The top Louisiana sportsbooks offer a variety of sports betting options on both collegiate and professional sports. In addition to a vast selection of games and players on which to bet, there are also many types of bets you can place. Some of the most common types of sports bets are:
Spreads
Spreads indicate the difference in expected points, goals or runs between two teams in a game. For example, a New Orleans Pelicans (-5) vs. New York Knicks bet indicates that the Pelicans are favored by five points in the game. A bet placed against the spread on the Pelicans in such a game will win if the Pelicans win by six or more, push if they win by five and lose if they either win by fewer than five points or lose outright. Spread bets have -110 odds on either side, meaning a $110 wager would win an additional $100.
Totals
Instead of choosing the winner, you can bet on whether or not the total amount of points, goals or runs scored will exceed a certain number. For example, the over/under on a college football game between LSU and Auburn could be set at 60 points. Betting on the over would mean you anticipate that the two teams would combine for more than 60 points, so a 35-28 LSU victory would cash for a bet on the over while a 28-24 LSU victory would win for a bet on the under.
Moneyline
A moneyline bet is a wager on a straight-up winner without accounting for the spread. For example, on a New Orleans Pelicans vs. New York Knicks, a moneyline bet on the Pelicans would cash as long as the Pelicans won the game regardless of the margin. Payouts for moneyline favorites are usually smaller, while betting on underdogs can allow you to win more than double your initial wager if your bet is successful. Like spreads and totals, moneyline wagers are available on NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL action, as well as college football, college basketball and other sporting events from Louisiana and around the world.
Prop Bets
Prop bets are wagers on something other than the winner or total for a game. These bets are often placed on individual performances and are a common aspect of Same Game Parlay wagers. A wager on Michael Thomas to score a receiving touchdown in the New Orleans Saints' Week 1 road game against the Atlanta Falcons is an example of a prop bet.
Futures
Futures bets are wagers placed on a future outcome. The most common futures wager is a bet on a team to win its respective league's championship, but other futures bets are also available. LSU football optimists could place a futures bet on the Tigers to win the SEC Conference Championship or the College Football Playoff National Championship in 2022.
Parlays
Parlays are wagers consisting of multiple bets, or legs. All legs must hit for the parlay to win. These legs can come from the same sport, different sports or even multiple aspects of a single game if you are using the same game parlay feature. If you make a parlay on the LSU basketball team to win its next game at -275 odds and the Pelicans to win their next game at -350 odds, the parlay will have -133 odds, but it will lose if either Louisiana-based basketball team fails to win.
Teasers
A teaser is a parlay involving spreads or point totals in which the spreads are shifted in your favor. Football teasers typically shift by six points. If you have the LSU Tigers as 8-point favorites against Tennessee and the Saints as 3-point favorites against the Patriots, a teaser would shift those lines from -8 to -14 and -3 to -9, respectively. It will be much easier to cover those adjusted spreads, but your corresponding payout will be significantly lower than if you had placed a regular parlay bet at the original lines.
Live Betting
Live betting is available at all of the leading Louisiana sports betting sites. A live bet is a wager placed after a game has already started. Lines and spreads are constantly updated throughout a game to account for the current score and other events that have happened since the game began.