A money line is just a fancy way of saying odds for a sports event. Like any other odds, a money line is a ratio: what you bet to what you get paid. The only confusing part about the money line is remembering the amount $100, because it’s not listed with the odds, it’s only implied. The following is an example of a money line listing that could count for any sport:

–200 Lakers
+260 Clippers

In this instance, the Lakers are favored to win against the Clippers. The Lakers are listed at –200 (you would say they are “minus two hundred”), which means that bettors must bet $200 in order to win $100. That’s just a ratio; you don’t actually have to bet that much. You could bet any amount you wanted to and it would be calculated the same way: $2 bet for every $1 won.

The weaker team - the Clippers - is listed at +260. Again the $100 is implied. But for the underdogs, the implied $100 is the amount you bet, not the amount you win. If you bet $100 on the Clippers and win, you get paid $260 or 2.6 to 1. Again, you need not actually bet that much; it’s just a ratio. If you bet $25, you get paid $65 (2.6 X $25) for a win. The casino makes a profit because it takes in more money from the losing bettor than it pays to the winning bettor.

A common misconception is that the money line reflects the actual difference between the strength of the two teams. In reality, the line reflects how casinos think the public will bet. In a money line wager, whether the game is close or a blowout doesn’t matter. The only factor that counts is which side wins.

Money-line bets are most common in baseball, boxing, soccer, and hockey. Baseball betting lines, for example, look something like this when they appear in the newspaper:
Oakland 6:5 Florida

Oakland is the home team and the favorite. The first number (6) means you need to bet $6 in order to win $5 on the favorite. The second number (5) means you need to risk $5 to win $5 on the underdog.