Welcome to the Betting Guide

If you're a novice punter and are feeling a little intimidated by all the columns, graphs and numbers that appeared when you went to the sports wagering section, you've come to the right place. In this guide, we'll explain the essentially simple ground rules of wagering behind all those facts and figures. Take time to educate yourself on sports wagering and learn how it works. An understanding of the basics will quickly demystify what had seemed complex and difficult. You'll be able to bet with confidence and have fun!

Singles
A single bet can be paid by decimal odds or moneyline.

Decimal Odds
Example : Milan is 1.6. Client bets 100 EUR to win 60, return 160 EUR.

MoneyLine
Example : Miami Dolphins are -120. Client bets 120 EUR to win 100 EUR, return 220 EUR..

Accumulators
A client can back up to 10 selections in an accumulator. In the event of any selection not playing, that selection will be void and the bet will stand on the remaining teams. e.g. a five team accumulator would drop to a four team accumulator; a double would drop to a single bet.

They are also known as:

Two Team Double
Three Team Treble
Four Team Four Fold Accumulator
Five Team Five Fold Accumulator
Six Team Six Fold Accumulator
Seven Team Seven Fold Accumulator
Eight Team Eight Fold Accumulator
Nine Team Nine Fold Accumulator
Ten Team Ten Fold Accumulator

Returns
Returns for accumulators use a simple formula. Amount bet multiplied by the odds of each of selections in the accumulator equals the total return.

Example : A winning treble would calculate as ( AmountBet X Odds1 X Odds2 X Odds3 = TotalReturn)

If the three winning teams were Milan at 2.5, Man United at 2.0 and Real Madrid at 2.25 and the amount bet was 20 EUR, then the return would calculate as (20 X 2.5 X 2.0 X 2.25) = 225 EUR.

Parlays (US Sports)
A parlay is a single bet that links together anywhere from 2 to 10 individual plays. The parlay can be comprised of a series of bets on a team, over/under bets, or any mixture of the two. For the parlay to be a winning wager, every one of its individual plays must win. If any of the individual plays is not a winner, then the entire parlay wager loses.

If, however, one of the individual plays is a "push," then the parlay is still on for the remaining plays. A three play parlay would become a two play parlay; a two play 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 plays, the parlay still loses, 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 significantly more difficult than predicting any individual play.

You cannot parlay circled games.

These are the risk/win odds for parlay bets:

2 plays: 5/13
3 plays: 1/6
4 plays: 1/10
5 plays: 1/20
6 plays: 1/40
7 plays: 1/75
8 plays: 1/150
9 plays: 1/300
10 plays: 1/600

Let's put the theory into action:

Example:
Dave has $250 available in his account and would like to make a three play parlay. On the Betting Lines page, he would select "parlay," enter the amount he would like to wager, $50 in this instance, then select the individual plays that will make up his parlay. $50 is deducted from his account. His balance now reads $200 available, $50 at risk.

When he's done making his selections, the page might look like this:

Amount of wager $50

Match Side Total
4/19/99 7:35:00 PM
101 miami dolphins (7.0)-110 Over 34(-110)
224 ATLANTA FALCONS (-7.0)-110 Under 34(-110)
4/19/99 7:35:00 PM
215 baltimore ravens (-3.5)-110 Over 32.5(-110)
641 NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (3.5)-110 Under 32.5(-110)

Outcome I

Say the results of the two games were the following:

Miami 27
Atlanta 10

Baltimore 25
New Orleans 20

The first play wins: Miami, the underdog, won the game. They either had to win the game outright or lose by less than 7 for this play to be a winner.

The second play wins: the sum of the Miami and Atlanta's final scores was 37. Any total of 35 or higher would have made this play a winner.

The third play wins: Baltimore beat New Orleans by 5 points, thus covering the point spread of 3.5. Baltimore had to win the game by 4 points or more for this play to be a winner.

Since all three of the plays were winners, the parlay wager wins. The payoff odds for a three play parlay are 1/6. Thus Dave's $50 bet returns $300. Unlike straight bets, in which the original bet is returned to the bettor if he or she wins, parlay payouts include the original wager. $300 is deposited to Dave’s account. His balance now reads $500 available, $0 at risk.

Outcome II

Say the results of the same two games were instead:

Miami 17
Atlanta 10

Baltimore 24
New Orleans 20

Dave's first play wins: Miami, the underdog, won the game. They either had to win the game outright or lose by less that 7 for this play to be a winner.

The second play loses: the sum of Miami and Atlanta's final scores was 27. Any total of 33 or below loses.

The third play wins: Baltimore won by 4 points, thus covering the point spread of 3.5. Baltimore had to win by 4 points or more for this play to be a winner.

Since the second play was not a winner, the parlay bet loses. No money is returned. His balance now reads: $200 available, $0 at risk.

Teasers
(American Football and Basketball only)

A teaser is a parlay in which you adjust the point spread or total of each individual play; in other words, a teaser is a parlay comprised of a series of buy wagers instead of straight bets. If you're unclear about either parlays or buy wagering, please read those sections before continuing.

Like a parlay, a teaser is a single bet that links together several individual plays (from 2 to 8 in the case of teasers). You can combine a series of straight bets, over/under bets, or any mixture of the two. A teaser allows you to "buy points" - adjust the point spread or totals in your favor —on the plays that comprise the multi-part wager. As in a buy wager, adjusting the spread and/or the totals costs you less favorable odds, thus less of a return on your wager.

In a teaser, the amount of points that you are allowed to buy is higher than those allowed for straight bets. Whereas straight buy wagers allow you to buy 0.5, 1, 1.5 or 2 points on either the point spread or the total, in a teaser you are offered anywhere from 3.5 to 7 points, depending on the sport. However, you cannot select different point adjustments for the different plays: the amount of points you buy will be applied to all of the individual plays that comprise the teaser. You cannot buy, say, 4 points on one game and 5 on another.

What are the advantages of playing a teaser rather than a series of individual buy wagers? You receive significantly better odds than you would playing the adjusted money lines of buy wagers. Also, compared to a buy wager, the teaser offers you a greater number of points with which to adjust the point spreads and totals. The disadvantages? As in a parlay, winning two out of three or three out of four is still a loss. If those winning plays had been individual buy wagers, you would have come out ahead. As always, going for a bigger payout entails a bigger risk.

These are the payouts for teasers:

Basketball: 4 points 4.5 points 5 points
Football: 6 points 6.5 points 7 points
2 plays 11/10 6/5 13/10
3 plays 5/8 2/3 5/6
4 plays 2/5 1/2 5/9
5 plays 2/9 1/4 2/7
6 plays 1/6 1/5 1/4

Let's put the theory into action:

Example:
Todd decides to play a teaser for $50: with a 7.0 point adjustment to the point spreads and the totals, he is confident that his picks stand a good chance of winning. On the Betting Lines page, he would select parlay/teaser, enter the amount he would like to wager, then select the individual plays that will make up his teaser. When he's done making his selections, the page might look like this:

Match Play Money Line
4/22/99 8:00:00 PM
101 miami dolphins ATLANTA to win by 7.0 -110
224 ATLANTA FALCONS
4/19/99 7:35:00 PM
215 baltimore ravens ravens to win by -3.5 -110
641 NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
4/19/99 7:35:00 PM
215 baltimore ravens Over 32.5 -110
641 NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

Total To Wager: $
parlayteaser 6.0teaser 6.5teaser 7.0teaser 7.5 Total To Win: $

Todd buys 7 points.

When he gets to the confirmation page, he uses the pull-down menu to select "teaser 7.0." The adjusted point spread for the Falcons is now 0.0; the adjusted point spread for the Ravens is now (+)3.5; the adjusted line for the over bet in the second game is 25.5. Buying 7 points has lowered the hurtles that Todd's teams must jump, but he will receive less of a potential payout than if he had bet the parlay.

$50 is deducted from Todd’s account. His balance now reads: $50 available, $50 at risk.

Outcome I

Say the results of the two games were the following:

Miami 10
Atlanta 21

Baltimore 32
New Orleans 27

Todd's first play wins: Atlanta won the game by 11 points, thus covering the adjusted point spread of 0.0. Since the teaser eliminated the point spread, Atlanta simply had to win the game outright for this play to be a winner.

The second play wins: Baltimore won by 7 points. Since the teaser adjusted the Baltimore’s point spread to +3.5, Baltimore had to either win the game outright or lose by less than 3 for this play to be a winner.

The third play wins: the sum of Baltimore and New Orlean's final scores is 59. With the adjusted total line of the teaser, any total score over 25.5 is a winner.

Since all three plays of the teaser were winners, the teaser bet wins. The odds for a 3 play teaser with a 7 point adjustment are 6/5. Thus Todd’s $50 bet returns $60. Unlike straight bets or buy wagers, in which the original bet is returned to the bettor if he or she wins, teaser payouts include the original wager. $60 is deposited to Todd’s account. His balance now reads: $160 available, $0 at risk.

Outcome II

Say the results of the same two games were instead:

Miami 10
Atlanta 14

Baltimore 25
New Orleans 28

Todd's first play wins: Atlanta won the game by 4 points. Since Todd "teased" Atlanta’s point spread from -7 to 0.0, Atlanta only needed to win the game outright for this play to be a winner.

The second play wins: Baltimore lost by 3 points. Since the teaser adjusted Baltimore’s point spread to +3.5, Baltimore could lose by 4 or less for this play to be a winner.

The third play wins: the sum of Baltimore and New Orlean's final scores is 53. With the adjusted total line of the teaser, any total score over 25.5 is a winner.

Since all three plays of the teaser were winners, the teaser bet wins. The odds for a 3 play teaser with a 7 point adjustment are 6/5. Thus Todd’s $50 bet returns $60. $60 is deposited to his account. His balance now reads: $110 available, $0 at risk.

Buy Wagering (US Sports)

Once you have chosen your bets and clicked "Place Bets," you will be taken to a confirmation page that looks like this:

Match Play Buy Money Line
4/19/99 7:35:00 PM
101 miami heat miami heat -8.0 No Buy-7.5 -120-7 -130-6.5 -140-6 -150 -110
102 CLEVELAND CAVALIERS

The confirmation page lets you review and confirm your bet: it restates the match up, your ticket number, the point spread, the money line and the amount that you've wagered. But you can also change your wager at this stage by using the "Buy" pull-down menu. Buy wagering allows you to adjust the point spread in your favor. The reason it is called a "buy" wager is that you "purchase" each point adjustment you make in your favor. Every 1/2 point adjustment costs you less favorable odds, thus less of a return on a winning wager. Click on the pull-down menu above to see the buy wagering options.

The first number in the pull down menu lists the adjusted point spreads available to you. The second number is the "price": the adjusted money line for that specific point spread. As you can see, you may adjust the spread anywhere from 1/2 a point up to 2 points. Each 1/2 point causes a 10% increase in the money line. Thus, if a bet on the favored Miami Heat is appealing to you with a point spread of 7 but not 8, you simply select "-7-130" from the pull down menu. Now the Heat must only win by more than 7 points (rather than 8) for you to win your wager. However, rather than wagering $110 in order to win $100, you must lay $130 to win the same $100.

The process is the same if betting on the underdog, but instead of reducing the point spread, you have the opportunity to increase it: if you "bought" one point on the Cavaliers, they would have to either win the game outright or lose it by less than 9, rather than 8, for you to win your buy wager.

Buy wagering is also available for over/under bets. If you had placed a bet on the total, your confirmation screen would look like this:

Match Play Buy Money Line
4/19/99 7:35:00 PM
101 miami heat Over 168 No Buy167.5 -120167 -130166.5 -140166 -150 -110
102 CLEVELAND CAVALIERS

Buy wagering on totals lets you adjust the total in your favor, but again costs a 10% reduction in the money line for each 1/2 point adjustment. If you were not comfortable that the two teams would score over 168 points in the game, but thought that their combined total scores might be over 166, you could "buy" two points. Again, rather than wagering $110 to win $100, you would have to bet $150 to win $100. A safer bet perhaps, but less of a return on your money.

You may also buy a higher total for "under" bets: buying 2 points on an under bet would mean that the Heat and the Cavaliers would have to have a total combined score of under 170, rather than the original line of 168, for your wager to win. As before, buying two points would "cost" you less favorable odds of 150/100, or a return of $100 for a $150 wager.

Example I:
Tim has $200 available in his account and buys one point on the Cleveland Cavaliers and wagers $130. $130 is deducted from his account. His balance now reads: $70 available, $130 at risk

Say the final score of the game was:

Miami Heat 98
Cleveland Cavaliers 90

The Heat won the game by 8 points. Since they were favored by 8 points, those wagers on the Heat that didn't buy points are a "push" or "no action": all wagers are returned. However, since Tim had the good sense to buy one point on the Cavaliers, his bet "covers the spread." The Cavaliers were within 9 points of the Heat at the final buzzer, so Tim wins his bet. With the adjusted money line of his buy wager, Tim receives $100 for his bet of $130 and his original wager is returned to him. A total of $230 is credited to his account. His balance now reads: $300 available, $0 at risk.

Example II:
Colleen has $300 available in her account and buys 1/2 point for an under bet on the total and wagers $120. $120 is deducted from her account. Her balance now reads: $180 available, $120 at risk.

Say the final score of the game was:

Miami Heat 89
Cleveland Cavaliers 80

The sum of the teams' final scores equals 169. Colleen had wagered that the combined score would be under 168.5, so she loses her bet. No money is returned to her. Her balance now reads: $180 available, $0 at risk.

If Colleen had bought 1 1/2 points rather than 1/2 point, her wager would have been a winner, since her adjusted total would have been 169.5, which is greater than 169.0. If she had bought 1 point, her bet would have resulted in a "push," since the adjusted total would have been exactly equal to the combined scores.

Football 3-Point Rule

If a point spread on football is 3 points, you may not buy any points. However, if the line is -/+3 ½ or -/+2 ½, you may buy ½ point to bring the line -/+3. This point will cost you an additional 25% juice, which added to the original 10% vigorish, will bring the juice to 35%. You can't buy any further points once the line is -/+3.

Example I

Raiders
BILLS -3.50

If you place a straight bet on the Buffalo Bills at -3.5, you will risk $110 to win $100. If you want to bring the line to 3 points, you will have to risk $135 to win $100 and your bet will be Buffalo Bills at -3. Once you do this, you cannot move the line any further.

Example II

Titans -2.5
SAINTS

If you place a straight bet on the New Orleans Saints at +2.5, you will risk $110 to win $100. You may buy 0.5 point to bring the line to 3 points, but you will risk $135 to win $100. Once you do this you cannot buy any further points.

Ante Post Bets
An Ante Post betting is offered to win an event outright. Singles and upwards are accepted.

Ante Post odds are continually updated and the clients will receive the odds that are in effect at the time the bet is placed. In the event that one selection fails to play or compete in the event, then that ante post bet would be a loss.

Speciality / Proposition Bets
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 sample page that shows just some of the possibilities.

Match Side Total
Total Points Scored by Knicks (Game 4)
6/23/99 9:00:00 PM
101 ny knicks Over 183(-115)
102 NY KNICKS Under 183(-115)
Total Points Scored by Spurs (Game 4)
6/23/99 9:00:00 PM
107 sa spurs Over 86.5(-115)
108 SA SPURS Under 86.5(-115)
Last Team to Score 1st Half (Game 4)
6/23/99 9:00:00 PM
109 sa spurs 7.00(-110)
110 NY KNICKS -7.00(-110)
Total Points Scored by M Camby (Game 4)
6/23/99 9:00:00 PM
104 marcus camby Over 8(-115)
103 MARCUS CAMBY Under 8(-115)
Total Rebounds by M Camby (Game 4)
6/23/99 9:00:00 PM
108 marcus camby 2.5(-115)
106 MARCUS CAMBY -2.5(-115)