Core betting
Favorite
Also called chalk
The side expected to win, priced with negative odds or laying points.
Favourites carry negative American odds on the moneyline and give points on the spread. Heavy public favourites — 'chalk' — attract disproportionate casual money, which is precisely why their prices are often a little worse than they should be.
Betting favourites is not a strategy in itself. The question is never whether a team is better, it is whether it is better by more than the price says.
See also
- Underdog — The side expected to lose, priced with positive odds or receiving points.
- Moneyline — A bet on which side wins outright, with no spread involved.
- Point spread — A margin handicap that makes an uneven matchup close to a coin flip.
- Square — A casual bettor, and by extension the predictable side of the market they bet.