If you follow football with a US betting app, or watch American coverage of the Premier League or MLS, you’ll see prices like −150 and +260. That’s the moneyline, the American way of writing odds for “who wins”. Here’s how to read it, how it handles the draw, and how to convert it to the decimal prices used elsewhere.
Table of Contents
- A moneyline is a bet on who wins, with no handicap.
- Plus (+) = the profit on a 100 stake. +260 wins 260.
- Minus (−) = the stake needed to win 100. −150 means staking 150 to win 100.
- Football moneylines usually have three outcomes: home, draw, away.
- Convert to decimal: +260 → 3.60, −150 → 1.67.
Plus and minus in one picture
| Price | Meaning | $100 stake: profit | $100 stake: total back |
|---|---|---|---|
| −300 | Heavy favourite | $33.33 | $133.33 |
| −150 | Clear favourite | $66.67 | $166.67 |
| −110 | Slight favourite | $90.91 | $190.91 |
| +100 | Even money | $100 | $200 |
| +260 | Outsider | $260 | $360 |
| +700 | Long shot | $700 | $800 |
You don’t have to bet 100. The 100 is just the reference point, and everything scales. $25 at +260 wins $65. $30 at −150 wins $20.
The football twist: three-way moneylines
In American sports a game almost always ends with a winner. Football can end in a draw, so the standard soccer moneyline has three prices:
| Outcome | Moneyline | Decimal | Implied chance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home | −120 | 1.83 | 54.5% |
| Draw | +250 | 3.50 | 28.6% |
| Away | +320 | 4.20 | 23.8% |
| Total | 106.9% |
Backing the home side at −120 means losing on both a draw and an away win. It’s a 90-minute bet, so extra time and penalties don’t count. The 6.9% above 100% is the bookmaker’s margin.
Two-way alternatives
- Draw no bet: your stake comes back on a draw. Same as Asian handicap 0.
- Double chance: two outcomes in one bet, for example “home or draw”.
- To qualify / to lift the trophy: in knockout ties this includes extra time and penalties.
Converting moneyline to decimal and back
Decimal < 2.00 → minus: −100 ÷ (decimal − 1) · 1.50 → −200
More on the other formats in our guides to decimal and fractional odds.
From moneyline to probability
Minus: |odds| ÷ (|odds| + 100) · −120 → 54.5%
See odds to probability for how to remove the margin and get fair odds.
Worked examples
- Backing the favourite: $50 on the home side at −120 → profit $41.67, total back $91.67.
- Backing the draw: $20 at +250 → profit $50, total back $70.
- Backing the outsider: $20 at +320 → profit $64, total back $84.
Moneylines during the game
Live moneylines change with the score and the clock. A home side at −120 before kick-off might be −400 after an early goal, or +200 after going behind. At 0-0 late on, the draw’s plus number gets smaller minute by minute. If you’re following the live score on LiveScores24x7, the big price moves will usually match the key events on the timeline.
Moneyline vs. spread
A moneyline only asks who wins. A spread or handicap asks by how much. For a mismatch where the favourite is −400, a handicap often gives a more interesting price. Read more in football handicaps and point spreads.
FAQ
QWhat is a moneyline bet?
QWhat does +250 mean?
QWhat does −150 mean?
QWhat happens to my moneyline bet if the game is a draw?
QDoes extra time count?
