Before you place a bet on your favorite fight to win his next fight you need to check out the betting line. There are two fighters in a match, on betting sites each will have a number next to their name. These numbers have a plus or negative sign next to their names. So what does this mean for you? These numbers are called the moneyline also referred to as the line. They are the payout odds of each of fighter in the fight. The fighter who has a negative symbol is favored to win the fight. The fighter with the plus sign is expected to be the loser. The number next to the negative sign is the amount of money you have to bet in order to $100. For example if a fighter has -125 next to his name, you have to wager $125 to win $100.
The number next to the plus sign is the amount of money you will win if you place a place a bet of $100. So if the projected loser has +125 next to his name, you will win $125 for ever $100 you bet. Remember that you do not have to place bets in increments of $100. Every sports book has different requirements for minimum bets so be sure to check with them for each event as the minimum can change.
There is a really easy formula you need to know to calculate the percentage a fighter is favored to win or loose. For the favorite: Winning amount/ (winning amount + $1) = percentage. For the expected loser: 1/ winning amount + 1= percentage. Here is an example with fictional fighters: Mma Betting Lines Explained
Jones -400
Smith+ 300
Jones is favored to win with the line being for every $4 you bet you will win $1 so the formula will look like this: $4/ ($4+$1) or 4/5= .8 or 80%. Smith is favored to loose the formula is: 1/$3+$1 so 1/4= 25%
The total percentage is 105%. The extra 5% goes to the sports book as profit.
The trick to being a successful MMA gambler is identifying when you think a fighter has a greater chance at winning than the sports book does. If you think that a fighter has a 40% chance to win but the sports book only thinks if is a 30%, well you may have just discovered an opportunity. The best way to do this is to watch fights, study the fighters, know their strengths and weaknesses and shop around for the best payout on the line. Remember that is why you set up accounts at a few different sites. If you learn from your mistakes and understand that upsets do occur, you know it you will have all the information that you need to tell when a fight has better odds than the sports book thinks. Mma Betting Lines Explained
Mma Betting Lines Explained - Understanding Lines and Odds
