Taken to a single game, "How is the moneyline determined?" splits into three questions. Three bet types carry most of the action on team sports: the point spread, the moneyline and the over under total. Each asks a different question about the same game. What the spread asks is by how much, the moneyline asks who wins, and the total asks how many points both sides score together. Reading all three makes most of a betting menu plain.
A point spread is a handicap that levels two uneven sides. What a point spread means in practice: the favourite gives points and the underdog gets them, so a favourite at minus seven must win by eight or more for its backers to collect. How point spread betting works for the underdog is the reverse: it covers by losing by six or fewer, or by winning outright. Both sides usually carry similar prices near 1.91, so the margin sits in the gap below evens.
A moneyline is a straight bet on who wins, with no points involved. What a moneyline means is simply the price on each side to win the game. How the moneyline is determined follows the rule of any price: an estimate of each side's chance, plus the margin. Moneyline bets work best where the result is close to even; a heavy favourite pays so little that one upset erases many wins. A moneyline 3 way market adds the draw as a third outcome.
Whether both sides together score more or less than the line the book sets, regardless of which team wins.
The favourite gives points and the underdog gets them, so a favourite at minus seven must win by eight or more to cover.
A line such as 45 can land exactly, and when the combined score equals it the bet pushes and the stake comes back.
A minus sign marks the favourite and the points it gives, a plus marks the underdog and the points it receives.
A moneyline market that adds the draw as a third outcome alongside a win for either side.
None beats the margin by design; each carries a similar cut, and a price is good only when the true chance exceeds the implied one.