Basic Bets Guide
Step into the world of Pennsylvania sports betting with this beginner-friendly guide, designed to break down the key terms, strategies, and wager types you’ll encounter. We’ll walk through how the most popular bets work, where to place them, and which operators currently offer the best PA sportsbook promos to help you get started with added value.
Moneyline bets
A moneyline bet is simply a “straight-up” wager on one side or the other to win a contest. You pick your side, and if it wins, your payout is determined by the moneyline odds. The odds are longer for underdogs and shorter for favorites, which means you’ll win more for correctly picking an upset than a favorite when you make a moneyline bet.
How to read the moneyline
US sportsbooks typically use American odds to display moneyline odds. Odds are represented by three-digit numbers: the favorite’s odds are negative, and the underdog’s are positive. To illustrate, let’s use an NFL betting example:
You might recognize these lines as ones posted before Super Bowl LX. The negative number beside the favorite tells you how much you have to bet to win $100. In this case, the Seattle Seahawks were the favorite with moneyline odds of -230. If you bet $230 on the Seahawks to win, you would have won $100.
Meanwhile, for the underdog, the number shows you how much you win if you wager $100. In this case, if you placed a moneyline bet of $100 on the underdog New England Patriots at +190, you would have won $190 had the Pats pulled it out.
Keep in mind that payouts are proportionate. That is to say, you don’t have to bet $230 or $100 here. You can bet any amount, and the payouts will be adjusted accordingly. For example, if you placed a $20 moneyline bet on Seattle at +230, you’d have won $8.70. Conversely, a $20 bet on the underdog Pats at +190 would have earned $19 had they won. You always win more for successful moneyline bets on underdogs than you do when betting favorites, because of the differing odds.
By the way, I’m pulling these first few examples from DraftKings Sportsbook, which does a great job of making odds clear and understandable.
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Point spread bets
Point spreads are also a popular and well-known form of sports wagering. With moneyline bets, it doesn’t matter how much a team wins or loses by; all that matters is which side comes out on top. However, when betting on point spreads, the margin of victory is what determines if a bet wins or loses.
Let’s look at the Super Bowl again and check the pregame spread:
Here you see positive and negative numbers again — in fact, two sets of them. There are odds again, this time showing two negative numbers. You also see the Seahawks listed at -4.5, indicating they are 4.5-point favorites. The Patriots’ spread is +4.5, meaning they are underdogs by the same amount.
A spread bet on the Seahawks is a wager saying they will win the game by more than the spread, or in this case, five points or more. By contrast, those placing a spread bet on New England are betting they won’t lose by more than four points.
As you recall, Seattle won the game handily, 29-13. That 16-point margin of victory meant Seattle covered the spread (easily), and those who bet on Seattle and “gave” or “laid” the points won their bets. Those who took the points and bet on New England lost their wagers.
Notice the odds are almost the same on both sides of the bet — -115 and -105. Often, point spread bets might have the same odds on both sides (e.g., -110). These odds are usually close because the spread accounts for the differing expectations of the two sides. You won’t see especially long or short odds on spread bets.
BetMGM Sportsbook is a strong option for bettors who value consistently competitive point spreads, with plenty of well-priced lines across major sports and daily matchups.
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Totals bets
Let’s also talk about totals bets, also known as “over/under” bets. When you make a totals bet, you are betting on the total points scored in a contest to go over or under a certain number. You can bet on total points (when betting on football or basketball), total runs (in MLB betting), total goals (when betting on the NHL or soccer), or other totals like an individual player’s rebounds or rushing yards. (We’ll talk more about props below.)
Once more, here are those Super Bowl lines:
Here, you are betting on whether the total points will go over or under 46.5. The use of those half-points is common in spread bets and totals bets, guaranteeing that one side or the other will win. Sometimes, though, you’ll see whole numbers, in which case the wager can end in a “tie” or “push,” and the bettor’s money is simply refunded.
Remember that final score — 29-13, or a total of 42 points. The “under” bettors won their bets, and the “over” bettors lost. You see how the odds are close to the same on both sides again, much like with the spread bets. The betting site has tried to set a line that attracts equal betting on both sides.
Caesars Sportsbook is an example of a site that stands out for its totals markets, offering a wide range of over/under options with solid pricing and depth on both marquee games and smaller events.
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Parlay bets
Parlay bets are especially popular at PA sports betting sites and elsewhere. A parlay bet combines multiple bets into a single wager, with each individual bet or “leg” needing to win in order for the entire parlay to win.
One big reason for the popularity of parlays is the fact that you can bet relatively little and win a lot. When you stack several bets together into a parlay, the odds become long, and therefore the payouts become big. That said, parlays can be difficult to win, especially those with three legs or more, which is why most experienced bettors tend to be selective about betting parlays.
Let’s imagine building a parlay with several wagers, each with odds of -110. Like in those point spread and totals examples above, if the bet is a “coin flip” (so to speak) in which both sides have an equal chance of winning, the site will usually set the odds around -105 or -110 or so, meaning you get a little less than twice the wager back if you win.
Look at what happens to the odds and payouts, though, when you start adding several -110 bets to a parlay:
| # of Legs | Parlay Odds (American) | Payout for $10 Wager (Profit) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | -110 | $9.09 |
| 2 | +264 | $26.44 |
| 3 | +595 | $59.53 |
| 4 | +1227 | $122.70 |
| 5 | +2434 | $243.40 |
| 6 | +4738 | $473.80 |
Those payouts look great for just a $10 bet, but think about it. If these are really essentially “coin flip” wagers, when you bet a six-leg parlay, you’re betting on winning six coin flips in a row (which is actually only a 1-in-64 probability). It’s a long shot, for sure, so you really shouldn’t expect to win multi-leg parlays that often.
FanDuel Sportsbook is known for offering lots of fun, ready-made parlays and also parlay boosts and bonuses that increase your payout if you win. FanDuel is also known for featuring lots of great same-game parlays that combine individual bets from a single contest into a parlay.
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Prop bets
Prop bets (short for “proposition bets”) are another hugely popular type of sports wager, especially for bettors who want options beyond simply picking a winner or betting a point spread. Rather than focusing on the final score, prop bets let you wager on specific events or outcomes that happen within a game.
Prop markets enable sportsbooks literally to offer hundreds of different ways to bet on player performances, team statistics, or even game flow. In other words, you don’t need to predict the exact winner to have an opinion worth betting on. Instead, you can just focus on a smaller piece of the matchup.
Prop bets generally fall into a few major categories:
- Player props: Bets tied to an individual athlete’s stats, such as a quarterback throwing over 275.5 passing yards or a basketball star scoring 25+ points.
- Team props: Wagers based on team-level outcomes, like a team recording over 6.5 total touchdowns or making more than eight three-pointers.
- Game props: Bets connected to how the game unfolds overall, such as whether the first score will be a touchdown or whether the total number of punts will go over a certain number.
Prop bets are often posted with odds similar to spreads and totals, especially for over/under-style props (again, commonly around -110). However, some props can carry longer odds depending on how specific or unlikely the outcome is.
Overall, prop betting is one of the most flexible parts of a sportsbook menu. It allows bettors to focus on particular players, matchups, or game moments. Indeed, betting “props” has become one of the main ways modern fans engage with sports wagering beyond the basic win/loss markets.
I often find myself checking out the props at bet365 Sportsbook whenever I’m in the mood to place some prop bets. I like the way bet365 Sportsbook presents different props and alternate lines.
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Futures bets
Futures bets are wagers placed on outcomes that will be decided further down the road, often weeks or even months in the future. Instead of betting on a single game happening today, futures allow bettors to take a longer-term position on how a season, tournament, or award race will play out.
These bets are especially popular at the start of a season, but futures markets remain available throughout the year. Keep in mind that futures odds are constantly shifting based on injuries, standings, performance trends, and public betting interest.
Common examples of futures bets include:
- Which team will win the Super Bowl or World Series
- Who will win a league’s MVP award
- Whether a team will finish over or under a certain season win total
- Which teams will make the playoffs or win their division
Because futures involve greater uncertainty and a longer time horizon, they often offer longer odds than spreads or totals. A championship favorite might be listed at something like +400, while a longshot contender could be +2500 or higher.
One important thing to remember is that futures bets can tie up your money for a long time. Let’s say you are into NBA betting. If you bet on a team to win the NBA Championship in November, that wager won’t be settled until the following June. Still, futures can be appealing because they offer bigger payouts and let bettors express broader opinions about teams or players over an entire season.
Overall, futures betting is one of the most strategic forms of wagering. Futures betting is less about handicapping one matchup and more about predicting the bigger story of the sports calendar.
If you’re thinking about getting into futures betting, I strongly recommend comparing odds at different sportsbooks as they can vary quite a bit. BetRivers Sportsbook is a solid choice for futures betting thanks to its deep menu of season-long markets, competitive odds on championship and award outcomes, and regular updates as a season progresses.
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That covers the most popular types of sports bets you’ll find at Pennsylvania sports wagering sites. You’ll see other bet types offered on the sports betting apps, too, including:
- Teasers — A type of parlay that lets you adjust the point spread or total in your favor in exchange for lower overall odds.
- Round robins — Multiple smaller parlays created from a group of selections, reducing risk compared to one large parlay.
- Reverse bets — Two “if bets” placed both ways, meaning each selection can trigger the other.
- Alternate lines — Adjusted spreads or totals that offer different risk/reward levels compared to the standard line.
- Live (in-game) bets — Wagers placed after a game has started, with odds that update in real time.
That last item on the list, live betting, is easily the most popular. You can usually make all the same wagers when live betting as you could before the game started — e.g., moneyline, point spread, totals, props, and so on. It can be challenging, though, since the odds are constantly shifting and you have to decide quickly whether or not to wager.
Best operators for beginners
Several sites make it easy for new bettors to get started with sports wagering, with lots of handy tips and guides. Here are some of my top picks for operators that are great for beginners looking to learn more about different bet types:
| Operator | Most Popular Bet Types | Why It’s Good for Beginners |
|---|---|---|
| bet365 Sportsbook | Moneyline, point spreads, totals, live betting | Known for a clean interface and wide range of markets, plus support tools in the Help Center and round-the-clock live chat that helps new bettors when questions come up. |
| BetMGM Sportsbook | Moneyline, parlays, props, futures | Offers a comprehensive Help Center that includes a Betting Guide detailing the "basics of sports betting"; also has a beginner-friendly sportsbook blog with tips about different bet types. |
| Caesars Sportsbook | Moneyline, totals, futures, props | Designed with clarity and simplicity in mind; its Help Center includes a “Getting Started” section that walks through account setup, payments, and placing your first bets. |
| FanDuel Sportsbook | Moneyline, spreads, same-game parlays, props | Features a detailed Sports Betting 101 guide that explains how to read odds, how different bet types work, and offers tips tailored to novices. |
| DraftKings Sportsbook | Moneyline, spreads, parlays, props | Also provides a How to Bet 101 section with beginner-level breakdowns of bet types, terminology, and sport-specific guides to help speed up the learning curve. |
Each of these sites also features useful responsible gambling tools that help new users set limits and manage their betting activity. These are especially great for beginners, but also worth exploring even if you’re an experienced sports bettor.
Putting it all together: Your basic sports bet guide
Understanding the different types of sports bets is the first step toward becoming a more confident and informed bettor. From moneylines and spreads to props and futures, each wager type offers its own strategy, risk level, and potential reward. Keep this basic bets guide handy as you explore Pennsylvania sportsbooks and decide which betting style fits you best.
