Understanding point spreads

This statistic is also worth keeping an eye on. Keep in mind, that there are other types of sports bets worth taking into consideration. What Is a Push in Spread Betting? A push is when the final result of the game lands precisely on the number of the spread. For example, if I bet on the Toronto Raptors -4 over the Orlando Magic and the Raptors win by four, I would push my bet, which means that my money is refunded and the bet ends in a tie.

Games with halves in their point spreads, like the Dallas Cowboys Favorites vs. Underdogs The favorite is the team projected to win the game. They are assigned a point spread with a minus symbol - in front of the number, such as Pittsburgh Steelers If you were to bet on the Steelers to cover the spread in this instance, Pittsburgh would need to win by seven or more points for you to win your bet.

The underdog is the team that is projected to lose the game. In this case, the Panthers would need to lose by five points or fewer or win outright for you to win your bet. How to Bet the Spread Online Log in to your preferred legal sportsbook Click the sport that you would like to bet on Examine the list of games with point spreads Click on the favorite minus points or underdog plus points Determine how much you would like to risk on this game Place your bet Be sure to learn how to bet on sports before wagering.

A touchdown, for example, is worth seven points, while a field goal is worth three points. The key numbers are three, seven, and ten points. The difference between a 2. If a home team is favored by But, at the same time, be careful with high spreads in the NBA. Betting on a favorite of 10 or more points can come back to bite you in the NBA, as teams tend to send in their subs when up double-digits in the fourth quarter, which can allow the opponent to cut down the lead — resulting in something called a back-door cover.

These exist in the NFL as well. However, it could be profitable since you get some solid value on the favorites. Spread vs. Moneyline Point spreads involve a winning margin. If you bet on a favorite, they need to win by more than the assigned spread. For example, if a spread is If you bet on an underdog, they can lose by fewer than the assigned spread or win outright for you to win.

If a bettor placed a bet on the Seahawks to cover the spread, Seattle would need to win by 14 or more points. If a bettor instead bets on the Broncos, the Broncos would need to either win the game or lose by less than 13 points. Say the game is played, and Seattle wins by 21 points. In that case, the Seahawks covered the spread, and a bettor betting on the favorite would have won their bet, while someone betting on the Broncos would have lost.

In that case, all money wagered is returned to the bettors. Betting the Spread vs. Betting the Moneyline and the Total There is a multitude of ways to place a wager on a given sports matchup, and betting the point spread is one of the most common and popular. For example, a bettor makes a wager that the Broncos, not the Seahawks, will win the Super Bowl.

If the Broncos win, then the bettor wins the wager, but if the Broncos lose, then the bettor loses the wager. The payouts for moneyline bets can be minimal, especially if the bettor wagers that the favorite will win. This is a bet on the total amount of points that both teams will score in a game, combined. In , the U. Supreme Court gave states permission to legalize sports betting if they wish to do so. It is still fully illegal in 14 states, including Missouri and Texas.

In California, two gambling propositions are on the November ballot. The Bottom Line In sports betting, to cover the spread means that a team has beaten the point spread devised by a sportsbook. A point spread bet is one of three primary betting types and typically offers a bettor the highest possible return on their wager. Article Sources Investopedia requires writers to use primary sources to support their work.

These include white papers, government data, original reporting, and interviews with industry experts.

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For example, if you see If you see There are three potential outcomes of your point spread wager: you win, you lose or you push a tie. Typically, a point spread has odds of for either side of the bet. In the example above between the Cowboys and Giants, the point spread is 4. A losing bet is quite simply you betting on the Cowboys You lose the money that you placed on that bet. That is called a push and you simply get your money back with no profit and no loss. In these cases, there may not even be a point spread available for the game and you can only bet on the moneyline.

This is a very common occurrence in sports betting and sportsbooks have the full right to shift the spread or odds for any given match prior to its start. Live point spreads can come and go very quickly, with the potential for scores to change at any moment. Betting the spread at different intervals in a game means that adjusted spreads are created during breaks, such as quarters or halves, and halftime lines. Oddsmakers will check out the game and how it went for a quarter or half, and then reinstall overall game lines, as well as point spreads for only that particular quarter or half.

Oftentimes a point spread will not be a whole number, and will be accompanied by a decimal point and a half number. This can be significant for a point spread. Essentially what it comes down to is that a whole number point spread gives the opportunity for a wager to push. A push means that if the favorite is favored by 10 points and wins by 10 points, bettors get their money back.

Understanding Payouts When Betting On The Point Spread The whole nature and goal behind the point spread, is to provide an even playing field for the favorite and the underdog. Obviously not every team is equal, so the point spread adjusts this.

As a result, the payouts that are generally seen around a point spread is right around Even. This is different from a moneyline, where payouts can vary greatly because there is not point spread that is installed. It is simply picking the winner straight up. Therefore, a bet on the favorite would not profit as high as it would betting the spread since no points are given. Payouts on the point spread are not always the same, but they do not vary like a moneyline.

That means, for the Seminoles to cover this spread, they will need to win the game by at least eight points to win the bet for a person who wagered on them. On the flip side, the Gators are receiving seven points. They could lose the game by six points or less, and still win the betting line for a bettor who placed a wager on them. If the Seminoles win by exactly seven points, then that would result in a push on the bet, with no payout and the bettor getting their money back.

The point spreads in the NFL are always alot closer then college football because you are dealing with the best of the best. You will almost never see a team favored by more then two touchdowns in the NFL, and most of the NFL point spreads are less then one touchdown. So, here is are best try at helping you understand how to read point spreads in NFL games.

Take this NFL point spread for example. Atlanta has been set as a three-point favorite on the betting line. That means that for Atlanta to cover the spread that has been set, they will need to win by at least four points. And for Carolina to cover the point spread, they can do so with a loss by two points or less, or obviously a win straight up.

If the Falcons win by exactly three points, the bet would result in a push with no payouts. The Magic have been set as 5. For Orlando to cover the spread, the Magic would need to win by at least six points. For the Bulls to get the win against the spread, a loss by five points or less is needed.

Either the Magic's bettors or Bulls' bettors will get the result they need in order to win this bet because of the half point spread that is in-play; there can be no PUSH in this wager. The point spread is just one that raises players' eyebrows and has them think about putting money on the line on these point sports. In both basketball and football and baseball, the point spread is the most important thing to pay attention to when it comes to wagering. It is hard to say that even with a team be very start that it will be a blowout so most point spread would be pretty close to each other.

With that being said, this is why using Bovada point spread is the best place to go. With a team like the Seahawks playing a team that they could easily blow out like the Miami Dolphins have very close point is there is without question an easy bet and easy money for fans to make. These are the kind of bets players need to take advantage of because once the games begin, there is no turning back. Bovada gives players plenty of chances to win big and it starts off with the point spreads offered.