Types of Sports Bets: Common types of bets on sports

For the beginners in sports betting, there is nothing more valuable than learning the types of sports bets they can make at the sportsbooks. We have created this guide to the different types of bets available at the sports betting websites (and some of them also offline), but we have to warn you first. Even though our website strives in explaining how the various types of sports bets work in the simplest way possible and always with examples, there is no guarantee (nor shame) that you will be able to grasp the various types of sports bets by just reading and no practice. You can always visit our small selection of best sports betting websites here and give those bets a shot. Here are the most common types of sports bets you will encounter at the sportsbooks:

Straight Bets: The "straight bets" are the easiest wagers that you can make at the sportsbooks and also the most recommended for beginners. With this type of sports bet you simply wager on which party will win the sporting event. Keep in mind that with the straight bet you wager on only one team (or person, if boxing for example) and on only one outcome of the sporting event. For example, in football you will bet on which team will win the game or if a team will cover the spread.

Total: Betting on the total is also a very common and simple bet. A person will simply bet on whether the total points of a game will be more or less than those posted by the sportsbook. Almost any kind of sport can carry a total bet - in football the total will be the accumulated score of the two teams, when in boxing the total bet will be on the rounds fought before the match ends. Again, this is a single bet only and only on one outcome.

Parlays: The parlay bet is more popular in Europe than the United States, although a lot of folks on this side of the Ocean are also learning to take advantage of the parlays, thanks to their good payout-to-bet ratios. The parlay is number of straight bets combined into one bet. The catch here is that a bettor must guess all outcomes of the parlay bets - of just one of the bets is wrong, the player loses the entire bet. Using the parlay is a great way to bet small money and win big, as the odds on each of the straight bets are multiplied.

Teaser Bets: The teaser bets are slowly but surely gaining popularity among the bettors thanks to the fact that you are given the option to "manipulate" the odds. Teaser bets are wagers on football and basketball where the sportsbook "gives you points" depending on the type of teaser which you can use to turn the bet in your favor by allocating those points among the teams. Best explained with an example, let's say you are betting a 2-game 7-point football teaser and the point spread on the two games is as follows: Team 1 (+6 point spread) vs. Team 2 and Team 3 (-3 point spread) vs. Team 4. With the teaser bet you have 7 points to allocate among the two teams' point spreads (7-point teaser) so you can make your bet be Team 1 +9 point spread (6 points + you add 3 of your 7-point teaser) and you are left with 4 points, which you can give to Team 3 and make it +1 underdog from previously -3 favorite. The payout on a 2-team teaser is usually -110, but the odds get better as you ad more games to your teaser bet. There are quite a few teaser bets, which depend on your sportsbook, so check what type of sports bets are available at your favorite bookmaker first.

Asian Handicap and Double Asian Handicap: The Asian handicap bets are offered mostly on soccer matches, where a draw in the game is a common occurrence, thus betting on a soccer game will carry three possible outcomes (win-draw-lose), unlike NFL football, where a team will either win or lose (99% of the time). You can think of Asian Handicap bet as a type of point spread. With the regular Asian handicap, bettors will have only two outcomes of the soccer game - win or lose. For example, the Asian handicap bet on Arsenal v Manchester United is Arsenal (0.5) vs. Manchester Utd. (-0.5). Considering there are no "half-points" in soccer, one of the teams will always win the game, hence draw will not be an option, which in turn will increase your chances of guessing the correct outcome of the game. The Double Asian Handicap sports bet on the other side would take the form Arsenal (+0.5, +1) v Manchester United (-0.5, -1). When betting double Asian handicap, you multiply your chances to win the handicap bet on the same game. If in the above example Manchester Utd wins by only one goal, half of your bet is a winner and the other is returned as "push", but if the Red Devils win the game by 2 goals, you win on both.

Published on 02/27/2009