KEY TAKEAWAYS
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A regulation time moneyline is a bet on who is ahead when regulation ends, with the draw offered as a third choice. Instead of picking only Team A or Team B, a bettor picks Team A to win, Team B to win, or the game to be tied after regulation. That is why it is also called a three-way moneyline, a 3-way line, or a 60-minute or 90-minute line, depending on the sport.
The key difference from a regular moneyline is what happens to a tie. On a regular two-way moneyline, overtime or extra time usually decides the winner, so a tie at the end of regulation does not settle the bet. On a regulation time moneyline, a tie at the end of regulation is the result, and a bet on either team loses.
This guide explains how the three prices are read, how a draw bet pays, how the sportsbook’s margin is built into three outcomes, and what changes when overtime is excluded. All teams and prices are hypothetical, and nothing here recommends a side or a bet.
Regulation Time Moneyline Meaning
A regulation time moneyline settles on the score when regulation ends, not on the eventual winner. In hockey, regulation is three 20-minute periods, so the market is often listed as a 60-minute line. In soccer, the standard match-result market is typically settled on the score after 90 minutes plus stoppage time, and extra time and penalty shootouts typically do not count. Some basketball and football markets can also be offered this way, so the label on the bet slip matters more than the sport.
The three outcomes are Team A, Draw and Team B, and each carries its own American price. Only one outcome can win. If Team A leads at the end of regulation, bets on Team A win, and bets on the Draw and Team B lose. If the score is level, the Draw bet wins and both team bets lose, even if one team goes on to win in overtime.
Prices are read the same way as on any moneyline. A positive number such as +330 shows the profit on a $100 bet, and a negative number such as -105 shows how much must be risked to win $100. The guide to reading American odds covers the plus and minus conventions in detail.
Moneyline vs. 3-Way Moneyline: How Settlement Changes
The simplest way to compare the two is to ask what the bet does when the score is tied after regulation. On a two-way moneyline, a tie does not usually end the bet: in sports with overtime or a shootout, the winner of that extra period usually decides it, and the bettor on that side wins. In sports where a tie is allowed to stand, many sportsbooks refund the stake instead, which is called a push. The guide to how moneyline bets work explains the standard two-way version.
On a three-way moneyline, the tie becomes a result you can bet on. That one change reshapes the prices. With the draw removed from the two-way market, each team’s probability of winning is spread across all outcomes, so team prices on a 3-way line are usually longer (higher payouts) than on the two-way line for the same game. A team that is -150 on a two-way line, for instance, may be priced near even money on the 3-way line, because it must now win inside regulation.
Settlement rules also vary. Some sportsbooks offer a two-way regulation market where a tie refunds the stake, which is sometimes called draw no bet. Others offer only the three-way version. Because the names differ, the house rules for the specific market are the only reliable guide to how a tie, overtime or a shootout will be graded.
Worked Example: A Hypothetical Hockey Game
Suppose a hypothetical game between the Hawks and the Bears lists a three-way moneyline of Hawks -105, Draw +330 and Bears +240. Convert each price to a payout. A bettor must risk $105 on the Hawks to win $100, so a $100 stake wins $95.24 (100 × 100 ÷ 105). A $100 bet on the Draw at +330 wins $330 and returns $430 in total. A $100 bet on the Bears at +240 wins $240 and returns $340.
Now settle four hypothetical results, shown in the table below. The first column is the final score and how it was reached, the second shows which three-way outcome wins, and the third shows how a two-way moneyline that includes overtime and shootouts would grade the same game. The two markets agree whenever a team wins in regulation, and they disagree whenever the game is tied after 60 minutes.
| Result | 3-way (regulation time) winner | Two-way moneyline including overtime |
|---|---|---|
| Hawks win 3-1 in regulation | Hawks | Hawks |
| Bears win 4-3 in regulation | Bears | Bears |
| Tied 2-2 after 60 minutes, Hawks win in overtime | Draw | Hawks |
| Tied 2-2 after 60 minutes, Bears win in a shootout | Draw | Bears |
The last two rows are the whole story. A bettor holding the Hawks on a regulation time line loses in the third row, even though the Hawks won the game, because the bet was settled on the score at 60 minutes. A bet on the winner of the game and a bet on the leader at regulation are different bets, and the label on the slip decides which one was placed.
The Numbers That Matter: Three Prices, One Margin
The sportsbook’s margin is built into a three-way line exactly as it is on a two-way line, except that three implied probabilities are added instead of two. Convert each price: Hawks -105 is 105 ÷ 205 = 51.22%, Draw +330 is 100 ÷ 430 = 23.26%, and Bears +240 is 100 ÷ 340 = 29.41%. The three add up to 103.89%, so the overround is 3.89 percentage points and the theoretical hold is 1 − (1 ÷ 1.0389) = 3.74%.
| Outcome | American price | Implied probability | No-vig probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hawks | -105 | 51.22% | 49.30% |
| Draw | +330 | 23.26% | 22.39% |
| Bears | +240 | 29.41% | 28.31% |
| Total | 103.89% | 100.00% |
The no-vig column divides each implied probability by 103.89%, which removes the margin and leaves three numbers that add to exactly 100%. Those numbers are estimates implied by the prices, not predictions, and nobody knows the true chance of a tie in a particular game. What the table does show is the break-even point: the Draw at +330 needs to occur more than 23.26% of the time just for that bet to break even, and the same logic applies to every price on the board. The explanation of the vig shows the calculation step by step.
Common Mistakes and Misconceptions
The most frequent mistake is assuming the team that wins the game wins the bet. On a regulation time line, a team that wins in overtime or a shootout still loses the bet if the score was tied at the end of regulation. Bettors who skim the label often discover this only after settlement.
A second mistake is treating the Draw as an unlikely or throwaway option. The draw has its own price and its own implied probability, and in the example it carries an implied probability of 23.26%. Ignoring the third outcome leads bettors to compare team prices from a three-way line with team prices from a two-way line as if they were equivalent, when they describe different events.
A third mistake is believing that longer odds mean better value. A longer price reflects a harder condition to meet, not a bigger edge. And a final mistake is assuming every sportsbook grades ties, shootouts and abandoned games in the same way. Rules vary, so the house rules for the specific market should be read before placing the bet.
Practical Tips Before Betting a 3-Way Market
Before placing a bet, check the market title and the rules text. Labels such as 3-Way, Regulation Time, 60 Minutes, Match Result, Moneyline (including overtime) and Draw No Bet describe different bets. If the bet slip lists a Draw option, the market is a three-way line.
Add up the three implied probabilities to see the margin, using the method shown above. A quick conversion tells the bettor what each outcome must achieve to break even, and it shows how much margin the sportsbook has built into the market. Comparing the same market at more than one legal sportsbook can show differences in that margin.
Because there are three outcomes, only one outcome can win and the other two lose. Setting a budget before betting, never wagering money needed for essentials, and keeping a record of results are simple habits that keep the cost of betting visible. Rules and legal age differ by state, so local requirements should be confirmed first.
Where to Go Next
A regulation time moneyline is one of several ways a bet can be settled on the same game. The guide to point spreads shows how handicap bets change the winning condition in a different way, and the break-even rate guide shows how to turn any price into the win rate a bet must achieve.
Reading the market title before reading the price is the habit that prevents most settlement surprises. Once the title is clear, the same three-step math (convert, add, compare) works on any market with two, three or many outcomes.
Frequently Asked Questions
