Point Spread

What is a Point Spread?

Point Spread is another popular bet standard in sports like basketball, baseball, soccer, etc. It is the most commonly used bet in the United States. And trust me, if you have yet to hear of this bet or don't know how it works, you will get to know everything in this article.

When a wager is to be placed on two teams, definitely one of them would have a greater chance of winning than the other. This particular one is usually called the favorite club. Most people want to bet on it because of its better odds, causing sportsbooks to risk significant losses.

To avoid this, Bookmakers use the point spread as a balance to make both teams evenly enticing to bettors. However, the underdog will be allowed to lose by the exact points the favorite team won with or less than that. The favorite team is represented by a negative sign (-), while the underdog team is represented by a positive sign (+).

Football Point Spreads

Before placing a football Point Spread, bettors must first know what it is all about and how it works. Knowing this will make them see what they want to risk and what to do to have a successful wager.

Point spread is a form of sports betting in which a team's victory is determined by a specific number of points or goals it must have or must not lose to the opponent. When you see them, you'll understand them easier.

In other words, Point Spread is not like Moneyline, where you bet on a team to lose or win. Rather, it is a bet that sets a line of victory between two sides which are the Favorite team and the Underdog team. A particular amount of points is subtracted from that of the favorite and added to the underdog to make them equal.

Making your bet 'even' works by gaining additional points different from the actual game point. Let's say, for example, the Philadelphia Eagles are -6 points favorite over the Minnesota Vikings. Placing a wager on the Eagles in the spread means they will have to triumph with more than 6 points before you can win the bet.

How To Read Point Spread Odd?

Reading the Point Spread Odd is not different from how you read other odds. Since Spreads aim to level the playing field for the teams involved, the odds awarded by bookmakers are usually the same. A standard -110 odd is given to both sides in a game involving spreads. This means you have to wager $110 to earn $100 profit.

The point spread is the anticipated final score difference between the two teams. It has a negative and positive number. If you have a spread of 5 points, the two teams will have -5 points and +5 points, respectively. The dominant team, the favorite team, will have a negative number of Points (-5), while the underdog team will have a positive number of points (+5).

However, if Team A has -5 points as the favorite over Team B, then Team A has to lead with over 5 points to win the bet or cover. On the other hand, Team B can win the game outright or lose by any points lower than the initial points.

Points Spread Payouts

In a Moneyline wager, you only have to pick a team that will win the game. But a point spread still allows gamblers to win with their losing team, depending on the score of the sporting event.

Most of the time, Sportsbooks will list out the payout odds for each game, but sometimes they won't list any. That's because they have a payout standard of -110 they want you to use. And in using this, it means for a $100 bet, you will get $91.91 Profit. You will get the same payout when you bet on the other side of the game.

Moving on, you need to know that a point spread bet has three potential outcomes: the win, the loss, or the push. Below are the ways they work;

• The favorite covers the spread: Here, Bettors win when they choose the favorite team, and the favored team wins by a margin greater than the point spread. Example: The Celtics are favored by 6.5 over the Cavaliers, and the Celtics win 114-106, an 8-point margin. They have covered the spread, and people who staked on them will win their wagers.
• The underdog covers the spread: Bettors that place their wager on the underdog team will win when the underdog wins outright, or the underdog loses by a margin less than the point spread.
• There's a push, and the bet is voided: A push outcome occurs when the favorite team wins by a margin same as the initial point spread. When this happens, bettors will have the total amount of the wager returned to them. For instance, the Eagles are -6 points favorite over the Vikings. If the Eagles win with the exact 6-point gap at the end of the game, it is a 'push.' And every bet on the point spread will be refunded.

How much can I win on a point Spread wager?

You can win as much as you want on a point spread wager. You only need to fully know how it works, things to do and its tricks, etc.

Remember that in point spread betting; the favorite is appointed a given spread point for the projected winning margin. They have to win by having an outcome more than the actual spread point for you to win your bet.

If you place a bet on the underdog, you'll win your bet if they defeat the favorite outright or lose by fewer points than the spread allows.

Examples of point Spread betting

There's set to be a friendly match between Napoli and Wrexham. Wrexham has a +3 spread as the underdog against Napoli. That means Napoli is a -3 point favorite.

• If Napoli wins the match with more than a three-goal difference, those who wagered on them are winners.
• If Napoli still wins the match by 1-2 goals but is unable to humiliate the British side: Those who staked on Wrexham should brace up for a cash-out.
• If Wrexham pulls a shocker and wins the game: Of course! Gamblers who trusted them will walk to their banks smiling.
• In a situation where Napoli wins with a 3-goal difference (say the match ends 4-1 in favor of the Italian side): That's a push, and the bets will be refunded.

In other words, the above example shows that Napoli wagerers will only earn when they lead with goals more than the actual point spread, which is 3. Any other situation aside that means gamblers who staked on Wrexham are winners. Well, except if there's a 'push.'

To avoid situations like a Push, Sportsbooks present their odds in decimals. That way, they eliminate every possibility of a tie in point spreads.

Points Spread odds and Line Movements

The standard odds for point spreads on the favorite and Underdog teams is 110. Though sometimes, it slightly varies (you could see -109 and the likes), it will surely be around 110 in most cases. This shows that if you place a bet on either side of the team, you will likely risk more than what you would gain on a successful stake. This happens due to the 'Juice' bookies squeeze out of every wager.

Vig, also known as juice in sports betting, refers to the amount Sportsbooks collect from bettors for wagering. The amount of a vig depends on the odds.

Line movements, on the other hand, give you the information required to place your bet and the prices with which you can bet. From the moment the betting line is released, it keeps moving till the game starts. Odds movement are the shifts in the lines offered by bookmakers for specific teams or players. For example, suppose the odds of a Los Angeles Lakers winning a basketball point spread were initially set at -110, and multiple gamblers staked on the team. In that case, the odds might shift to -125 to direct other gamblers' interests to the other team.

The Connection of the Point Spread to the Moneyline

The main difference between Moneyline and Point spread betting is that you place a bet on the winning team in Moneyline. So, it doesn't matter how many goals the team leads by or how slim the victory is. A win is a win. While In Point spreads, the team you bet on must meet a particular number of points before you can win your wager. It's just that they both have the same signs for the preferred (-) and the underdog (+).

Also, point spreads are deeply connected to the moneyline. Follow me.

Imagine there's set to be a football clash between Crystal Palace and Man City, and while the Odd awarded to Palace is +300, City gets -210. Team B is favored and is much expected to win the game. That means staking on them will also pay out less, but wagering on the weaker team to win will greatly reward you if they do.

The negative number (-210 in Man City)  shows how much you must risk to win a $100 payout. While the positive odd given to Crystal Palace tells you how much you'll earn if you wager $100 on them. And that's where point spreads come in.

Bookmakers spread Points to even out the playing ground for the two sides. Since Man City is the stronger club, they'll have some goals to pay as debts before they can win the match. And since Crystal Palace is the underdog, they will get some goals in advance to keep them ahead of their opponent. This is to level the odds. That way, no 'favorite' and 'underdog' will exist.

Tips and Strategy Advice

Many recreational gamblers see sports betting as a source of entertainment above anything else. They just want to have fun, neglecting the benefits they can also get from it. But on the flip side, I really don't see a reason why you shouldn't make a profit while having a little bit of fun. So in making your selections, here are a few tips to put you on the path to success:

Know how Point Spread works

Before you place your bet on any sport, you need to understand better how point spread betting odds work in each of them to succeed greatly.

Know the Point Spread setting

The opening line is the starting point for every spread. A vital aspect of Spread betting is knowing how the odds are set and ensuring that the spreads and lines are not stagnant.

Understand Key Numbers

This is very important if you want to have a successful point spread bet. Key numbers are significant in any sport, and a specific number of points determines most games. For example, Most games in NFL are decided by three or seven points.