Point Spread vs. Moneyline: What’s the Difference?
Learn how moneyline and point spread bets differ, what +3.5 and -3.5 mean, when bets push, and how odds affect payouts.
A moneyline bet is about which team wins. A point spread bet is about the margin of victory or defeat. That difference explains why your team can win a game while your spread bet loses—and why an underdog can lose the game while your spread bet wins.
Here’s how to read both markets using a hypothetical football matchup. All lines and prices below are examples, not current offers.
What is a moneyline bet?
In a standard two-way moneyline market, you choose a team to win the game. The size of its winning margin doesn’t matter. A one-point victory and a twenty-point victory both satisfy that selection. FanDuel’s betting guide (https://www.fanduel.com/sports-betting-strategy)
For example, imagine Team A’s moneyline is -180. If Team A wins 24–21, a bet on Team A wins. If Team A loses 21–24, it loses.
The -180 sets the payout, not a required winning margin. At those odds, a $10 cash stake would produce approximately $5.56 in profit if successful, plus the original $10 back.
What does a point spread mean?
Now imagine the same matchup has these spreads:
- Team A -3.5: Team A must win by at least four points.
- Team B +3.5: Team B can win outright or lose by three points or fewer.
The minus sign means points are subtracted from that team’s score for settlement. The plus sign means points are added. These adjustments determine the spread result; they do not change the actual game score.
Here’s how different final scores would affect those bets:
- Team A wins 24–21: Team A moneyline wins; Team A -3.5 loses; Team B +3.5 wins.
- Team A wins 28–21: Team A moneyline wins; Team A -3.5 wins; Team B +3.5 loses.
- Team B wins 24–21: Team A moneyline loses; Team A -3.5 loses; Team B +3.5 wins.
“Covering the spread” means meeting the spread condition. It can be a different outcome from winning the game. FanDuel’s point spread explanation (https://www.fanduel.com/sports-betting-strategy)
What happens if the score lands on the spread?
A whole-number spread can produce a push. If you take Team A -3 and it wins by exactly three, a standard two-way spread wager usually returns your stake with no profit. A half-point spread such as -3.5 cannot push on a normal integer score margin. Always check the sportsbook’s specific rules. DraftKings’ general settlement rules (https://sportsbook.draftkings.com/help/general-betting-rules/general-rules)
The spread and the odds are separate numbers
A listing such as Team A -3.5 (-110) contains two pieces of information:
- -3.5 tells you what must happen for the bet to win.
- -110 tells you the price and potential payout.
A $10 cash stake at -110 produces about $9.09 in profit if successful, plus the stake back. A losing bet loses the $10 stake. BetMGM’s odds and payout explanation (https://sports.betmgm.com/en/blog/betting-tools/sports-betting-odds-calculator-converter/)
Is the moneyline or spread better?
Neither is automatically better. They are different bets with different winning conditions and prices. Read the selection, spread, odds, and settlement rules together. Check whether overtime counts and what happens if a game finishes tied; three-way markets can include a draw as its own outcome.
For free updates from The Winning Wager, join the VIP list (https://thewinningwager.com/vip).
Sports betting involves risk. Only wager what you can afford to lose.
Written by The Winning Wager