In a sports betting world where the NFL and NBA lines are dominated by the point spread, the money line is no longer as popular in those sports, even though it remains the popular option in the NHL and MLB. While it may not be as popular when it comes to football and basketball, the money line is still always available, and for those willing to take the time to invest properly, it could serve as an excellent money making tool. So many times players miss out on hitting their wagers by just a half-point after taking the spread, but since betting on the money line comes down to picking just the winner and loser, it makes for an easy way to avoid that frustration.

The easiest way to understand how the money line wager works is to base it on a $100 wager. An example of a money line wager could be the Chicago Blackhawks listed at minus-180 against the Columbus Blue Jackets at plus-140. Any time a team is listed as a minus, they are considered the favorite, while the plus matches up with the underdog. In this example, betting the favorite would mean risking $180 to win $100, or risking $100 to win $140 on the underdog. While it may not always make sense to go with the money line for football or basketball if the spread will not drastically change the outlook, it makes sense to do run with it under the right circumstances depending on the line listed by the pay head bookies, and avoid those tough beats that come with not covering the spread by less than a point.