Vegas Sports Gambling

A straight bet is a wager on the outcome of a single event or game. The wager is determined by a Point spread, a Money line, a Game Total , a Run line or Puck line . A game has four (4) straight wagering situations. You can wager on the 'side' of the game or the 'total' of the game. When wagering on a 'side', you can choose to wager on (a) the favorite team (the team most likely to win the game, or has the odds in its favor) or you can choose (b) the underdog (the team most likely to lose the game, or has the odds against it). A 'total' (or over/under) is the combined amount of points both teams will score in a game. When wagering on a 'total' (or over/under), you can choose to wager on (c) 'over' or (d) 'under' the total points scored. The payout is determined by the odds posted.

The Point Spread: Point spreads are used in football and basketball. The point spread (or 'line') will try to make the game an even game by adding points to the score of the underdog or subtracting points from the favorite. Betting on Point spread is also available for First Half (1H) and Second Half (2H).

The Total (over/under): Totals are used in football, basketball, baseball, hockey, etc. The Total is set, and periodically adjusted, to insure that half of the people will wager on the 'over' and wager on the 'under'. Betting on the game Total is also available for First Half (1H) and Second Half (2H).

The line in the above example would read: " Dolphins are favored by four points against the Redskins and the total (or over/under) in the game is forty-eight."

• The Dolphins to win by more than 4 points
• The Redskins to lose by less than 4 points
• The total (or over/under) to be over 48 points
• The total (or over/under) to be under 48 points

NOTE: If the Dolphins won the game by exactly 4 points, then the game ends in a 'tie' or 'Push' and all money is refunded. You do not win nor lose any money.

NOTE: If the game concludes and there are exactly 48 total points scored, then the game ends in a 'tie' or 'Push' and all money is refunded. You do not win nor lose any money.

When wagering on a straight wager (point spread or total), you lay a certain amount of money to win a smaller amount of money. The difference between what is wagered and what is won is called the 'Juice' or 'VIG'. This 'Juice' or 'VIG' is one of the ways a sports book makes its money. In football and basketball the 'Juice' (or 'VIG') is 10%. In other words, for every $110 wagered you will win $100. If you lose the wager, you lose $110. If you win the wager, you get the $110 'Juice' refunded to you, plus the $100 in winnings ($110 + $100 = $210 total paid back to your account).

When there is no favorite team (both teams are considered to have an equal chance of winning the contest) the 'point spread' is a 'PK' ('Pick' or 'pick'em') in which case there is no point spread. In a 'PK' you may wager on either team to win risking $110 to win $100. If the team wagered upon wins, your wager is a winner.

The 'Money Line' can be used with all traditional sports and just about anything else you can wager on (football, basketball, baseball, hockey, boxing, tennis, golf, NASCAR, soccer, etc.). In a 'Money Line' there is no point spread. The money line determines the amount of money laid and the amount of money won when wagering on either the favorite or the underdog. The highest negative money line determines the favorite team, and the lowest negative money line and all positive money lines determine the underdog. The most common case is the favorite with a negative line and the underdog with a positive one.

In this example the Astros are favored by -120 and the Giants are the underdog +110. When wagering on the favorite (Astros), you have to lay $120 for every $100 you want to win. And, when wagering on the underdog (Giants), for every $100 wagered you would win $110. Notice that on a negative money line you must lay more to win less and on a positive money line you lay less to win more.
The money line used in this example is called a 'dime line', termed so because of the 10-cent difference between the favorite and the underdog.

The line in the above example would read: "Cubs favorite minus two-ten, total seven, over minus one-twenty."

• For every $210 you wager on the Cubs (favorite), you will win $100.
• For every $100 you wager on the Marlins (underdog), you will win $190.

• For every $120 you wager on the Over, you will win $100.
• For every $100 you wager on the Under, you will win $100.

The puck line is used in hockey. There are two types of Puck Lines: the American Puck Line and the Canadian Puck Line. The Canadian Puck Line is a combination of the point spread and the money line (there is not only a point spread between the two teams, but also a different price to lay, determined by the money line).

In the example above, if you take the Bruins, not only does the chosen team have to cover the spread of -1 1/2 goals, but you have to lay $140 for every $100 you intend to win. Instead if the Redwings are chosen, the team gets +1 1/2 goals and for every $100 laid, you get $120.

In puck lines, the favorite team is determined by the point spread, not the money line. There are cases in which the favorite has a positive money line and the dog a negative money line. In some cases both the favorite and the dog will have the same point spreads, one being negative and one positive, in this case the line is simply the favorite -1 1/2.

The money line for the American Puck Line will always be Even on the side. There is also 1/2 point difference between the favorite and the dog, the favorite always being 1/2 point higher. The total works the same as the Canadian Puck Line.

The Run Line is another type of line used in Baseball. There are two types of run lines. These two types of lines follow the same idea as the two puck lines except that instead of goals, the spreads and totals are based on runs. Wagers on Total Runs or Run Lines are based on listed pitchers. If a non-listed pitcher starts for either team, the game is scored as no action for both wager types. The game must also go 9 innings (8 1/2 if the home team is ahead) to have action for both wager types, otherwise the game is scored as no action. If the game does go 9 innings (or 8 1/2 if the home team is ahead) and the game is called or suspended, the final score will be determined as the score after the last completed inning unless the home team scores to tie or take the lead in the bottom half of the inning, in which case the final score is determined as the score at the time the game is called.

In the example above, The favorites are the Yankees, giving the Red Sox 1.5 runs. To win the bet, the Yankees would have to win the game by 2 runs. If you're betting on Red Sox, you'll receive a 1.5 runs handicap, meaning they could lose by 1 run.

A parlay, also known as a combo bet, is a "selection of two or more wagering outcomes". All of the teams wagered on must win for the play to be active. If any one team losses, the entire wager is lost altogether. You may combine different sports, point spreads and money lines in win/loss and/or totals betting. You may also buy points in betting a parlay.

If there is a tie or cancellation, the parlay reverts to the next lowest number. For example, a three team parlay would become a two team parlay; a two team parlay would become a straight bet, with corresponding reductions of the payoff.

Why wager on a parlay and not make several individual bets? The payouts for parlays are significantly higher than for individual bets. But remember, since every one of the individual plays must win, it's an all-or-nothing bet. If you win two out of three teams, the parlay still losses, whereas you would have won those two plays as individual straight bets. You are given better odds because predicting the outcomes of several plays together is more difficult than predicting any individual play.

All four major sports can be parlayed (football, basketball, baseball, and hockey). Money lines that differ from -110 affect the payout of the parlay. The higher the negative money line, the lower the payout of the parlay. The higher the positive money line, the higher the payout.

Fixed Odds (No moneylines)

In fixed odds bets, the odds are fixed at standard odds -110 or 10% juice ($110 bet winning $100). The fixed odds are set according to the chart above and only apply to football and basketball points preads or totals. All the picks must have standard odds. If any of the picks involve other sports, Money lines, Buy Points or off-standard lines (-115, etc.), then the parlay becomes subject to True Odds.

COMBINATION BASEBALL PAYOFFS

Because of the money line used in baseball, there are no set payoffs for tying a number of teams together in parlays. Payoffs are determined by a simple formula that changes the money line into a decimal number and combines it with the other lines in the parlay. The first step is to change the money line into a decimal value. Use the chart at the below for this purpose.

BASEBALL PAYOFFS AND ODDS EQUIVALENT TO ONE DOLLAR
-1.05 = .95 -1.10 = .91 -1.15 = .87 -1.20 = .83 -1.25 = .80 -1.30 = .77 -1.35 = .74 -1.40 = .71 -1.45 = .69 -1.50 = .66 -1.55 = .64 -1.60 = .62 -1.65 = .61 -1.70 = .59 -1.75 = .57 -1.80 = .55	-1.85 = .54 -1.90 = .53 -1.95 = .51 -2.00 = .50 -2.10 = .48 -2.20 = .45 -2.30 = .43 -2.40 = .42 -2.50 = .40 -2.60 = .38 -2.70 = .37 -2.80 = .36 -3.00 = .33 -3.25 = .31 -3.50 = .29 -4.00 = .25

HOW TO FIGURE BASEBALL PARLAYS

For each PRICE or ODDS quote on your teams, look at their respective PAYOFFS (to $1) and always ADD $1 to these payoffs. Multiply your BET times the products of these payoffs (+$1) for your parlay return.

EXAMPLE:
Bet $50 on Cardinals (-150)
parlayed to Tigers (-130)
BET CARDINALS TIGERS RETURN
(-150) (-130)
$50 X 1.67 X 1.77 = $147.80
RETURN INCLUDES THE $50 BET

USE THE SAME METHOD FOR ANY NUMBER OF TEAMS

EXAMPLE:
Bet $75 on Cubs (+120) to Reds (-135) to Mets (EVEN) for 3 team parlay BET CUBS REDS METS RETURN
(+120) (-135) (EV)
$75 X 2.20 X 1.74 X 2.00 = $574.20
(1.00 + 1.20) (1.00 + .74) (1.00 + 1.00)
RETURN INCLUDES THE $75 BET
REMEMBER TO ALWAYS ADD $1 TO PAYOFF PRICE
TO FIGURE ALL PARLAYS.

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TEASERS

A teaser is a selection of two or more outcomes in a single wager in which either the point spread or total is adjusted in the bettor's favor. Each sport has its own range of points for teaser selections. A teaser adjusts the spread for the favorite so that it decreases the posted spread, or conversely, increases the posted spread for the underdog. If you select a total, the adjustment makes totals higher-to-go-under or lower-to-go-over. If there is ANY loss in a teaser, the entire teaser results in a loss!! Otherwise, if the teaser contains a push, no action, or tie, the teaser will revert to the next amount of teams, paying the odds of the new teaser. In the case of a two-team teaser, if there is a push, no action, or tie, the wager will be refunded.

Only the following sports/line-types may be teased:

• football spreads/totals by 6, 6.5 or 7 points.
• basketball spreads/totals by 4, 4.5 or 5 points.

Example: You wish to risk 110 to win 100 on a two-team/contest 6 pt. teaser with the Dolphins and the Over for the Dolphins game.

Teams	Point Spread	Total
Dolphins Redskins	-4 +4	o48 u48

Your adjusted lines would be Dolphins +2 and Over 42. If you win both portions of this proposition you will be paid $100 (or 10/11 payoff).

Basketball Teaser Odds operate in the same manner. Please see Payoffs for Basketball Teaser Odds.

Example: You wish to lay $100 on a three-team/contest 4.5 pt. teaser with the Bulls, the Heat and the Under for the Rockets game.

Game 1	Teams	Point Spread	Total
Game 1	Bulls Mavericks	-4 +4	o181 u181

Game 2	Teams	Point Spread	Total
Game 2	Pacers Heat	-9 +9	o180 u180

Game 3	Teams	Point Spread	Total
Game 3	Rockets Nicks	-3 +3	o172 u172

Your adjusted lines would be Bulls +0.5, the Heat +13.5, and Under on the Rockets game of 176.

Cannot Tease:

• Half time side and game total (dependant event)
• First half side and game total (dependant event)
• Hockey
• Baseball
• Proposition Wagers
• Money Lines
• Circled Games

Special Teasers

A Special Teaser is a teaser for both basketball and football, where you have the choice of incorporating either 3 or 4 picks (teams). Instead of the regular points, you may tease football by 10 (3 team) and 12 (4 team) points and basketball by 8 (3 team) and 9 (4 team) points. The payout in a 3 team Special teaser is 12/10 and the payout in a 4 team Special teaser is 13/10. A push in a Special teaser is a loss. Special teasers never reduce. There are no Special Teasers for baseball.

Example: 3 Teams 10 point Sweetheart Teaser Risk 12/10 or $120 to win $100.

Teams	Team Points	Adjusted Points
Jets Chiefs Gators	+ 6 -7 -10	+16 +3 PK

Cross - Sport Teasers – Football with Basketball

You may also bet cross-sport teasers. When you wager on cross-sport teasers with football and basketball, the points you receive remain in the same category:

• Football 6.0 points with basketball 4.0 points
• Football 6.5 points with basketball 4.5 points
• Football 7.0 points with basketball 5.0 points

Example: If the line you want to tease are Denver Broncos +3 and LA Lakers -10, your 2-team 6-point-football and 4-point-basketball teaser would be:

Teams	Team Points	Teased Points
Broncos LA Lakers	+9 -6	6 pts 4 pts

Both results need to be correct for this teaser to be a winner.

Vegas Teaser Payouts

FOOTBALL ODDS

# of Teams	2	3	4	5	6	7
6 point	11/10	10/18	10/30	10/45	10/60	10/80
6.5 point	12/10	10/16	10/25	10/40	10/55	10/70
7 point	13/10	10/15	10/20	10/35	10/50	10/60

BASKETBALL ODDS

# of Teams	2	3	4	5	6	7
4 point	11/10	10/18	10/30	10/45	10/60	10/80
4.5 point	12/10	10/16	10/25	10/40	10/55	10/70
5 point	13/10	10/15	10/20	10/35	10/50	10/60

Special Teaser Payouts

3 Team Special Teaser 10 pts -8pts	12/10
4 team Special 12pts -9 pts	13/10

Football Halftime Teasers

2 Teams

3 Points

13/10

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IF BETS

“If” bets are used by many players as a method of money management. The advantage of playing an “If” bet is that it reduces your exposure to losses. Like a parlay, an “If” bet links together 2 or more individual plays and circled games may not be added to the “If” bet. Unlike a parlay, an “If” bet is not an all-or-nothing wager: the individual plays remain individual wagers and pay at the listed money line if they win. “If” bets is a combination of 2-5 Teams. All selections are made active if the first team wins, ties or cancels, you would then have a straight wager(s) on the remaining teams. Players have an option of choosing the conditions of an “if” bet: (Single and double action).

Example:

Teams	Point Spread	Wager
Raiders	-7	$110 for $100
IF WIN, TIE OR CANCEL
Oilers	+6	$210 for $190
AND
Vikings	-6	$55 for $50

The initial cost of the wager will be determined by the highest amount the play can lose. In this example the initial cost would be $265 because in the event the first team ties or cancels you would need enough funds to cover the next two wagers.

Let's look at an if-bet that contains just two plays. You bet on an initial team or total, if that wager wins then the second wager that you chose will automatically be placed. You should therefore always list the bet you are most confident about first. If your initial bet losses, then the second wager is not placed. The status of the linked bets has nothing to do with the games' starting times or what order they are played, it is strictly a logical relation. Even if the first game in your if-bet is played hours after the second one, the status of the second bet must wait for the first game's results.

The amount of the total wager is collected at the time you place the entire bet sequence.
The amount of all individual wagers that comprise the if-bet could be different; they must just be changed once in the final stages of confirming the bet on the bet amount section.

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REVERSE BETS

Reverse bets are simply "if bets" that work in both directions. This can be a combination of 2-4 Teams. All reverse bets are double action: the remaining bets in the sequence will be placed if the preceding bet is a win, a "push," or is cancelled for any reason. An "if bet" (double action) follows the sequence "if Team 1 wins, ties or cancels then Team 2." Placing a reverse bet will include that sequence and its opposite: "if Team 1 wins, ties or cancels then Team 2" AND "if Team 2 wins, ties or cancels then Team 1." As you can see, reverse bets contain two "if bet" sequences, and you must lay down an equal amount for each one: an “If” bet for $110 is $220 as a reverse bet.

Example:

A+B Side B+A Side

Denver -7 Miami +6

If Win, Tie or cancel To If Win, Tie or cancel To

Miami +6 Denver –7

The advantage of playing reverse bets is that you are still able to limit your exposure to losses while expanding the possible combinations that will produce winning wagers.

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ROUND ROBINS

A round robin is the combination of all possible two team parlays with the chosen teams. The customer can choose from 3 to 6 teams in a round robin, from which a combination of two team parlay is done. The maximum risk in a round robin is calculated by multiplying the maximum number of parlays by the amount the player wants for each two team parlay. The maximum win is calculated by multiplying the win of one of the parlays by the total amount of parlays.

The formula to figure out the amount of two team parlays in a round robin is: (Number of teams) x (number of teams -1)/ 2
The number of teams, times the number of teams minus one divided by two.

Note: Each of the two-team parlays is graded individually. You cannot leave open spots in round robins.

Example:

Teams	Point Spread
Broncos Knicks Buccanneers	-7 -9 -6

In this case, there are three possible parlays: ((3)x(3-1))/2

Two-team parlayBroncos: -7 Knicks: -9 100/260 Two-team parlay Broncos: -7 Buccanneers: -6 100/260 Two-team parlay Knicks: -9 Buccanneers: -6 100/260.

In each of the parlays the player is laying $100 to win $260, for a total layout of $300 and a maximum win of $780.

Note: In Baseball, the money lines will affect the payout of the parlays. The risk and the win are calculated differently for round robins.

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BUYING POINTS

You can adjust the point spread on straight wagers and totals by buying up to 5 pts on College Football, NFL and NBA or College Basketball. Points can be bought on the side or on the total. Each half point costs you an additional 10 cents to the dollar. Buying onto or off of the point spread of 3 or 7, in football only, the cost of the wager is 10 cents extra or $130 to win $100 (20 cents to the dollar instead of 10 cents).

Example:

Teams	Point Spread	Total
Cowboys Bills	-4.5 +4.5	o48 u48

If you desire to win $100.00 USD on the Cowboys however feel that they will not win by more than 4 pts. you have the option to buy a half-point (or more) to obtain your desired line. Normally you would risk $110.00 USD to win $100.00 USD, however with the purchase of the additional 1/2 point you will now risk $120.00 USD to win $100.00 USD with the adjusted line being Cowboys -4.

Likewise when purchasing a 1/2 point "on" or "off" of the point spread of three (+/- 3) or (+/- 7) you will be obligated to risk an additional 10 cents to the dollar and will be forced to risk $130.00 USD to win $100.00.

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HALF TIME WAGERS

First half wagers (sides and totals) are no different than betting a straight wager. The result is determined by the score at the end of the first half (1st & 2nd quarter combined). When wagering on the Second Half (sides or totals), over time is included.

A Second Half wager starts off as a new event with a starting score of zero to zero. Only the total points scored in the second half, (3rd & 4th quarter combined) and over time, if applicable, determines the winner.

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PROPOSITIONS

A proposition bet is a very specific bet offered by the house. The individual bets have titles that explain on what event or action or player the wager is placed. Proposition bets are always money line bets: some are totals bets, some are side bets, some utterly unique. Rather than attempt to explain the vast array of proposition bets, we'll give you a few sample proposition bets that show just some of the possibilities.

Example:

Total Passing Yards by Drew Bledsoe (1st Half)

Total Points scored by the Pistons (Game 2)

Will Barry Bonds hit a home run on this game

And many more…

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FUTURES

A future bet is a straight bet on an event or outcome that is relatively far off in the future. For example, you can bet that the Miami Dolphins will win the Super Bowl long before the NFL season even starts, or that Jeff Gordon will win the Winston Cup before the first race in the series has even been run. Check the Future Bets section to see what bets are currently offered.

Futures bets are money line bets and the odds are continually updated during the period leading up to the time when the bets are taken off the board. You receive the odds that are in effect at the time you place your bet. Because circumstances can change so much from the date the bet is offered to the date of the actual event - making outcome predictions is very difficult - futures bets often offer very attractive, high odds to the bettor.

Example:

ODDS TO WIN SUPER BOWL 2002
Raiders Redskins Cowboys Dolphins Panther	+120 +250 +400 +800 +900

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