Line Betting Term Meaning

The line betting market is essentially the same as handicap betting in the UK. The bookmaker will set a line margin that the favourite has to win by, thus effectively making the match result even. 

This means you can back a team and they do not necessarily have to win for the bet to pay out. The opposite also applies, however, in that you can bet on the line for a certain team and they might win but you still lose the wager.

Line bets are offered by most major online bookmakers including bet365, Paddy Power and Betfair. In order to eliminate the possibility of a draw, bookies will offer half goals or half points, leaving a straightforward two-way betting market.

In order to place a line bet, you’ll need to pick a team to start the game with either a positive or a negative handicap. The team that’s favourite to win the match will always start with a negative handicap whereas the underdog will be given a positive handicap. For example:

The line for this match is set at 37.5 points. Richmond are heavy favourites, so they are -37.5 points. Basically, this means at kick-off, they are starting with a 37.5 point handicap or you can say Carlton are starting with a 37.5 point head start (advantage). 

If you place a line bet on Carlton, they need to win by 38 points or more for the bet to pay out. Any winning margin less, you will lose the bet. You can bet on Richmond, if they win or lose by 37 points or less, your wager wins. A defeat by 38+ points and the bet loses.

If you’ve found a few games that are going to be extremely close to call then line bet multiples can increase your odds. You’ll have the safety net of your team finishing within a certain number of points rather than winning the game outright. We’ve included a treble to give you an insight into the possible odds:

The total odds combined are @9.30 which means a £20 bet would return £186.05. As you can see, it’s possible to create some decent multiples with high odds.

Bookmakers such as Ladbrokes allow punters to create their own bets using the #GetAPrice and #RequestABet hashtags on Twitter. If you fancy a line bet that isn’t listed on the site just use your account to send a tweet and odds will be created for your desired market.