Sports betting is a great way to watch a game while also earning some money. However, it’s important to know the rules of the game and make sure you have a sound strategy.

Sportsbet offers a variety of betting options, including straight bets and spread bets. The sportsbook will set a “spread” of the game based on its statistical models and how the betting market has been bet. If you bet against the spread, you need to win by more than the spread in order to win your wager.

The favorite is marked with a plus sign, while the underdog gets a minus. This indicates that the online sportsbook believes the favorite is more likely to win.

Totals are another popular type of bet and involve the combined score of both teams. For example, a team may be favored to win by 22 points and the total score is 66. This means that you can lose your bet if the team wins by 22 points or more.

You can place these types of bets at most online sportsbooks. These bets are riskier and pay out less, but they are also the most rewarding if you win them.

After you’ve decided on a betting site, register an account and fund it with your preferred deposit method. Most sportsbooks accept ACH/eCheck, credit/debit card, and PayPal. You can usually do this in a few seconds. Depending on your bank, your first deposit might need to be verified before it goes through. If this is the case, you can always email the sportsbook customer support to find out why it hasn’t gone through.