What does HFA Mean in Sports Gambling?
Scott Morris | October 3, 2025
There are many terms which get used in the world of sports betting. Some end up being used so much that they are simply shortened to the initials of the first letter in each word. We are all familiar with taking the first letter from each word in order to shorten the phrase. It’s called and “initialism” and can be seen in everyday life. A good example is TBA, which is short for To Be Announced. Sports gambling is no different.
HFA simply means Home Field Advantage. This is something which is discussed when handicapping a game in order to decide which team to bet. It’s a pretty important factors because simply playing in front of your home crowd usually adds 3 points to the spread.
Humans/Players are psychological creatures and playing in front of their own fans really gives them a boost. Not only do the fans help contribute to the performance of a team, but players themselves are less tired or jet-lagged from not having to travel across the state or country to play their game. They get to spend time with their families the night before and simply drive over to the stadium.
How Much Does HFA Affect Baseball Moneylines?
Sports like baseball, hockey and soccer are all mostly bet in moneyline terms. This, as you probably know, is when you pick your winner based on who will win straight up. You can also bet these games on the run-line, puck-line, or goal-line but an overwhelming majority of bettors use the moneyline system to wager them.
Hypothetical MLB Game Example: Neutral Site vs. Home Field
1. Neutral Site Game (e.g., at a dome or international park like Tokyo Dome, no home advantage)
- Moneyline Odds: Cubs -100 | Cardinals -100 (This is a true pick’em, implying a 50% win probability for each team. A $100 bet on either wins $100 profit.)
2. Cubs at Home (Wrigley Field, applying standard ~53% HFA win rate)
- Moneyline Odds: Cubs -115 | Cardinals +105 (The Cubs’ odds shorten by about 15 cents due to home field advantage, now implying ~53.5% win probability for the Cubs. A $115 bet on Cubs wins $100; a $100 bet on Cardinals wins $105.)
Key Change: On a neutral site, the line is balanced at -100/-100. Introducing home field shifts ~3-4% of the implied win probability to the home team, adjusting the moneyline by 10-20 cents in favor of the Cubs. This reflects the market’s baked-in value for HFA, as discussed previously—typically equivalent to 0.4 runs in run-line terms. In real betting books, vig (juice) might push the home side to -120, but this isolates the pure HFA effect.
