Types of Sports Bets Explained: Complete Guide to All Betting Types

The moneyline is the most straightforward bet type available on any sportsbook: you pick which team or player wins the match, with no point handicap involved.

In American odds format, the favourite is listed with a negative number and the underdog with a positive number. For example, if Team A is priced at -150, you must wager INR 150 to win INR 100. If Team B is listed at +130, a INR 100 bet returns INR 130 in profit. The favourite carries a lower payout because it is expected to win. The underdog offers a higher return to compensate for the greater risk.

To calculate a moneyline payout:

• Favourite: divide 100 by the odds (ignoring the minus sign), then multiply by your stake;
• Underdog: divide the odds by 100, then multiply by your stake.

Moneyline betting is most effective in sports with clear binary outcomes: cricket (match winner markets), tennis (set or match winner), and UFC bouts. In formats like Test cricket or NBA regular season games, moneyline odds shift significantly depending on team form, injury reports, and venue conditions.

Point spread betting introduces a virtual handicap to level the competition between two unevenly matched sides, making both outcomes roughly equal in probability.

The sportsbook sets a spread, for example -6.5 for the favourite. To cover the spread, the favourite must win by 7 or more points. The underdog covers the spread by either winning outright or losing by fewer than 7 points. Both sides of the bet are typically priced at -110 in American odds, meaning you stake INR 110 to win INR 100.

The phrase “covering the spread” is central to how outcomes are settled:

• If you back the favourite at -6.5 and they win by exactly 6 points, the bet loses;
• If you back the underdog at +6.5 and they lose by 5 points, the bet wins.

Point spreads are most commonly used in NFL American football and NBA basketball, where final score margins tend to be larger and more predictable. In India, spread-style formats also appear in T20 cricket run line markets, where a team may be handicapped by a set number of runs.

Totals betting removes the question of which team wins entirely. You wager on whether the combined final score of both teams will be over or under a number set by the sportsbook.

For example, a sportsbook sets the total for an IPL match at 330.5 runs. If you bet the over and the combined run total exceeds 330, the bet wins. If the total falls below 330, the under wins. A half-point on the total (.5) eliminates the possibility of a push (a tie result that returns your stake).

Key factors that influence totals outcomes include:

• Pitch conditions and weather for cricket, since damp or spin-friendly surfaces suppress scoring;
• Pace of play and team batting order for T20 cricket;
• Starting lineup and fatigue levels in football and basketball;
• Venue altitude and surface type in tennis.

Payout calculation mirrors the moneyline format. At standard -110 odds on both sides, a INR 110 bet on the over or under returns INR 100 in profit on a win. Totals are widely available across cricket, football, basketball, and tennis markets on Indian sportsbooks.

A parlay combines two or more individual bets into a single wager. All selections must win for the parlay to pay out. A single loss on any leg voids the entire ticket.

The appeal of parlays is exponential payout potential. A 3-leg parlay at -110 odds on each leg returns approximately +595 on a winning ticket. A 5-leg parlay at the same odds can return over +2,300. These figures explain why parlays attract recreational bettors looking for large returns from small stakes.

The risk scales equally with the reward. Each additional leg reduces the probability of the full parlay winning:

• A 2-leg parlay at 50% probability per leg has a 25% chance of winning;
• A 4-leg parlay under the same conditions has only a 6.25% chance.

For India players betting on cricket, football, and kabaddi, sportsbooks like Betway, 1xBet, and Parimatch support parlays across multiple sports within a single ticket. Our team recommends limiting parlay legs to 3-4 selections and avoiding heavy favourites priced below -200, as the reduced odds contribute minimally to the payout while still requiring a correct outcome.

A same game parlay (SGP) allows you to combine multiple bet selections from a single match into one multi-leg wager, rather than drawing from separate games.

For example, in an IPL match, an SGP might include: Virat Kohli to score 50+ runs, Royal Challengers Bengaluru to win, and the total to go over 340. All three outcomes must occur for the SGP to pay. Because these outcomes can be correlated (a high-scoring Kohli innings increases both his run total and his team’s overall score), sportsbooks apply adjusted odds to account for statistical dependency between legs.

Correlated markets are a key distinction between SGPs and standard parlays. Sportsbooks typically cap correlated selections to avoid extreme liability, which is why certain combinations are restricted.

Popular SGP combinations among Indian bettors include:

• Match winner combined with top run scorer;
• Total runs over combined with a specific player reaching a milestone;
• First team to reach 100 runs combined with match handicap.

SGPs have grown popular among recreational bettors because they tie enhanced emotional engagement to a single match without requiring multiple live events to run simultaneously.

A teaser bet lets you shift the point spread or total line in your favour across two or more selections, in exchange for reduced odds on each leg.

In NFL betting, a standard 6-point teaser allows you to move the line 6 points on each selection. If Team A is favoured by -8.5 and you include them in a 6-point teaser, your new spread becomes -2.5. The improvement in line position makes the bet easier to win, but the sportsbook compensates by lowering the payout.

A 2-team 6-point teaser in NFL is typically priced between -110 and -120, depending on the sportsbook. Teasers are exclusively multi-team wagers: you cannot apply a teaser to a single selection. All legs must win for the teaser to pay.

Line movement benefits in a teaser:

• Moving a spread across a key number in NFL (3 or 7 points) significantly increases win probability;
• Shifting a total away from a common landing point (such as 44 or 51 in NFL) reduces the chance of an unfavourable exact result.

Teasers are most effective in NFL and NBA, and are available on internationally licensed sportsbooks used in India, including Bet365 and Betway.

A pleaser bet operates as the direct inverse of a teaser: instead of moving the line in your favour, you move it against yourself in exchange for substantially higher odds.

For example, if Team A is favoured by -3.5 in NFL, a 6-point pleaser moves your spread to -9.5. You now need the favourite to win by 10 or more points instead of 4. The same movement applies to every leg in the bet, making each selection considerably harder to cover.

The payoff for this added difficulty is a sharply elevated payout. A 2-team 6-point pleaser can pay out at approximately +600 or higher, compared to near-even money on a comparable teaser.

Bettors choose pleasers for specific strategic reasons:

• They have identified matchups where they expect dominant winning margins;
• They are targeting one large-payout ticket rather than consistent small returns;
• They are using pleasers to hedge or offset losses on an existing position.

The probability of winning a pleaser is significantly lower than a standard parlay, and sportsbooks hold a higher edge on these wagers. Pleasers are available on select international platforms, though not universally offered across all books used by Indian bettors.

A round robin bet takes a group of selections and automatically generates every possible parlay combination from that group, distributing your stake across all combinations simultaneously.

For example, if you select 3 teams (A, B, C) for a round robin of 2-team parlays, the bet produces 3 separate 2-leg parlays: A+B, A+C, and B+C. Each parlay is a standalone bet. If Team A loses but B and C both win, the B+C parlay still pays out.

This structure provides built-in partial coverage that a single parlay cannot offer:

• A 3-team round robin with INR 300 total stake places INR 100 on each of 3 parlays;
• If only 2 of 3 selections win, 1 of 3 parlays succeeds, partially offsetting total losses;
• If all 3 selections win, all 3 parlays pay, delivering the maximum return.

Round robins are most useful when you have strong conviction on multiple outcomes but want protection against a single miss eliminating your entire ticket. The total stake is higher than a single parlay, so bettors must budget accordingly. Available across major cricket, football, and basketball markets on international sportsbooks licensed for Indian players.

An if bet links two or more wagers in sequence, where the second bet is only placed if the first bet wins. The bets are conditional: a loss on the first leg stops the chain entirely.

For example, you place an if bet with INR 1,000 on Match A. If Match A wins, the full proceeds roll into a INR 1,000 bet on Match B. If Match A loses, no money is wagered on Match B. This structure limits exposure when your opening selection fails.

A reverse bet is a two-way if bet. It creates two if bets running in opposite directions simultaneously: an if bet from A to B and a second if bet from B to A. Both conditions are active at once.

Key differences between the two formats:

• An if bet is one-directional and requires less total capital;
• A reverse bet covers both outcomes in sequence and costs double the stake of a single if bet;
• Reverse bets pay the maximum return when both selections win, but also cost more when both lose.

If bets are most useful when you want to manage risk across back-to-back matches on the same day. Reverse bets suit bettors who want full two-way coverage and are comfortable with the higher combined stake.

Player prop bets are tied to individual athlete performance metrics rather than to which team wins or loses the match.

Common player prop markets include:

• Runs scored in cricket (e.g., batter to score over 49.5 runs);
• Wickets taken by a bowler (e.g., over/under 1.5 wickets);
• Points and assists in NBA basketball;
• Goals scored or shots on target in football;
• Receiving yards or passing touchdowns in NFL.

Sportsbooks set player prop lines based on a combination of season averages, recent form, matchup history, and injury status. For example, a batter’s run line in an IPL match adjusts based on pitch conditions, opposition bowling attack, and that batter’s last 5 innings output. Lines are moved further if significant betting volume arrives on one side, which signals sharp action.

Factors to analyse before placing player props:

• Opposition bowler/defender quality in the specific role matching up against the player;
• Venue statistics for the individual player (e.g., a batter’s average at Wankhede vs. Chinnaswamy Stadium);
• Current form over the last 10 competitive appearances;
• Playing time confirmation, since DNP (did not play) outcomes result in a void or loss depending on sportsbook rules.

Team prop bets focus on collective team performance metrics that are not directly linked to the final score or match result.

Common team prop markets include:

• Team total runs in a single innings (IPL first innings over/under);
• First team to score in a football match;
• Number of corners awarded to a specific team;
• Total boundaries hit by a batting side in T20 cricket;
• Time of possession percentage in football.

These markets are distinct from standard match lines because they isolate one dimension of team performance. A team can win a cricket match decisively and still fail to cover a team total if wickets fall early and the innings collapses to 140 runs.

Factors to consider when assessing team props:

• Team batting or bowling lineup composition and depth;
• Opposition defensive structure (relevant for football corners and possession markets);
• Weather and pitch data for cricket team totals;
• Historical team totals at the specific venue over the last 12 months.

Team props offer additional entry points into a match beyond the win/loss market and are widely available on licensed platforms including 10CRIC, Betway India, and Bet365 for Indian bettors.