How to read a sportsbook screenshot
Most sportsbook boards show each game as two rows, one per team, with three columns, spread, moneyline and total. The big number is the line. The smaller number next to it is the price, which sets the payout.
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Worked example
To start, the box below is filled in with Hawks -3.5 -110. This starting line is the Hawks spread from the made-up board below, 3.5-point favorites at a price of -110. The box is editable: type any line, or tap one under the card, and the explanation updates.
Hawks −3.5: Hawks must win by 4 points or more.
What it means
3.5 points are taken off Hawks' final score (the favorite gives up points). The other side of this bet is the opponent at +3.5, which wins on any result other than a 4+ point win for Hawks.
Scenarios
| If… | Hawks −3.5 | Opponent +3.5 |
|---|---|---|
| Hawks win by 7 points | Win | Loss |
| Hawks win by 2 points | Loss | Win |
| Hawks lose by 2 points | Loss | Win |
The numbers
Hawks −3.5 −110
- Implied probability
- 52.38%
- Decimal
- 1.91
- American
- −110
- Per 100 staked
- returns 190.91 (profit 90.91)
Watch out for
The spread isn't the price. In Hawks −3.5 −110, −3.5 is the points and −110 is the odds. A minus spread means that team is the favorite.
Learn more: Point spread guide
Common lines to try
A made-up example board
This board is invented for this guide. It isn’t copied from any real sportsbook, and the teams don’t exist. Real layouts differ in colours and order, but most show the same three markets for each game.
| Team | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riverside Hawks | −3.5 (−110) | −170 | O 44.5 (−110) |
| Lakeview Bears | +3.5 (−110) | +145 | U 44.5 (−110) |
Reading each part
- The two rows are one game. One team is at home. US boards usually list the away team first and the home team second. Soccer boards do it the other way round: home team first. The board’s own labels are the thing to go by.
- Spread: −3.5 (−110). The big number is the point spread. The Hawks are favored by 3.5 points, so they have to win by 4 or more. The Bears get +3.5: they win the bet if they win the game, or lose by 3 or fewer. The number in brackets is the price. At −110 you stake 110 to win 100.
- Moneyline: −170 and +145. A bet on who wins, with no head start. The price is all there is. −170 means stake 170 to win 100; +145 means a 100 stake wins 145. More in the moneyline guide.
- Total: O 44.5 / U 44.5 (−110). One line for the whole game: both teams’ points added together. O is over (45 or more), U is under (44 or fewer). More in the over/under guide.
The same board outside the US might show decimal odds instead: −110 becomes 1.91 and +145 becomes 2.45. The odds converter shows all three formats.
Other things you may see
- Date and start time of the game, usually above or beside the two rows.
- ML, O/U, PK or EVEN: short for moneyline, over/under, pick’em (a spread of 0) and evens (+100).
- A greyed-out or missing price: the market is paused or closed for now, for example during a live game.
- Changing numbers: lines can move before and during a game. A screenshot shows the line at one moment only.
The numbers on this board
Each pair of prices adds up to more than 100% in implied probability. The extra is the bookmaker’s margin.
| Market | Sum | Margin |
|---|---|---|
| Spread: −110 / −110 | 104.76% | 4.76% |
| Moneyline: −170 / +145 | 103.78% | 3.78% |
| Total: −110 / −110 | 104.76% | 4.76% |
The why −110 guide explains why −110 shows up on both sides so often.
Common misreadings
- The two numbers in the spread box are two different bets.
- −3.5 (−110) is one bet. −3.5 is the spread and −110 is its price.
- O 44.5 is the Hawks' total and U 44.5 is the Bears' total.
- The total is one line for the whole game, both teams combined. Over is shown on one row and under on the other only to save space.
- The team on top is the favorite.
- The order is about home and away, not who's favored. The minus sign marks the favorite.