Betting on the favorite with the point spread requires that team to win the contest by a minimum number of points. The easiest bet out there, but also the most difficult to separate your heart from your brain.Ī point spread is a bet on the margin of victory in a game. A $100 bet on a +200 underdog would profit $200 and you collect $300. If you are betting on the underdog, the number that you see is the amount that you would win off a $100 bet. Say you're using our free NFL picks and are betting on a -200 favorite, you need to lay $200 to profit $100, and you would collect $300.

If you are looking to play the favorite on the moneyline, the number you see is the number that you need to lay in order to win $100. Conversely, betting on an underdog on the moneyline will earn a larger profit. Since there is no point spread involved, betting on the favorite requires you to bet more to win a desired amount on the moneyline. Betting on the moneyline means you're just picking the winner of the game.