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Reading the Board

Betting 101: Reading the Board

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Reading the Board Intro

The board is the term used for the table of basic bets able to be placed on a single game. Every sportsbook has a similar board for all of the games they are taking bets on. 


All boards have the away team listed above the home team followed by the game’s point spread, moneyline and point total.


The board is usually displayed at a sportsbook like this:

Reading image

Reading the Board Terms To Know

Point Spread: The point spread is an estimation of how many points a team will win or lose by in a game.

Point Total: The over-under or point total is a bet on the total number of combined points scored by both teams.

Moneyline: The moneyline is a bet on who wins the game.

Odds: Odds determine how much money will be made if the bet succeeds. American odds are written with a plus or minus sign in front of a number. A minus sign shows how much money will have to be wagered to make $100. A plus sign shows how much money will be made if $100 is wagered.

Ex. For odds of -200: If you wager $200 you stand to profit $100

Ex. For odds of +200: If you wager $100 you stand to profit $200

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