Moneyline, spread and totals

Almost every game on a sportsbook board opens with the same three markets: the moneyline, the spread and the total. They answer three different questions. Who wins? By how much? How many points or goals in all? Learn how each one pays and settles and you can read any board, from a Tuesday NHL slate to the Grey Cup. All prices below are illustrative; convert any of them with our odds converter.

Moneyline: pick the winner

The moneyline is the simplest bet. You pick a side; if it wins, you get paid at the price you took.

A C$30 bet on Winnipeg returns C$50 (C$20 profit). The same C$30 on Vancouver returns C$69 (C$39 profit). The implied probabilities add up to 103.48%; the 3.48 points over 100 are the book's overround, a margin of 3.36%. Our how to read odds guide shows the conversion step by step.

When the moneyline is the right tool:

• You think the underdog wins outright. Underdog moneylines pay the most for being right about the result alone.
• In low-scoring sports (hockey, baseball, soccer) where a one-goal or one-run game is normal, so a spread does not change much.

When it is not: backing a heavy favourite at -400 means risking 400 to win 100. One upset wipes out four wins.

Two-way or three-way?

In hockey and soccer, draws matter. Soccer's main market is three-way (home, draw, away) over 90 minutes plus stoppage time. Hockey has both:

• Standard NHL moneyline usually includes overtime and the shootout, so it is two-way.
• 60-minute or regulation line is three-way and settles at the end of the third period. A 2-2 game after 60 minutes is a draw, whatever happens in overtime.

The NHL betting guide has a worked example of how the two settle differently.

Point spread: winning by enough

The spread evens out a mismatch by giving the underdog a head start. A line of Saskatchewan -6.5 / BC +6.5 means:

• Saskatchewan bets win if Saskatchewan wins by 7 or more.
• BC bets win if BC wins, or loses by 6 or fewer.

Spreads are usually priced near -110 on both sides, because the line itself does the balancing. At -110 you stake 110 to win 100: a C$22 bet returns C$42.

Whole-number lines and the push

When the spread is a whole number, the game can land exactly on it. That is a push: no winner, stake returned.

In football, both NFL and CFL, a lot of games are decided by a field goal, so books price the half-point around 3 carefully. Buying a half-point (moving -3 to -2.5) costs a worse price, often -120 or more instead of -110. The CFL's 2026 rule change also matters here: regular-season games no longer end tied, so a spread of 0 ("pick'em") can no longer be decided by a draw.

Puck line and run line

Hockey and baseball use fixed spreads of 1.5, so the price moves instead of the line.

On the moneyline, Edmonton might be -150. On the puck line, Edmonton has to win by two, so the price flips to plus money. Late empty-net goals often decide puck lines, which makes them more volatile than they look.

Totals: over or under

A total (over/under) ignores who wins. The book sets a combined score; you bet whether the final number lands above or below it.

Whole-number totals push just like spreads: a total of 45 and a 24-21 game returns your stake. In hockey, check whether the shootout counts. Many books' rules credit the shootout winner with one goal, which turns a 3-3 game into a 4-3 total of seven; check the house rules before betting a total.

Totals also come in pieces: first period, first half, first five innings, team totals. Each one settles only on the scoring inside that segment.

Which bet when: a side-by-side

Same NHL game, three ways to back the favourite, all with a C$20 stake.

The puck line pays most because it asks for more. The 60-minute line sits between: it loses to any regulation draw, even if Edmonton wins in overtime.

Margins differ by market

A two-way market at -110 / -110 has an overround of 104.76% and a margin of 4.55%. Moneylines on lopsided games and three-way markets usually carry more. Nevada's regulator publishes the share of stakes books actually keep: 7.29% on football, 6.78% on basketball and 8.73% on hockey over the twelve months to July 2026. That gap between headline margin and real hold comes from parlays, props and where the money lands. Our bookmaker margin guide explains how to measure it on any line.

Settlement rules to check

Before betting, read the book's rules for:

• Overtime and extra innings. Included in most moneylines, spreads and totals; excluded from regulation markets.
• Postponements. Many books void a bet if the game is not played within a set window.
• Baseball pitchers. Some markets settle "action" regardless of starters; others void if a listed pitcher does not start.
• Pushes inside parlays. A pushed leg usually drops out and the parlay pays on the rest; our parlays guide shows the maths.

Provincial products publish the same kinds of rules: Sport Select lists Pro-Line, point spread and over/under as separate bet types, and Mise-o-jeu sets its own settlement terms.

Where to go next

Turn single bets into combinations in parlays explained, or go sport by sport in the NFL, NBA and CFL guides. Live markets on the hockey and football pages update with the board. Keep stakes inside a budget you set in advance; our bankroll guide shows how, and responsible gambling lists help in your province.