There are countless online sports betting portals that allow any avid sports fan to jump into the action and place bets on sports books favorites or underdogs.   Indeed, it seems that the internet is overflowing with sports books bookmakers, just waiting to place your wager.  And the different types of online sports betting options are just as numerous.

No matter the online portal that you visit, there are some steps common to any one of them that you would take once you’ve joined your preferred sports book.  Here’s a primer:

To Place A Wager

First, you would need to drill down to select the sport of your choice from the lines available.  Then, you would select the game that you would like to bet on.  Following that selection, you would select the bet type.  At this point, the sports book would in all probability walk you through the rest of the process to confirm and finalize your wager.

Take special note for baseball bettors:  when selecting baseball teams, you’ll have two choices.  If you want action, choose a money line.  This means that you will have to bet no matter which pitchers begin the game.  The odds by differ if a pitcher is changed. If you want listed pitchers, click on the team’s pitcher – this means that the two pitchers that are scheduled to pitch have to throw the initial pitch of the game for their respective teams in order for you to have action.

Before you place your first wager, make sure that you understand not just the bet and the odds, but also the online sportsbook at which you’re playing.

Here are some different types of wagers available while online betting:

Straight wager:

The team that you bet on must win by the point spread given at the time of the wager. Unless otherwise noted, For straight wagers, the odds are $1.10 to win $1.00. Games that tie are generally considered “no action” and money is re-deposited back into your account.  Keep in mind that due to changing events, any give point spread can fluctuate at any time, so to update current odds, just refresh your internet browser.

Example of  a straight wager:

Bettor wagers $110.00 on Miami -7 to beat Buffalo +7

If Miami wins by more than 7 points, the bettor wins $100.00 so the total payout including the initial wager would be $210.00. If Miami only wins by 7 points then the game is considered “no action” and all money is returned to the bettor. If Miami happens to wins by less than 7 points, the wager is lost.

Money line wager:

In this type of bet, the team wagered on simply has to win the game. The amount you bet or collect for each game may vary.  The money line that is read at the exact time of your wager is the money line that you’ll keep regardless of any line movement or fluctuations during the game.

Example of a money line wager:

The bettor wagers on Miami -160 at Buffalo +140.

If Miami wins, the bettor would bet $160.00 to win $100.00. If the bettor wagered on Buffalo, the bettor would wager $100.00 to win $140.00.

Also, know that each sports has certain online wagering rules specific to that game.  For example, for wagering purposes, a game isn’t considered official in football until 55 minutes of play has expired.  In basketball, 43 minutes needs to elapse in the professional division, and 35 minutes for college ball.