other side covers (margin 2) | Under (44) |
| Other side wins 28-19 | Other side wins | Other side covers | Push (47) |
| Game postponed past book’s deadline | Typically void and refunded; exact cutoff set in each book’s house rules | ||
Break-even rates compared
The three markets do not cost the same. Using the hypothetical prices above:
- Spread at -110 / -110: break-even 52.38% per side, hold 4.55%.
- Total at -115 / -105: break-even 53.49% and 51.22%, hold about 4.5%.
- Moneyline at -170 / +145: break-even 62.96% and 40.82%, hold about 3.6%.
The general shape: spreads and totals are priced close to the same margin game after game; moneylines vary more. Doing this sum takes less than a minute and should be routine.
Spread or moneyline on the same team?
If you think a favorite wins but are unsure by how much, the moneyline is the direct bet. If you think a team getting points keeps it close, the spread pays at about -110 while the moneyline on that team might pay +200 or more for an outright win. Each bet expresses a different opinion. Neither is automatically “safer.”
Example math (hypothetical): Team A +6.5 at -110 versus Team A moneyline at +220.
- $110 on the spread profits $100 if Team A wins or loses by 6 or fewer.
- $50 on the moneyline profits $110 only if Team A wins.
- Break-even: 52.38% on the spread, 31.25% on the moneyline. Which one is value depends entirely on how often you think each outcome happens.
Alternate lines
Most licensed books also post alternate spreads and totals: the same game at different numbers, each with its own price. A hypothetical ladder for an NFL favorite: -2.5 (-135), -3 (-115), -3.5 (+100), -6.5 (+165), -7 (+180). Moving the number in your favor costs price; moving it against you pays more.
Alternate lines are useful for one thing: expressing a specific view about margin. If you think a team wins by double digits, -9.5 at a plus price says that more directly than -3. The cost is that alternates often carry a wider margin than the main line, and there is usually no matching opposite side posted to calculate it. Compare the implied probability of each step on the ladder, and compare the same alternate at more than one book.
Combining the three
Once you understand the singles, you can combine them. A parlay of a spread and a total from the same game is a same-game parlay, and those carry pricing traps of their own. They are covered in parlays explained. Prices on all three markets also move during the game; see live betting for how in-play lines are built.
House rules decide disputes. Pushes, postponements, overtime, and pitcher changes are graded under each licensed book’s posted house rules. Read them once per book. If a ticket is graded wrongly, the book’s complaints process comes first, and the state regulator is the escalation route.
Three markets, three questions. Get the grading rules right and the rest is price comparison.
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