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How to bet on the Blue Jays: Moneyline, totals and player props

All eyes are on Major League Baseball in the summer.

This gives the sport plenty of attention from both a viewership and a betting standpoint. There are, of course, other events to bet on throughout the summer but there’s less competition compared to when all the Big 4 North American major sports are going and you have to prioritize what to spend your bankroll on.

-> New to MLB wagering? Sign up at NorthStar Bets to get the latest odds, insights and betting tools throughout the season.

For Toronto fans, that gives you plenty of time to indulge in baseball and familiarize yourself with how to bet on the Blue Jays, which we will walk you through below.

How to bet on the Blue Jays

There are many betting markets available to you when the Blue Jays play, which is nearly every day over a six-month stretch. You can wager on whether the Blue Jays will win or lose, how many runs they will score, or whether a player will go deep. And that’s just to start.

You’ll have hundreds of additional options at sportsbooks like NorthStar Bets every game. It will give you a good opportunity to find a betting market you feel confident wagering on regardless of if you want to stay away from the actual outcome of the contest.

-> Before you get started, create your NorthStar Bets account to explore live odds and daily Blue Jays markets.

-> Before you get started, create your NorthStar Bets account to explore live odds and daily Blue Jays markets.

No matchup is the same in any sport and that’s especially true in baseball. That’s because the quality of the starting pitcher holds so much weight in determining the odds. The opponent, ballpark, and health of the roster are among the other areas that should factor into who and what you elect to bet on.

We’ll take a look at the common markets and offer strategies on how to find the best value when betting on the Blue Jays.

Moneyline

Let’s start with the moneyline, which is one of the most straightforward ways to make a bet. You simply wager on which team you think will win with no strings attached. That’s it.

If the Blue Jays play the Chicago White Sox, the matchup wouldn’t be even — therefore, the odds wouldn’t be even. Each club, as a result, has odds based on its win probability.

The Blue Jays are favourites or underdogs for every game they play. Favourites have a minus (-) sign before their odds. The underdog, meanwhile, has a plus (+) marker.

In the Jays versus White Sox example, Toronto would likely be a heavy favourite in most head-to-head matchups. Even more so if it was at home with one of its better pitchers on the mound.

-> Want to see current MLB moneyline prices? Check the latest at NorthStar Bets

Assuming you believe the Blue Jays will win, you have to decide whether they’re worth taking on the moneyline. Let’s figure that out.

How to bet on the Blue Jays moneyline

Remember that odds will change greatly depending on the starting pitchers. For this matchup, let’s say Jose Berrios is Toronto’s starter, which would make the Blue Jays a heavy favourite against nearly any pitcher the White Sox deployed.

Here’s a quick example of how those odds would look.

Blue Jays (-240) vs. White Sox (+195)

Those odds tell you what your potential earnings would be if you won your bet and the implied probability of each team’s chances of winning that contest, both things that are important when determining which team to bet on.

Odds	Wager	Win	Probability
-240	$240	$100	70.59%
+195	$100	$195	33.90%

Upsets happen in baseball every night, so you need to determine if that’s a price you are willing to pay to back the Blue Jays even though you’ve established you believe they will win. The short answer to that should be no because the risk outweighs the reward when it comes to betting on the Blue Jays moneyline.

Why? Because upsets happen and spending $240 to win $100 is not a great return on investment.

But since you don’t believe the White Sox will win, they don’t make a great play either despite having a strong ROI. That doesn’t mean you don’t have any options to bet on the outcome of the game. It just means that the moneyline isn’t the right bet for you.

We’ll provide a couple of other moneyline examples since Toronto isn’t going to be a heavy favourite like that every game.

In an even pitching matchup against a comparable team like the St. Louis Cardinals, the odds would be more similar. The favourite could come down to which team is at home. On the road against Chris Sale and the Atlanta Braves, Toronto would certainly be an underdog. Let’s look at each example.

Cardinals (+110) at Blue Jays (-130)
Blue Jays (+100) at Cardinals (-120)
Blue Jays (+140) at Braves (-155)

The Blue Jays could be a good play in all three of those scenarios. At -155, the Braves are already creeping into low value. No matter how good Sale is, Atlanta isn’t going to win every game he starts. If Toronto has a solid pitcher going, there is good value here at +140 for a strong offensive team.

Knowing when to strike and when to pass is critical to achieving success. We’ll look at a way you could wager on Toronto to win that White Sox game in our next section, which focuses on how to bet on the Blue Jays run line.

Run line betting

The run line is like the puck line in hockey. In other words, it’s baseball’s version of the point spread. The run line is a way to bet on a team to win against a handicap rather than straight up. It requires a team to win or lose by a small amount.

The run line is typically 1.5 and would require the favourite to win by at least two runs. It would also give the underdog a one-run cushion. That means it could lose the game as long as it wasn’t by more than one run and you would still win your bet.

-> Ready to try run line betting? Join NorthStar Bets and explore live, moving lines daily.

Betting on the Blue Jays to beat the White Sox, it would become a lot more appealing with a handicap set. Toronto’s odds of winning this bet would drop at -1.5, so instead of taking the team on the ML at -240, you could get the Blue Jays on the run line at around -125.

Bo Bichette led the AL in hits in 2021 and 2022. Photo by Cole Burston/The Canadian Press.

Tacking on just one extra run for Toronto to win by would nearly double your return on every $100 spent.

This would provide a significantly better return on your investment. It’s wise to turn to the run line when the moneyline lacks value.

For a good club like the Blue Jays, you will likely find the run line to be the better and more profitable play when they are playing bottom-feeder teams.

You can also select to bet on alternative run lines. While the 1.5 run line reduced the juice (the cut you are paying to the sportsbook to place your wager) you’d pay on the moneyline, with the odds going from -240 to -125, you could get a favourite at plus-money odds by backing them at an even greater handicap.

If you’re confident in the Jays handling Chicago, you could take Toronto -2.5 and the odds would then change to something like +160. The Blue Jays would then have to win by three runs or more for your bet to cash.

First five innings betting

Betting on a portion of a game is popular in many sports, and very much so in baseball. This is often done by wagering on the beginning chunk of the game and is known as first five (F5) betting.

What does it mean? You wager on who you think will be in the lead after five innings. You can place a moneyline or run line bet under this scenario, and you can also wager on the total. Your bet is only tied to those first five innings, so it wouldn’t matter how the game unfolds after that.

Why the first five? Because the bet, in theory, is tied to the starting pitchers. It attempts to strip out what happens later in the game when the bullpens get involved.

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The starting pitchers largely determine which team is favoured. You place your pregame bets knowing who will be on the mound but you have no certainty on which pitchers will follow them in relief.

A shaky bullpen can not only waste a strong performance by the starting pitcher but it can also cost you your bet. You may love Manoah to excel in a particular matchup but even if he does, a late-game meltdown by the bullpen could prevent your bet from cashing if you backed Toronto on the moneyline.

Instead, you could elect to bet Toronto to win the first five innings while you have more certainty on who’s pitching.

You could also fade teams under this scenario. If you suspect a starting pitcher is going to do poorly, you could place an F5 bet against his team. The Blue Jays were fifth in MLB in 2022 in runs per game through the first five innings.

Totals

Totals are another popular way to bet on MLB. A total number of runs that the two teams have to either go over or under will be set before each contest, and you can bet on either option. Totals are typically set around 7.5-10.5. Factors that determine it include the quality of the offences and the ballpark the game is played at.

A hitter-friendly stadium hosting a matchup between two strong offences with below-average pitchers starting is going to see a high total. It could very well exceed that 10.5 number. On the contrary, good pitchers at a park that suppresses offence will have a low total, perhaps even 6.5.

You will see totals referred to as the over/under and O/U. They all mean the same thing.

A Luis Castillo vs. Kevin Gausman matchup at the Mariners’ T-Mobile Park, a park that historically hasn’t been a great offensive environment, will see a lower total than a Blue Jays vs. Orioles game in Toronto.

-> Compare totals across every Blue Jays series when you sign up for NorthStar Bets

How to bet on the Blue Jays O/U

Let’s say the O/U is set at 8.5 for that Blue Jays and Orioles game. The odds for either the over or under will be similar, but they can shade to one side. That’s the same with betting the over/under on player props, too, which we will get to in our next how to bet on the Blue Jays section.

The over might be -120 while the under comes in at +100. That’s a result of how likely the outcomes are and the type of action the sportsbook is getting.

You can also bet the O/U on a team’s total as well. This number will be set lower since it only accounts for one side’s production. Toronto’s team total would be set around 4.5 for that Orioles game.

When looking at totals, make sure to check how each team fares in that category. Many sites track a team’s over/under record. This can be a useful tool when determining which side to place your bet on.

Like the run line, you will also have the option to wager on alternative game totals as well.

Props

Props are another way to bet and involve wagering on certain games or individual outcomes that have nothing to do with the winner or loser of the contest.

For instance, you could bet on the total number of home runs Toronto will launch in a game or how many hits the two teams will record. You can also wager on specific player outcomes, like how many strikeouts Chris Bassitt will total. There will be many more options for each game.

-> Check out the latest player props every day at NorthStar Bets – from home run hitters to pitcher strike outs and more

These props, like a game total, come with a set number that allows the bettor to either make a wager on the over or under. For pitchers, these numbers will vary quite a bit from one arm to the next.

Jose Berrios joined the Blue Jays in a mid-season trade in 2021. Photo by Chris Young/The Canadian Press.

Bassitt, for instance, would have his strikeout prop number set lower than someone like Dylan Cease. Here’s an example of how each could look:

Bassitt: over 5.5 strikeouts (-135); under 5.5 strikeouts (+105)
Cease: over 7.5 strikeouts (-105); under 7.5 strikeouts (-115)

Paying attention to the opponent, how it fares against a right-handed pitcher versus a lefty, and its swing-and-miss tendencies are important when deciding whether to bet the over or under on strikeout props.

Total bases for position players follow the same O/U format. The number is usually set at 1.5 and you’d have the option to bet the over or under. For reference: a single counts as one total base, a double is two, a triple is three, and a home run is four. Walks do not count toward total bases.

So if you’re confident that George Springer will collect an extra-base hit at any point during a game, then you would want to wager on the over for that 1.5 total bases prop. Home run props for individual players are also popular.

Parlays and more

Parlays involve placing multiple bets on a single ticket. In order for your bet to cash, you have to correctly predict every event (known as legs). If even one event is wrong, you lose your bet.

There are many different parlays combinations you can build every night, such as picking the Blue Jays and Yankees both to win. Totals, run lines and props can be part of a parlay as well.

You can find pre-built parlays at NorthStar Bets and also create your own same-game parlay.

-> Build your own Blue Jays same-game parlay when you join NorthStar Bets

What we mean by that is you could make separate wagers on Jose Berrios’ strikeout prop, the Blue Jays to beat the Orioles, and for them to score a certain amount of runs. But there may already be a pre-built option to bet on all those outcomes with one wager. Or one you could build your own from scratch.

It could look something like this:

Blue Jays to win, Berrios over 7.5 strikeouts, over 8.5 total runs.

You would get plus odds on that type of bet because all three of those outcomes would have to occur in order for you to win. That would decrease your chances of winning the bet but increase your potential payout. That’s why they are attractive to bettors.

There are many more ways to wager on the Blue Jays, with live betting representing another popular betting market. The futures market is also active, where you can bet on the Blue Jays to win their division, the World Series, and on individual player accomplishments, such as the MVP winner.

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How to bet on the Maple Leafs: Puck lines, game totals and player props

Are you a die-hard Toronto Maple Leafs fan who wants to learn about how to bet on the Maple Leafs? If you are, you’ve come to the right place.

From moneylines to totals to props and more, we’ll take a look at all the different ways you can wager on the Blue and White. We’ll also look at different strategies you can employ when looking to bet on game night.

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Below is our guide on how to bet on the Maple Leafs.

How to bet on the Maple Leafs

You will be presented with hundreds of betting markets any time the Maple Leafs play. What you ultimately decide to wager on will likely come down to several factors. That includes the opponent, location, trends, health of the roster and so on.

We’ll take a look at some of the common markets that are available each game and offer strategies on how to find the best value when betting on the Maple Leafs.

-> Before you get started, create your NorthStar Bets account to explore live odds and daily NHL markets.

Moneyline vs. puck line

You have a couple of ways of betting on the Maple Leafs to beat their opponent. One way is to bet them to win straight up, which is known as the moneyline. You can add a handicap and take them to win by multiple goals (the puck line).

Picking between the moneyline and the puck line really comes down to value.

For starters, what’s the price? In other words, what odds are you getting the Leafs at and why is that important?

It’s important because the Leafs would certainly be large favourites in certain matchups. Because of that, the price (odds) set on the moneyline wouldn’t yield a strong return on your investment.

For a game against the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Leafs would likely have an implied probability of winning around 75 percent. That would price them as a -300 favourite. Note: A favourite will always have a minus (-) sign before its odds, while the underdog will have a plus (+) designation.

-> Want to see current Leafs moneyline prices? Check the latest at NorthStar Bets

You would also have the option to take the Leafs to win in regulation at say -180. If you elected to go that route, keep in mind that you would lose your ticket on an overtime win. This is known as a 3-way moneyline pick.

As for the puck line, which comes with a spread, the Leafs would need to win and do it by at least two goals. Your potential return would be much better, though. Here you would see Toronto listed at -1.5 (the handicap/spread) but since winning by two goals is more difficult than winning by one, the odds would change (let’s say to -130).

If you really sensed a blowout coming, you could also bet an alternative puck line and set the Leafs’ handicap at -2.5 (or greater). Now you would be able to get them at plus-money odds (+140). Your potential return would be greater here because the Leafs would have to win by at least three goals for you to cash your bet.

Here’s a look at what your net profit would be based on the odds used in the above examples:

Odds	Implied win probability	Wager amount	To win
-300	75%	$300	$100
-180	64.29%	$180	$100
-130	56.52%	$130	$100
+140	41.67%	$100	$140

Since any team can win on any given night, we would never suggest taking the Leafs on the moneyline at -300. When the odds are that high, the risk simply isn’t worth the reward. There are better plays than taking them at -180 to win in regulation, too.

While the Leafs might be the superior team, beating any NHL team by three or more goals is a difficult feat, which is reflected in the alternate puck line odds. It is deemed the least likely outcome of the ones cited above, which is why it has the greatest payout.

Each game is unique and will have its own set of circumstances, but the recommended choice here would be to take the Leafs -1.5 on the puck line.

-> Ready to try puck line betting? Join NorthStar Bets and explore live, moving lines daily.

How to bet on Maple Leafs totals

We will stick with the Leafs and Blue Jackets example. The majority of games have a total (the amount of goals that will be scored) of 6.5 but can be set lower or higher.

The 5.5 number is typically the most common alternative. That means you can place a bet on whether the clubs will combine to go over or under that number. The over/under, or O/U, are just different ways to refer to the total.

This is a straightforward bet and the odds on either play (the over or the under) are more closely aligned than certain moneyline odds for a matchup, which can have large discrepancies.

You can also bet on a team’s total. Team totals are set lower, at say 2.5 or 3.5.

Why would you want to wager on the team total over the game total?

In that Leafs and Blue Jackets matchup, perhaps you aren’t confident that the Blue Jackets can generate much offence but don’t feel Toronto will have trouble scoring. That may make you more comfortable predicting the Leafs’ team total instead.

-> Compare totals across every Leafs matchup when you sign up for NorthStar Bets

How to bet on Maple Leafs props

Props are another way to bet on the contest and involve wagering on certain games or individual outcomes. You could bet the over/under on how many shots the two teams will combine for, or the O/U on total power-play goals, or even predict the highest-scoring period.

There are also player props, which is what we will focus on here.

Common player props include betting on the number of goals, assists, points, power-play points and shots on net a player will accumulate in a particular game.

You may find it to be a good opportunity to jump on Maple Leafs player props when they are playing a poor defensive team that allows a lot of shots on net and has its backup goalie in net.

This might be a good time to wager on Auston Matthews to score a goal. As a player who fires the puck on net a lot, you may also want to take the over on his shots on goal prop (this is usually set around 4.5).

Betting on a player to score (anytime goalscorer) can be valuable but the odds change from game to game. For an elite goalscorer like Matthews, there are certainly more opportune times to bet on that prop than others.

You might see the odds for him to score at -125 but other times you can get it at +120.

For a bettor, getting Matthews at plus money offers greater value. Goals are hard to predict, so it’s important to keep an eye on the odds to maximize your return on investment. Odds matter for any bet you are contemplating wagering on.

Sticking with Matthews, betting the over on his shot total is a lot more appealing when the odds are +120 instead of -140. Context matters, too, such as the opponent’s recent trends or the goalie the team is facing.

-> Check out the latest player props every day at NorthStar Bets – from betting goals, shots on goal and much more

-> Check out the latest player props every day at NorthStar Bets – from betting goals, shots on goal and much more

Parlays and more

Parlays require you to be right about multiple outcomes to win your bet. You bet on two or more events (known as legs) on a single ticket and place one wager. If you don’t get everything correct on the parlay, you lose.

You can create all sorts of parlays, including picking the Leafs and other NHL teams to win. You can also find pre-built parlays at NorthStar Bets and assemble your own same-game parlay.

Let’s once again go back to the Leafs and Blue Jackets example. Perhaps you’ve decided that the Leafs will win, the two teams will combine for more than 5.5 goals, and Matthews will score. You could make separate wagers on all three of those outcomes, but you may also have the option to select all three as a single wager through a special offer or by building your own SGP.

-> Build your own Leafs same-game parlay when you join NorthStar Bets

Here’s an example of what that could look like:

Leafs to win, over 5.5 total goals, Matthews to score (+350).

If you bet those separately, the odds would look something like this:

Leafs to win (-300)
Over 5.5 goals (-110)
Matthews to score (-105)

Why are the odds so different? Unlike a single-event wager, that SGP would require all three outcomes to be correct in order to win.

Needing two-plus outcomes to all be right in order to cash your ticket decreases your chances of winning. But it also increases your payout potential, which is why they can be attractive to bettors.

There are more ways to get in on the Maple Leafs action through live betting and the futures market. Futures betting is where you can pick the Leafs to win the Cup or for Matthews to win the Hart.

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How to bet on the Raptors: Point spreads, totals and player props

Have you ever wondered how to bet on the Toronto Raptors? If the answer to that question is yes, you’ve come to the right place

The good thing for those new to the betting space is that it doesn’t matter whether the Raptors are playing at their championship level from 2019 or as poorly as they were during the dark days of the Kevin O’Neill era. There are betting options every time they take the court.

-> New to NBA wagering? Sign up at NorthStar Bets to get the latest odds, insights and betting tools throughout the season.

Many markets, thanks to player props, don’t even require you to pick them to win or lose. Let’s dive in and check out the ways you can wager on Canada’s favourite team.

How to bet on the Raptors

You will have a wide range of betting markets to choose from any time the Raptors play. Deciding what to wager on comes down to a number of factors every night — the opponent, the location, trends, the health of the roster, and so on — but you won’t be short on options.

We’ll take a look at the common markets that sportsbooks make available and offer strategies on how to find the best value when betting on the Raptors.

-> Before you get started, create your NorthStar Bets account to explore live odds and daily NBA markets.

How to bet on the Raptors moneyline

If you’ve decided that you believe the Raptors will beat their opponent then you have a couple of options on how to make that bet. You can wager on the Raptors to win the game outright, which would simply require them to defeat the other team. That’s known as a moneyline bet.

How much the Raptors won by or if they required overtime to secure the victory wouldn’t matter.

Sportsbooks will either list the Raptors as a favourite or underdog for any game they play. This is universal across all the major sports. The favourite will have a minus (-) sign before its odds, while the underdog will come with a plus (+) marker.

-> Want to see current NBA moneyline prices? Check the latest at NorthStar Bets

Against an elite team, like the Golden State Warriors, the Raptors would be large underdogs. But at home against the Charlotte Hornets, Toronto would surely be a sizeable favourite. At home against the Atlanta Hawks, the line would likely be fairly even.

Here’s an example of how those odds would be presented:

Warriors (-370) vs. Raptors (+255)
Hornets (+190) vs. Raptors (-175)
Hawks (+120) vs. Raptors (-125)

Those odds tell you what your potential earnings would be if you won your bet and the implied probability of each team’s chances of winning that contest. Both of those things are important when determining which team to bet on. Let’s take a look at what that would mean if you backed the Raptors for those bets.

Odds	Wager	Win	Probability
-125	$125	$100	55.56%
-175	$175	$100	63.64%
+255	$100	$255	28.17%

For reasons such as Stephen Curry, we wouldn’t recommend taking the Raptors on the moneyline against Golden State.

While a more difficult matchup than the Hornets game, the return on investment is noticeably greater for that Hawks contest. To win $100, you have to wager $50 more for that Charlotte game compared to Atlanta.

As for the Hornets, taking a team at -175 on the moneyline isn’t the most ideal way to bet on this contest. But that brings us to our next section, which is how to bet the Raptors on the point spread.

Point spread

The point spread is another way you can bet on a team to win. The difference between betting on the spread and the moneyline is that the team you pick to win has to do it by a certain amount of points. A team can also lose outright, but win on a spread pick if the margin of defeat is within a certain amount of points.

Let’s stick with our Raptors and Hornets example to better illustrate the spread and why it would be a better play than the moneyline in this particular instance.

On the ML (short for moneyline), we see the Raptors are a -175 favourite. But on a point spread, in which they might be favoured to cover 6.5 points, their odds would change since there is a greater degree of difficulty in beating a team by seven points (which would be needed with a 6.5-point spread) than a single point.

*The point spread is often the better bet for teams that are heavy favourites on the moneyline. Photo by Mary Altaffer*/AP.

Most spreads have the same odds, typically set at -110. So the line would look like this:

Raptors -6.5 (-110)
Hornets +6.5 (-110)

If you picked the Raptors on the spread, you would win your ticket if they won by seven or more points. Let’s say you picked the Hornets, they could lose by six points or fewer or win the game, and you would cash your bet.

-> Ready to try spread betting? Join NorthStar Bets and explore live, moving lines daily.

Point spread vs. moneyline

Taking the Raptors against a struggling Hornets team on the spread at -110 odds would be a better bet than getting them at -175 on the ML.

How did we come to that conclusion? For starters, the Raptors are the better team and playing at home. We’ve decided we think their chances of winning the game are higher than Charlotte’s, and so did the sportsbook that we used for our example based on that 63-plus percent probability of winning.

With that established, we want to determine where the best value is. For us, that’s taking the Raptors on the spread because it’s not a foregone conclusion that they would win this game, and if we’re backing them to win we want to avoid the amount of juice (commission the sportsbook gets for taking the bet) we are paying.

With that said, we don’t believe a 6.5-point spread is too difficult for them to cover in this matchup and it would also produce a greater return on investment.

*It’s important to find the value and not blindly back favourites. Photo by Frank Gunn/CP*

We know that it would take a $175 wager to win $100 at -175 odds on the moneyline. For the point spread bet, you would need to spend $110 to win $100. Put another way, you would make more than $30 extra on the spread versus the ML for every $100 spent.

You can also wager on alternative spreads. That 5.5 number was the main spread, but sportsbooks will give you the option to bet at different numbers in either direction (say 4.5, 7.5, etc). The -110 odds would change as a result.

When looking at spreads and totals, make sure to check how each team fares in those categories. Many sites track a team’s record against the spread (ATS) and how often they go over or under the point total set by the operator. These can be useful tools when determining which side to place your bet on.

Speaking of the over/under, we will now take a look at how to bet on Raptors totals.

Totals

Let’s stay with the Raptors and Hornets example. Generally speaking, most sportsbooks set the total of an NBA game somewhere between 200-230 points. That’s the total number of combined points between the two teams. You’d be able to choose whether you think the teams will go over or under that number.

You will see totals referred to as the over/under and O/U. They all mean the same thing.

The O/U for this matchup might be listed at 217.5. Both options are typically set at -110 odds, like the spread. If you want to bet on this market, then you have the option to select the over, which would require the teams to combine for 218 points or more, or take the under. You would cash your bet if they scored 217 points or fewer.

-> Compare totals across every NBA matchup when you sign up for NorthStar Bets

How the teams fare offensively and defensively and who’s available for the matchup are certain things you will want to research before making your decision.

You can also bet on a team’s total as well. A team total would be set lower since it doesn’t account for the opponent’s production.

If you’re confident the Raptors are going to put up a lot of points but aren’t as sure about how much the Hornets will contribute, you may find betting the over on the team total is a better option for you. This might be a number of around 110.5.

Like the spread, you can bet on alternative game totals as well.

How to bet Raptors props

Props are another way to bet and involve wagering on certain game or individual outcomes that have nothing to do with the winner or loser of the contest.

You could make a bet that is isolated to the beginning of the game and pick the team that will score 15 points first or wager the over/under on how many points Scottie Barnes will score.

There are many options, but in this section, we will focus on player props.

Most sportsbooks have a number of different prop offerings, including markets on a player’s point, rebound, and assist totals. The 3-point market is also popular. These props give the bettor the option to wager on the O/U number that is established by the sportsbook.

*There are a number of player prop bets you can make on Toronto stars like RJ Barrett. Photo by Frank Gunn/CP.*

Going back to Barnes, his points prop might be listed at 21.5, giving you the option to take the over or under. A lesser scorer, such as Gradey Dick, might see his point prop set at 12.5.

Assist, rebound, and 3-point props follow the same format. Many sportsbooks will also give the option to wager on a player’s total combined point, rebound, and assist numbers or a combination of the two. Barnes’ point + rebound + assist prop would be set at something like 36.5 and you’d be able to wager on either side.

-> Check out the latest player props every day at NorthStar Bets – from betting triple-doubles to points and more

-> Check out the latest player props every day at NorthStar Bets – from betting triple-doubles to points and more

The over/under odds are sometimes in the same range, but they will often shade to one side as well. That means the sportsbook, for example, may set an over at -140 (believing it’s the more likely outcome) and the under at +120.

Specials

You’ll be given the option to bet on certain specials that may be geared around one player or feature multiple outcomes that essentially make it a pre-built parlay.

For instance, in addition to betting the over/under on Barnes’ 21.5 points prop, a sportsbook could also give you the option of placing a wager on him scoring 30-plus points at say +250.

You may also see a special that combines the game outcome, team total, and a player’s point total. It could look like this:

Raptors to win, over 217.5 points, Barnes to score 20-plus points (+185).

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You might be inclined to make this wager because you’ve decided you’re confident that the Raps will win, combine with Orlando to hit the over on the total, and that Barnes is a good bet to score 20 or more points. Certain sportsbooks will present you with different combinations or allow you to build your own (known as a same-game parlay).

But remember: You would need all three of those outcomes to be correct in order to win and it’s more difficult to win that sort of ticket compared to a single-event wager.

There are many more ways to bet on the Raptors. Parlays, futures and live betting are all among the additional popular betting markets.

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How to live bet and make in-game wagers

Whether you are betting on the moneyline or the point spread, there are many markets to choose from before a game starts.

While pregame wagering is the most common way to bet on a sporting event, these markets — including totals and player props — largely remain open once the actual contest begins. This gives you the opportunity to place live bets. It ensures you still have a chance to wager if you didn’t get your bets in before puck drop or first pitch.

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In-game betting allows you to react to an event as it unfolds in real-time and make wagers on many of the same markets you’d be able to access pregame.

How to live bet

While odds change before a game for a number of reasons, including player availability, the odds change at a rapid pace once the contest begins.

The score and game situation will constantly alter the moneyline, point spread and O/U. A low-scoring first quarter will drop the total over/under for a basketball game.

A pregame favourite falling behind early could not only make it an underdog on the moneyline, but it would also impact the point spread in football as well.

Let’s say that the Buffalo Bills entered as 3.5-point favourites against the Dallas Cowboys but found themselves trailing 10-0 after the first quarter. Dallas would likely then become the favourite and Buffalo would enter the second quarter as a live underdog. The spread might change to something like Buffalo +3.5.

What does that mean? Well, if you wagered on the Bills at -3.5 pregame it means that they would have to win by four-plus points for you to win your bet. If you made an in-game bet and backed them at +3.5, they could lose by three points or fewer or win outright for your bet to cash.

But as quickly as a favourite can become an underdog once the game is underway, it can just as easily alter the lines again with a big run or score.

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In-game betting markets

While the moneyline, over/under and spread are the biggest in-game betting markets, some sportsbooks allow you to make player prop bets after the start of a contest. Like other markets, the prop odds will change depending on performance throughout the game.

For example: The pregame odds for Connor McDavid to score a goal may be -110. But that could move to +190 if he went scoreless after the first period. Why would you make this bet after the first? Because of the value.

The trade-off is this: Excluding overtime, you would now only have two periods for McDavid to cash your bet. But at +190, it means you would win $190 on a $100 bet if he scored. The same pregame stake at -110 odds would return a profit of $90.91.

The same live betting scenarios apply across other sports.

Patrick Mahomes’ yards thrown prop and DeMar DeRozan’s points prop will change in real-time depending on their performance. The total they’d have to reach, presented as an over/under, could increase or decrease a number of times throughout the game based on their statistics.

If DeRozan scored 15 first-quarter points, his live point prop could jump to 35.5 from 27.5 pregame. The same idea would apply to Mahomes.

You can also make in-game parlay bets as well.

For instance, if three pregame MLB favourites were losing in the sixth inning and you still liked their chances of winning, you could create a single ticket where you picked all of them to win on the moneyline.

Because of how constant the in-game odds change, it’s important to practice discipline when wagering. Pay close attention to this market and the game you are betting on.

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