Points Spread Meaning

That taken care of, we can now continue with hockey point spread betting, which by definition, a point spread is the scoring difference between the game’s two opponents (the two teams). Example of a Hockey Point Spread: Washington Capitals +2.5 (-115) Florida Panthers -2.5 (+270).
Spreads are often listed with a half-point (ex: 9.5) in order to prevent the final margin from landing exactly on the spread number (ex: 3-point spread, final score of 17–14).
The difference between BID and ASK is best known as the spread. The spread is expressed as pips or points. In this example, the spread in the EUR/USD is 2 pips or points. Cost for each transaction. The spread is the cost of each transaction performed by the trader in the market (not including any other fees such as swap or commission).

Ever want to bet on an event and find yourself questioning what it means to bet the point spread? Here’s what you need to know about point spread betting.

The large majority of wagers involve bettors are picking a side in a game between two teams or individuals. Not all sides are created equal, though. A point spread is used by oddsmakers to even out a matchup from a betting perspective, assigning more or fewer points to a team’s final score. In order to win a point spread wager, a bettor must “beat the spread.” As a result of a more even matchup, point spread betting offers flatter payouts that are often even on both sides.

The point spread, which is sometimes referred to as the “handicap”, is the number of points taken from the favorite, or given to the underdog, in order to open up the chances of either team winning the wager evenly. In most games, there’s usually a team that is more likely to win, based on a number of statistical factors.

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What is a point spread?

This is one of the most common questions in sports betting, especially to new sports bettors. The point spread is how teams or sides of varying skill levels are handicapped against one another. It’s the number of points one side is giving or receiving as compared to the other.

Although each team may roster the same number of players, play by the same rules, or even run some of the same plays, the two sides are almost never equal in skill. To account for that inequality between the two teams, a point spread is used to handicap the two sides of a matchup.

If you look at the odds board and see a team’s or individual’s name followed by a minus sign and a number, that reflects that side is favored by that number of points. In the case that you see a plus sign and a number, that side is the underdog in the matchup. The minus sign means that the final score will have the spread number subtracted from it. The plus sign means that the team’s final score will have the spread number added to it.

In summary, the point spread is a calculated prediction of how much a team will win or lose by.

Why do sportsbooks use point spreads?

As we said before, not all teams are created equal. Sportsbooks use point spreads to handicap a matchup in an attempt to attract equal betting on both sides and even out the competition. Without a point spread, it would be too easy for bettors to simply take the favorite in every matchup. That’s similar as to why you see moneyline betting odds priced accordingly.

In a perfect world, sportsbooks and oddsmakers would draw perfectly balanced 50-50 betting action on both sides of a point spread. This alleviates a sportsbook’s or oddsmaker’s need for one side to win. The large majority of point spread bets come with a juice applied to the payout odds. The juice is another term for the “vig” or “rake,” and it is the money a sportsbook or sports betting operator takes on a wager.

Perfectly balanced betting on both sides would allow sportsbooks and oddsmakers to collect the juice free of liability.

How to know if a point spread bet won or lost?

In order for a point spread bet to be declared a winner, the side wagered on must “cover” the point spread. The favorite, which is the side with the minus number as the point spread, must win by more than the point spread dictates. The underdog, which is the plus number as the point spread, cannot lose by more than the point spread dictates.

Are ties allowed?

Yes, ties can happen when point spread betting. If the point spread is an even number and the difference in the competition’s result falls directly on that number such that the teams are then evenly scored, it is a tie. In point spread betting, a tie is called a “push.”

In the case of a push, all bets are returned to the bettor. If you wagered $100, you would receive your $100 back.

In many cases, point spreads will not be an even number. Rather, point spreads will display a half of a number, .5, and that is called the “hook.” When there is a hook involved, the bet cannot be a push because there are no half points in sports scoring. More information regarding the hook can be found below, in the section about key numbers.

Example of point spread betting

Point spreads are most commonly used and referred to in football betting. Using an example, let’s say the Buffalo Bills are facing off against the New England Patriots and that the game is in New England. When reviewing the oddsboard with the list of games, you see a number of -8 next to the Patriots team name and a number of +8 next to the Bills team name. This means that New England is favored by 8 points and that Buffalo is the underdog by 8 points.

What you’re seeing might be displayed something like the following:

Buffalo Bills +8 (-110)
New England Patriots -8 (-110)

Using another example of the Pittsburgh Steelers as -3 favorites over the Dallas Cowboys, let’s say the game results in a score of Pittsburgh 20 and Dallas 17. This final score would result in a push, as it fell on the exact 3-point spread that was being applied.

Do note that when it comes to point spreads, the underdog number isn’t always shown. Rather, a sportsbook will most likely only display the favorite’s spread and it’s assumed the underdog’s spread is simply the opposite.

Whatever the final score of the game turns out to be, New England will have 8 points subtracted from its total if that’s the side you bet on. If you bet on Buffalo’s side, the final score for the Bills will have 8 points added. If the final score results as 30-20 in favor of New England, bettors holding a Patriots -8 ticket would win the bet because the Patriots won by 10. Bettors who wagered on the Bills +8 would lose because the Bills lost by 10.

How much can I win on a point spread wager?

It’s most common in point spread betting to have odds of -110 on both sides. This means that if you bet $110, you’d win $100. There is where the juice comes into play. If sportsbooks were able to attract perfectly even betting action on both sides, they’d be keeping $10 of every $110 wager placed.

Sometimes, you may see a point spread bet listed with odds of -105, -115, or even -120. In those cases, you would need to bet $105, $115, or $120, respectively, to win $100. Then there are also times in point spread betting when a wager has even odds, listed as Even or +100, so whatever you bet you’ll get back.

Because oddsmakers will adjust point spreads as they see fit, another way to alter the handicap is by changing the odds slightly.

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Wait, point spreads can change?

Yes. Sportsbooks and oddsmakers may very well change a point spread to keep the handicap even. Injuries, starting lineups, weather, and volume of bets on one side or the other are a handful of the reasons for a point spread to change. Don’t let the thought of a changing point spread scare you, because these changes can work to your advantage. Of course, they can also work to your disadvantage.

Sticking with the previous example, here’s how the betting line for the Bills and Patriots looked to start.

Buffalo Bills +8 (-110)
New England Patriots -8 (-110)

That’s where the line opened, but then later in the week, much closer to game time, the line changed to the following.

Buffalo Bills +7 (-110)
New England Patriots -7 (-110)

This shift signifies that New England moved to become less of a favorite than at the opening line. If you’re a bettor who placed a wager on the Bills at +8, this is good news for you, as you’re now getting an extra point that isn’t available anymore. If you placed a wager on the Patriots -8, you now need to overcome an additional point to win.

Many sharp bettors make a practice of watching and predicting line movements. This is done in an attempt to get the best number possible.

Just as points spreads move, they aren’t uniform from venue to venue, so be sure to shop around at various sportsbooks to get the best line that you can.

Understanding key numbers

When it comes to a point spread, it’s important to understand the key numbers. This is especially true for bettors wagering on football, because football point spreads are where the key numbers tend to have the most significance.

Due to how the scoring is structured in football, with field goals being worth 3 points and touchdowns being worth 7 points when you include the 1-point extra point, the most common margins of victory are 3 and 7 points. Knowing and understanding the importance of these key numbers can allow a bettor to make better wagers.

In point spread betting, you’ll often hear bettors reference the “hook.” The hook is the extra half point attached to the spread, very commonly seen in football betting. When betting on a favorite and understanding the importance of key numbers and the hook, it’s beneficial for a bettor to lay fewer than 7 points or fewer than 3 points. Similarly, it’s better to lay 7 points with a favorite than have to cover 7.5 points. The same can be said for 3.5, 3, and 2.5 – having to lay 3 points is much better than having to lay 3.5, and having to lay 2.5 is far greater than having to lay 3.

This also works for the other side of a point spread, the underdog. Any time a bettor can, he or she will want the benefit of having the hook in his or her favor. It’s much better to have an underdog if you’re getting 3 points than just 2.5, or 3.5 points instead of 3. Understanding the importance of key numbers and the hook can be the differences between winning a bet or not.

Although more attention is given to key numbers in football, they are worth paying attention to in basketball, too. Key numbers in basketball come into play less often than in football, but they’re still worth knowing what they are. In basketball, the most common margins of victory are between 5 points and 8 points, followed by 3 points and 4 points.

Puck line and run line

Point spreads are used mainly in football and basketball. In hockey, the point spread is referred to as the “puck line.” In baseball, a point spread is called the “run line.” In hockey and baseball, the puck line or run line are commonly -1.5 or +1.5 and the lines themselves don’t change but the odds might.

For more definitions of common sports betting terms, check out SharpSide’s dedicated glossary page.

There are several different types of football wager you can place,
and two of them are significantly more popular than the others.
The most popular of all is the point spread wager, followed by
the totals wager. In this article, we’re focusing on the point
spread.

Before you continue reading, if you’re interested, we have put together a short video to help you better understand point spreads.

If you have any interest at all in betting on football, then you
really should know how to bet the point spread effectively. It’s not
necessarily the “best” type of wager in terms of the potential for
winning money, but it’s relatively simple and does present some
profitable opportunities if you know what you’re doing.

On this page we teach you the basics of betting football point spreads. We explain how they work, and why
they’re so popular. We also explain the challenges involved in making money from them. Finally, we offer
some tips and strategy advice for placing wagers of this type.

Football Point Spreads: How They Work

The theory with point spreads is that a wager on either team to win a football game is as close to a 505/50
shot as possible. You’re not actually betting on which team will win the game, you’re betting on which team
will “cover the spread”. The favorite has to win by at least a certain number of points for a wager on them to
be successful, and the underdog has to lose by less than the same number of points for a wager on them to
be successful.

Another way to view it is that, for the purposes of the betting, the favorite has points deducted from their
score and the underdog has points added to their final score. The number of points varies, depending on the
gap in quality between two teams. If one team is much stronger than the other, the number of points can be
quite high (a big spread). If the two teams are more evenly matched, the number of points is low (a small
spread).

Here’s an example of a point spread that a bookmaker or betting site might offer for a football game
between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Denver Bronco.

Broncos -6
-110

The +6 for the Steelers means that they’ll have six points effectively added to their score. They’re the
underdog here. The -6 for the Broncos means that they’ll have six points effectively deducted from their
score, as they’re the favorite. You can choose to bet on the Steelers with their points advantage, or on the
Broncos with their points deduction. The following outcomes are possible.

A wager on the Steelers pays out if they win the game, or lose by less than six points
A wager on the Steelers loses if they lose by more than six points
A wager on the Broncos pays out if the win the game by more than six points
A wager on the Broncos loses if they lose the game, or win by less than six points
All wagers would push (stake gets returned) if the Broncos win by exactly six points

Points Spread Meaning Dictionary

That, in essence, is all there is to betting football point spreads. All successful wagers are paid out at the
relevant odds, which are typically -110. The odds can vary, but they’re almost always fairly close to even
money. One further thing we should mention is that spreads will often include half a point. So, for example,
you might see a team at +6.5. This makes a push impossible.

Why Football Point Spreads Are Popular

It’s difficult to say for sure why point spreads are so popular, but there are probably a number of reasons. We
suspect that the following are the most relevant for the majority of bettors.

Betting on even money propositions is appealing
Point spreads are very simple
Point spreads make betting on “lopsided” games more interesting
The perception is that it’s easy to make money from point spreads

The first reason listed here applies primarily to recreational bettors. Those who are serious about their
betting don’t really care what the odds are per se, they are primarily concerned with whether value exists or
not. And value can exist in both heavy favorites and complete outsiders in the right circumstances. For those
that bet just for fun, though, the concept of value is largely an irrelevance. They just want to know that they
have a fair chance of winning their wagers, and that’s exactly what point spreads offer. Even if you just picked
teams at random you could expect to win close to 50% of your wagers over the long run.

The second reason is also an appealing one for recreational bettors. Although most of them do want to win
money, of course, they’re not generally bothered about having to think too much about their betting. It’s all
about the fun, and so wagers that are nice and simple are ideal for them. Point spreads are an easy way to
throw a few bucks on a game, without having to put in a great deal of effort.

Making lopsided games more interesting is a clear advantage of the point spread, to all types of bettors.
Without this type of wager, there would rarely be much fun or value in betting on games where there is a
very clear favorite. Backing the favorite would offer very low odds, to the extent that it probably wouldn’t be
worth it, and the underdog would be so unlikely to win that there’d be no point in backing them either.

The final reason mentioned here is actually not a good reason to bet football point spreads at all. Many
people do believe it’s a relatively easy way to make money, but the reality is that it is not. We’ll now explain
why.

The Challenge of Football Point Spreads

Seeing as we’ve said that you have a roughly 50% chance of winning a point spread wager even if picking a
team at random, you could be forgiven for thinking that with even a little bit of knowledge you should be able
to make money from this type of wager. You may well be able to, but it’s certainly not easy. There are two
main reasons for this.

Bookmakers charge vig
Bookmakers are very good at what they do

If you’re not familiar with vig, please read our article on how bookmakers make money. Very briefly though,
vig is basically a commission that bookmakers charge. It’s effectively built into the odds, which is why point
spread wagers typically are at odds of around -110. You’ve got to risk $110 to win $100, which means you
have to win more than half of your wagers just to break even.

And winning more than your half of your wagers is tough, because the bookmakers are generally very
accurate when setting their lines. The spreads they publish are consistently very close to reflecting what
actually happens in games. This makes it very difficult to regularly predict which team is going to cover the
spread in a game.It’s certainly rare that you’ll see games where the outcome is obvious enough that you can
genuinely state with real confidence that one or the other team is going to cover.

Tips & Strategy Advice

There is an argument to say that there is little strategy involved in betting football point spreads these days.
This is primarily because of what we’ve outlined above, in that the lines are set so tightly by bookmakers that
football point spreads are basically coin flips. However, our view is that they can be profitable with the right
approach.

For one thing, bookmakers are not infallible. Although they’re very good at what they do, they still get it
wrong from time to time. And, even when they don’t, it’s still possible to get a high enough win percentage to
effectively “beat the vig”. It’s not easy, but it can be done.

We round off this article with some tips and strategy advice that may help you to get better results when
betting football point spreads.

Learn how to handicap football games

This advice applies to virtually any form of football betting really. If you’re going to make money, then you
need to need to understand what’s involved in handicapping football games.A lot of bettors don’t bother to
learn about handicapping, often simply because they believe it’s really complicated. It’s not. There are some
complicated aspects to it, yes, but the fundamental concept is relatively straightforward.

In fact, there’s a very good chance that you’re already handicapping games without even realizing it.
Handicapping doesn’t have to involve using amazingly advanced scientific systems, it can be as simple as
taking into account a few factors that are likely to affect the outcome of a game and then working out where
the value lies. There’s obviously a bit more to it than that, but that’s basically what it’s about.

Ignore a team’s ATS record

Statistics can be very valuable when betting football spreads. There are certain statistics in particular that
canreally help you compare two teams and make informed judgements about how they are likely to perform
against each other. However, there are other stats that are relatively useless. This doesn’t stop some bettors
relying on them though.

One such stat is a team’s ATS (against the spread) record. This basically refers to a team’s performance
against the lines set by the bookmakers, rather than their actual results. Let’s look at some hypothetical data
to explain this further. Here’s a team’s results of the first six games of the regular season, along with their
spread for each of those games.

Game Number	Win/Loss Margin	Spread
1	Lost by 1 point	-3
2	Won by 5 points	-6
3	Won by 12 points	-7
4	Won by 3 points	-3
5	Lost by 3 points	-3
6	Won by 3 points	-4

In the first game, the team was -3 on the spread, so technically “should” have won by three points. It lost, so
it failed to cover the spread. It won the next game, but only by five points when it was -6 on the spread. So,
again, it failed to cover the spread. In the following game it won by 12 when -7 on the spread, so it did cover
the spread here. In the following three games it failed to cover the spread again, despite winning two of them.

Now, a lot of bettors would read a lot into this. The team has only covered the spread once in six games,
despite a record of 4-2 on the field. The seemingly obvious conclusion here is that backing this team on the
spread is a bad idea. This is not necessarily true though, for one simple reason.

That’s right. The ATS data for a team is one of those instances where the numbers really do lie. The fact that
a team has been failing to cover the spread for the majority of its games means absolutely nothing in terms
of how likely it is cover to the spread in the future.

You’ll hear advice contrary to this, but please ignore it. Relying on ATS data to make future predictions is a
big mistake.

Don’t bet on every game

There is pretty much a 0% chance that you’ll be able to maintain a good win rate if you bet the spreads on
every single football game. Being selective is absolutely vital if you want to win consistently. The more games
you bet on, the harder you’ll find it to maintain a high enough win percentage. And your win percentage is
everything when it comes to betting football spreads. As we’ve already stated, you’ll mostly be betting at
around -110 and will need to win above 50% of your picks just to overcome the vig.

Successful point spread betting is a marathon, not a sprint.

Trying to win a ton of bets each and every week is a recipe for failure. You need to be patient and wait for
the right opportunities. Unless you are an absolute genius (in which case you don’t need our help anyway),
at best you’ll find just a handful of games where there’s a good reason to bet the spread. There will likely be
some weeks where there are no good spots at all, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with saving your
money and waiting for better opportunities.

There are certain types of games that you should generally try to avoid too. These are as follows.

Games between very closely matched opponents
Games involving “hyped” teams or especially popular teams
Games with double digit spreads (i.e. a spread of 10 or more)

Please note that we’re not saying you should NEVER bet the spread in games falling into the above
categories. Just be cautious of them. Games between very closely matched opponents are notoriously difficult
to predict, and games involving hyped or popular teams often have very misleading lines. Games with
double digit spreads are risky because there’s always a chance that the favorite will coast through a game
once they’ve all but secured the win. They may be easily capable of winning by ten or more points, but that
doesn’t mean they’re going to give it their all to do so.

Think outside the NFL

Many bettors focus solely on the NFL, and this is basically making things a lot harder than they need to be.
Finding value on NFL games is very difficult, due to the tight lines mentioned earlier, and when there is value
it doesn’t tend to last very long. This is because there are so many people looking for the right spots. As soon
as a bookmaker or betting publishes an attractive line, sharp bettors will be on it almost immediately. The
line will then be moved accordingly, and the value will disappear.

There is regularly more value to be had in college football and even the Canadian Football League, as the
bookmakers are not generally quite as expert on those games. This means there’s more opportunities to
find good spots. The fact that there are less people betting also means that those good spots don’t tend to
disappear quite so quickly.

Please note that we’re not saying it’s easy to win money betting on college football and the CFL. We’re just
saying that there’s certainly an argument that it’s not as hard as the NFL. You’ll need to make sure you know
as much as possible about the relevant teams and players though. That’s where you can potentially gain an
edge over the bookmakers.

Consider betting teasers

Explain Point Spread

Points Spread Meaning In Golf

Further Information

You can find more detailed strategy advice for this type of wager in our articles on NFL teasers and college
football teasers.

Shop around

Points Spread Meaning In Basketball

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