Betting Strategy: Money Line Dogs

Each weekend, sports bettors work hard to identify winning edges and soft lines. Some bettors grow impatient and aren’t entirely satisfied with laying $330 to win $300, for example. They think about maximizing a small wager into a large, quick profit. While you can do this in the stock market, such as turning a penny stock into an outstanding profit, it still doesn’t happen overnight. It takes many months and even years to do this. But sports betting can offer investors the opportunity to double and even quadruple their money in a few hours each weekend.

This is possible with parlays and money line dogs. However, let me throw some caution into those consumed with a quick profit. Parlays are extremely difficult and sports books make a terrific return on bettors who ante up for three, four and five team parlays by players looking to hit the mother lode in one pro football Sunday. It’s tough enough to hit one game correctly against the spread, never mind a perfect three-for-three. Other times, bettors will identify an underdog that they think has a chance of winning the game outright, so they take a shot with the money line. For example, on Saturday South Carolina was a 7-point dog at rival Clemson, with a money line return of +180. If you put $100 on the Gamecocks to win the game, that investment was almost doubled into $180 pay day when South Carolina won the contest, 31-28.

But this is not easy to do, especially on a regular basis because oddsmakers are very good at what they do. Just check out how many games land right around the number each week or how spreads are often decided right up until the final play. Duke was a home dog to North Carolina Saturday and covered. But if you had them on the money-line at +220, it would have been tough to swallow watching them blow an extra point that would have forced OT on the final play.

If you identify a dog that you think has a shot at winning the game straight up, it’s a good wagering strategy to take the points and then place a smaller amount on the money line. This way, in the Duke example, you would win $100, for example, on the Blue Devils covering at +7, and lost a money-line wager of about $30. You still turn a profit. And there will be days when you win both bets to increase your bankroll even more. That covers both bases and doesn’t leave you out in the cold hoping for a huge payday with an all-or-nothing play on the money line dog.

You’ll notice I’ve been discussing wagering on money line dogs. What about playing money line favorites? As a general rule, don’t do it. Remember: You’re not going to win every bet and even the big favorites are no sure thing. The idea in sports betting is to carefully grind out a profit on a slow and consistent basis. Betting with your head and being smart increasing your bankroll on a slow, careful grind is the way to approach sports wagering, and not by putting large chunks on one or two big favorites. Be smart and manage your money carefully.

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