Sports betting is one of the most popular sorts of gambling throughout the world because of all the different sports that can be bet on. There are different types of bets that can be made and it can seem very overwhelming for the first time sports bettor. However, I will outline below each bet that can be made and how it does not have to be as overwhelming as it may seem. The three most common types of bets are money line, spread, and over/under. These bets apply to almost every sport and are very easy to understand.

The money line bet is simply picking a team to win a game. You do not have to worry about how many, just the fact that they come away with a win is all you care about. People like the simplicity of this bet. While these bets may be easier, they also may not pay out as much as other bets. If you bet on a heavy favorite the return might only be a 1/3 of what your original bet was. So even though the money line can be a very easy bet, the payout might not be worth the trouble.
Another type of bet in the over/under bet, this bet is simply picking whether the combined score of both teams will go over or under the designated number. The teams combined score would have to be less than or equal to 194 points to cover the under bet. If both teams combined for 195, then that is considered a push and you receive your original wager back.
Totals are very popular to the sports bettor because even if the game is a blowout and the spread is no longer in question, more often than not the total is still in play. Totals are the main reason why the ratings on Monday Night Football don’t decline in the 4th quarter when one team is winning 31-7 in a blowout. If the total is greater than or equal 38 there is still another bet to be decided for the gamblers.
The last and most popular form of betting is the spread bet. This bet involves the bookmaker deciding how much better each team is by assigning a point value separating the teams. The most common sport you will see a point spread is in football and basketball. For instance, the Steelers are playing the Patriots in Pittsburgh and the spread is -4 for Pittsburgh. This means that the bookmakers believe that the Steelers should win by 4 points.