It adds immeasurably to your enjoyment if you are familiar with the different types of bets that can be placed. You can then choose the bet that suits your appetite for risk as well as your pocket. While these bets are common in the USA, many online sports books will offer you the same opportunities.
Proposition bets. These are bets that involve a specific proposition. The proposition could be the number of goals that will be scored by each team or whether a particular player on one side will score more hits than a particular player on the other side.
Parlays. Parlays are bets that are made on multiple game results (anything up to 12 games) and pay much higher odds because of the high risk involved. If you are wrong on even one result, you lose your bet. For example, if you bet that four different teams are going to win and they oblige, you could receive odds of up to 10:1. But, even if one of these four teams loses, you receive nothing.
Progressive Parlay. Like a regular parlay, this involves betting on the results of multiple games up to 12 games. Unlike a parley, however, you will receive a reduced payout even if some of your teams lose.
Teaser. A teaser bet will often allow you to place a single maxim99 on the result of two games and adjust the points spread. Because of the point spread flexibility, you will receive a lower payout.
Line bets. These can be based on runs, pucks, points or goals depending on the game. The bookmakers fix a spread that, in theory, makes the favorite and the underdog equal and encourages betting on both teams. For instance, the run line in a football game may look something like this:
Washington Redskins -7 -110
San Francisco 49ers +7 +120
This means that if the Redskins win by more than seven points, you win $100 for a bet of $110. On the other hand if you bet the 49ers and they lose by less than seven points, you will win $120 for a bet of $100.
Futures. Naturally, all sports bets are on future outcomes but futures bets can be placed on fixtures that are weeks or months away. For instance, you can place bets right now for the next Super Bowl.
Head to head betting. In this form of betting, you bet on one player against another regardless of the outcome of the game. An example is Formula One racing where you can bet on two or three drivers and their places in the overall standing. You can also bet that two drivers will fail to finish or be disqualified.
