The day of sitting back and watching your favorite team while placing a bet on that to win has come and gone with the world of sports betting growing. Now you can bet on multiple teams or what player will catch the first touchdown. Now you can still bet on a team to win either straight up or versus a spread. This type of betting is called a straight bet. Straight bets are a bet where you bet on a single game against a point spread, puck line, game total or money line.

Straight bet is where you place your money on a specific team to overcome a point spread to win.

Spread Straight Bet Example: Dallas Cowboys - 7 (-110) VS New York Giants +7 (-110)

Your Pick: Dallas Cowboys You have to bet $110 to win $100

So this means you choose the Dallas Cowboys to win by more then 7 points while betting $110 to win $100. If the Cowboys win 14-6 you would win $100 now if they win 14-7 it’s a push and no one wins.

Even Spread Straight Bet Example: Miami Heat (-110) Vs Chicago Bulls (-110)

Your Pick: Miami Heat You have to bet $110 to win $100

So you choose the Miami Heat to win against the Chicago Bulls against no spread. All the Miami Heat has to do is win. You have to bet $110 to win $100.

Over/Under Straight Bet Example: Baltimore Ravens VS Pittsburgh Steelers Total:35(-110)

Your Pick: Over You have to bet $110 to win $100

Your bet is on over so for you to win the combine score between the Ravens and Steelers has to be 36 or more points. You have to bet $110 to win $100.

Other straight bets include betting a puck line in hockey or a run line in baseball similar to point spread. So in hockey a pick with a -1 means that team has to win by 2 goals while in baseball the team has to win by 2 runs.

While you can also place a money line bet this is where you have to bet say $200 to win $100 on a team that would normally be heavily favored to win. While it would cost you $100 to pick the team that isn’t as good to win $200.