Explain Nfl Spread Betting
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Explain Nfl Spread Betting
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Team Spread Odds Los Angeles Rams -3.5 -106 Cincinnati Bengals +3.5 -112
Points spread betting makes wagers more interesting in games where there is a clear favorite and underdog © Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
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Its popularity comes from the level playing field that it creates between favorites and underdogs, changing the way we watch the game. NFL point spreads are synonymous with NFL betting.
Rams' wide receiver, Cooper Kupp was one of the league's best in 2021 © Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
NFL point spread betting gives the perceived weaker side in the game a headstart of a specific number of points.
The spread can be in whole points, making a tie possible or with a half point included, which guarantees a winner when the spread is applied at the end of the game.
Click the links to jump to each section.
In the 2022 NFC Championship game, the Los Angeles Rams were 3.5 point favorites as they were playing in their home stadium and considered to be more accomplished team than their opponents, the San Francisco 49ers.
Home field advantage in the NFL is currently considered to be worth between 2 and 3 points though this is not a written rule, making the Rams around a point superior side to the 49ers at a neutral venue.
Both the spread and the odds offered might be different at various books and at different times in the buildup, as weight of money and sentiment ebbed and flowed in the NFC Championship game.
The 49ers settled at -112 with a handicap advantage of 3.5 points compared to the Rams’ -106 under the same spread. The game was closely contested, but the Rams edged the game by 20-17.
A handicap win for the Rams would have returned $9.43 of profit to a $10 stake, but although outright losers on the day, the 49ers rewarded those who backed them with the cushion of a 3.5 points start to the tune of $8.93 again to a $10 stake.
The NFC Championship game gave a masterclass in how point spread betting can enhance the usual money line betting, where a side may be an unattractively short priced favorite.
The Rams were priced at -182 simply to beat the 49ers and advance to the Super Bowl, requiring a stake of $182 to be risked to return a $100 profit, with an implied winning probability of 64.5%
.
The first objective of a spread is to bring the sides much closer to a coin toss odds compared to the price for a side to merely win the game. The NFC Championship spread achieved this aim, with the SF 49ers “winning” by just half a point after the 3.5 points had been added.
More obviously, the spread gives an equitable betting opportunity to both teams even when the game appears to be a large mismatch.
When the very best of teams plays the very worst, points spreads can be upwards of 17.5 points, which gives a big underdog, perhaps on an upward curve, a real chance to cause an upset against the spread playing a dominant team who may go in to the game with one eye ons future challenges.
The importance of half points was also highlighted in the NFC Championship game between the Rams and 49ers. 15% of games are won by 3 points, the value of a field goal and without the extra half point, the betting result would have been a 20-20 push with stakes returned.
In spread betting, you have two options: the favorite or the underdog. The favorite will be displayed with negative odds, which is a minus symbol (-) followed by a number (-5.5). The underdog will be displayed with positive odds, which is plus sign (+) followed by a number (+5.5).
Spread betting sounds confusing, but it really isn't. If the Los Angeles Rams are -3.5, they need to win by six points or more to win the bet. If the San Francisco 49ers are +3.5 on the spread, they can’t lose by more than five points to win the bet. If the spread numbers are both 5.5, there is no middle ground for both teams to win/lose.
Using the above example, if we wager $100 on the Los Angeles Rams (-3.5) with odds of -110 and they win the game 27-21, we would profit $90 because they won by six or more points. If the spread was -6.5 and they won the game 27-21, we would lose our $100 wager because they didn’t win (cover) by seven points or more. At -3.5, winning by 4 points or more is good and winning by 3 points or fewer is bad.
With underdogs, it’s a little different. If we wagered $100 on the 49ers (+3.5) at -110 and they lost the game 27-21, we would lose our $100 bet because they lost by six points or more. If the spread were +6.5 and the 49ers lost 27-21, the +6.5 would win (cover) because the Giants didn’t lose by seven points or more. At +5.5, losing by five points or fewer is good and losing by six points or more is bad.
American odds can be confusing, but our odds calculator can help us determine how much we’d win based on the amount we wagered.
American odds always use $100 as a default stake too, but NFL point spread bettors can bet any amount they feel comfortable with and is within their limits.
NFL expert Scott Kacsmar takes a look at the opening game of the NFL season, with Buffalo heading to Los Angeles for Thursday Night Football.
Ian Cameron dissects the first Monday Night Football game of the season, with Russell Wilson and his new Denver Bronco team heading to his old home of Seattle.
The -106 odds for the Rams to cover 3.5 points in the NFC Championship game quickly gives you an idea about the bet you are contemplating.
The negative sign tells you that you will need to stake more than your potential profitable return. The -106 means you must stake $106 to make a profit of $100, in addition your stake is also returned, if successful.
By contrast, had the odds been prefixed by a + sign, then your returned profit would exceed your stake.
For example, +104. The + sign before the 104 means you are betting an event that has an implied probability of below 50%, and the 104 is the amount of profit in dollars you will receive if you stake $100.
The spread set is strongly related to the money line odds and then sentiment moves either the spread or the odds available about the two sides.
However, the only objective in the NFL is to win the game and unlike other sports, points differential is irrelevant to the final standings. Therefore, you may feel that some teams, in some circumstances may win by the bare minimum, whereas other coaches are happy to rack up the score, even when the game is comfortably won.
Key points are also important to understand, as in the Championship game, the scoring system has a big influence on winning margins. Three and seven points occur more often, even with the emergence of the 2 point extra point option.
A choice between moneyline betting, where a side merely needs to win the game, even by a single point or handicap, and point spread betting which bring the teams closer together, is partly down to betting temperament and the ability to find a profitable angle.
Typically, the two markets are related. A strong favorite will also be likely to win, on average by a hefty margin.
The Buffalo Bills hosting Atlanta Falcons in week 17 were priced at -890 on the money line, where you need to stake $890 to profit by $100, and were asked to cover a two touchdown, 14-point, spread, which was be priced at a more palatable -110.
The game ended in a 29-15 win for Buffalo, but a 29-29 push on the handicap.
Sometimes this generic conversion may not fully account for the way a leading team manages the game. Also, you may feel more comfortable betting $110 to win $100 at -110 on the spread compared to $890 to win the same $100 on the money line. Even though the long-term returns will be similar.
A plus-seven spread means that team is given a seven-point advantage in a spread bet. The team win the bet if the win outright or lose less than six points. Seven is a key number (one of the most common margins for victory), making a push more likely than many other point spreads unless the game goes to overtime where PATs don’t get attempted.
Generally NFL points spreads are accurate. The juice added to the odds gives the books a margin for error and blindly betting either underdogs or favorites against the spread does not produce a sustainable profit. If habits change in scoring within the NFL, the books are the first to spot it, but niche angles may exist for a time.
Many NFL bets are designed to be coin tosses. But if both sides of a spread were priced at +100 or 50%, the books would not be charging for their services or giving themselves an edge. Therefore, -110 odds are inevitable in these markets, which is why looking for a few extra cents, say -105 is to be encouraged.
This is betting where one team is given a number of points advantage over the other, applied at the end of the game, purely for betting purposes. It’s also known as handicap betting or against the spread betting in some betting areas. Teams either cover the spread or win on the handicap.
Find out about the bets inside the game when the top markets are too close
Who will win? If you want a simple way to bet on football, learn to bet the moneyline.
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Get bigger odds and bigger returns - find out how to make the most of parlays.
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Home NFL Betting Online How does the Spread work in NFL?
Categories: NFL Betting Online | Published by: Adam Hoover
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Betting on the spread is by far the most popular bet when it comes to the NFL or even college football.
The reason for this is the fact that the spread bet is easy to understand and also easy to win if you know what you are doing.
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Welcome to our article which explains – just how does the Spread work in NFL?
Sports betting differs in major ways compared to old-school gambling games of roulette or blackjack. With these games, it is as simple as placing a bet.
If your cards win or your number hits, you win double your bet.
BetUS has over 25 years in the gambling business and delivers sports betting to customers around the world including the U...
When it comes to football (American football), on the other hand, your payouts work in a different way.
It all comes down to the spread. There is a point spread and money spread when it comes to football.
The best way to explain betting on the spread is by showing an example of one and dissecting it.
*This bet is fake and fabricated strictly for this example
The Packers are the favorite in this scenario. The “-” in front of the “7” indicates the favorite in a match. The “7” indicates the point spread.
To win this bet, the Packers have to win by 8 or more points. This is referred to as covering the spread.
The Patriots are the underdogs, as indicated by the “+” in front of the “7”. For the underdog to win, they must either win the game or lose by less than 7 points. This
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