What Are ‘Game Lines’ in Sports Betting?

In sports betting, ‘game lines’ are the basic betting odds and options offered by a sportsbook for a specific game. They provide the primary ways you can bet on an event’s outcome.

These lines are set by oddsmakers to create a balanced market, encouraging bets on both sides of the game. The three core components that make up the game lines are the Point Spread, the Moneyline, and the Total (Over/Under).

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The Three Core Components of Game Lines

Here’s a breakdown of each part, using a hypothetical NFL game as an example:

Team	Point Spread	Moneyline	Total
Kansas City Chiefs	-6.5	-275	O 52.5
Denver Broncos	+6.5	+225	U 52.5

🏈 1. The Point Spread

The point spread is a bet on the margin of victory. It’s designed to level the playing field between a favorite and an underdog.

• The Favorite (-): The team expected to win is the favorite. In our example, the Chiefs are a -6.5 point favorite. This means for a bet on the Chiefs to win, they must beat the Broncos by 7 points or more.
• The Underdog (+): The team expected to lose is the underdog. The Broncos are a +6.5 point underdog. A bet on the Broncos wins if they either win the game outright or lose by 6 points or fewer.

💰 2. The Moneyline

The moneyline is the simplest bet—you are just picking which team will win the game straight up, with no point spread involved. The odds indicate the payout.

• The Favorite (-): The negative number shows how much you must bet to win $100. For the Chiefs (-275), you would need to bet $275 to win $100 in profit.
• The Underdog (+): The positive number shows how much you win for every $100 you bet. For the Broncos (+225), a $100 bet would win you $225 in profit.

📈 3. The Total (Over/Under)

The total, or over/under, is a bet on the total combined points scored by both teams in the game. The sportsbook sets a number, and you bet on whether the final score will be over or under that amount.

• In the example, the total is set at 52.5 points.
• If you bet the Over, you need the Chiefs and Broncos to combine for 53 points or more to win (e.g., a final score of 30-24, which is 54 total points).
• If you bet the Under, you need their combined score to be 52 points or fewer to win (e.g., a final score of 28-21, which is 49 total points).

Together, these three markets form the main “game lines” you see for almost every major sporting event.