What Is a Money Line in Betting?

Reading Moneyline Prices

The minus side is the favourite and the number shows what you risk to win C$100. The plus side is the underdog and shows the profit on a C$100 stake. Canadiens +130 at home to the Bruins -150 means a C$50 bet on Montreal returns C$115 (C$65 profit), while C$50 on Boston returns C$83.33 (C$33.33 profit). Stakes scale linearly, so you never need to bet exactly C$100.

Convert to probability to see what you are buying. Boston -150 implies 60% (150/250), Montreal +130 implies 43.5% (100/230). The sum, 103.5%, exceeds 100 because both prices include the book's margin. Strip the vig and the market's fair estimate is roughly 58% Boston, 42% Montreal.

Moneylines dominate low-scoring sports. In hockey and baseball a single goal or run decides most games, so spreads make less sense as the main market. In basketball and football the moneyline coexists with the point spread, and heavy favourites can reach prices like -400, where the payoff (C$25 profit per C$100) rarely justifies the risk.

Two-Way vs Three-Way Lines and Line Shopping

Watch the settlement rules. A standard NHL moneyline is two-way and includes overtime and the shootout, so there is no tie. A three-way line (60-minute line) prices home, away and the regulation tie separately at better odds, but a game that goes to overtime loses both team bets. Soccer moneylines are three-way by default, with the draw as a live outcome that catches new bettors constantly.

Because moneyline prices vary more between books than spread juice does, shopping matters. The same Canadiens game might be +130 at one Ontario book and +140 at another, a difference of C$10 profit per C$100 with identical risk. Checking two or three licensed books before betting is the cheapest edge available to a casual Canadian bettor.