While the difference in points requires the team you're betting on to win by a specific margin, Moneyline doesn't. If you place a bet on the money line, that means that you believe that the team you bet on will win the game. If they win, you win, regardless of the outcome. However, point margin bets tend to have odds that are somewhat close to even money, meaning that you would win about the same as you bet if you won.
Moneyline bets have a wide range of odds. The outcome of a money line bet depends solely on the winning team, while the outcome of a point margin bet is determined by a handicap applied to each team in the match. The team that wins the bet is said to “cover the margin”. For the favorites, that means winning the game by more than the margin indicates.
Betting on favorites against the spread results in better payouts than if you take the money line. Point spreads exist as a way to create a competitive and balanced bet, since almost everyone would expect Alabama to beat Duke (and they did, 42 to 0). Sportsbooks use point differentials to even out the game, and they have become very popular among bettors. In short, bookmakers use covering the margin to arouse interest in the other team involved, when the odds are biased, offering the loser as a viable betting option; in a bet with money, for example.
Since there are no draws in the NFL, MLB, NBA or NHL today, sportsbooks always settle your Moneyline bets. If a match is between two competitive teams and even sometimes, there won't be a point difference called pick 'em. Even though money line favorites seem like safe bets, they can ruin your funds if they aren't met. The point difference is a figure pre-established by bookmakers that tells bettors how much a team can win or lose and still get a successful bet.
The money lines are not the same at all Canadian betting sites, and comparing multiple sites will allow bettors to choose the most valuable line. If you had beaten Carolina earlier in the week with -3, you could have won Denver at the end of the week with +6, and if the Panthers had won the game 17-12 (a difference of 5 points), your two bets would have been cashed. When most bettors prepare to place a bet on their favorite sport, they often have to choose between betting on the money line or on the spread. The most uneven differentials found in college sports are due to the greater differences in talent from one program to another.
All they have to do for you to win your bet is to “cover the margin”, which means that they are within the published number. The difference in points is more aimed at those who want to re-prioritize a return with stable odds, the money lines tend to be -110 and have the utmost confidence that the favorites will win the games dominantly. You can place side bets with money lines and futures, but the information we describe here is the basis on which any investment with money in the money line should be made. The point difference is also used in other sports such as hockey and baseball, but in the NHL and MLB it is commonly referred to as “Puckline” and “Runline”.