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What Is A Spread In Sports Betting?

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Like to bet on sports but not a big fan of doing semi-complicated math? Then point-spread wagering was made for you.
Simple addition and subtraction—that’s all you need to know to grasp the nuances of spread betting, which is by far the most popular form of wagering for two of North America’s most popular sports: football and basketball (both college and pro).
What follows is a primer on how to wager on point spreads, including examples from multiple sports.
A point spread is nothing more than a bookmaker giving one team (or player) a head start in a game or event. In sports betting, this head start comes in the form of points (football, basketball), runs (baseball), goals (soccer, hockey), strokes (golf) and games or sets (tennis).
The idea is simple: If you wager on the team receiving the head start, you’re wagering on the underdog and hoping for one of two results: Either the team wins outright, or it keeps the final margin within a specific number of points/runs/goals. That number, established by oddsmakers, is called the point spread.
Conversely, if you bet on the team that starts from behind, you’re betting on the favorite, which needs to win by a margin greater than the point spread to cash your wager.
The point spread number in any game/event is always the same for both teams. The only difference: The spread associated with the favorite is denoted with a minus (-) sign, while the spread attached to an underdog carries a plus (+) sign.
Here’s how a point spread is expressed in an NFL game:
In this example, if you bet the Titans on the spread, you’re “getting” 3.5 points right from the start. You can win that bet one of two ways: The Titans defeat the Colts (win outright) or lose by one, two or three points.
A wager on Indianapolis means you’re “giving” 3.5 points—so before the game even kicks off, you’re losing 3.5 points to zero. That means the Colts not only must win the game, but they have to prevail by a margin of at least four points.
In this scenario, if the final score is Colts 23, Titans 21, Tennessee would “cover” the 3.5-point spread. However, if the Colts prevail 27-21, they would “cover” the spread.
Regarding spread betting, remember this: If you bet on the favorite (-3.5), you’re “giving away” those points throughout the entire contest. If you bet on the underdog (+3.5), you’re “getting” (or “receiving”) those points from start to finish.
Point spreads are expressed two different ways: as whole numbers (-6, -10, +13, +21) and fractions/decimals (+4.5, -8.5, +11.5).
Any point spread that has that extra half-point (or half-run, half-goal, etc.) means no matter what the game/event outcome is, there will be a definitive winner and loser from a betting perspective.
However, when that half-point—referred to as “the hook” in betting parlance—is absent from a point spread, it’s possible the final score on the field could result in a tie (or “push”) for wagering purposes.
Here are two NBA examples involving a hypothetical Milwaukee Bucks vs. Phoenix Suns matchup:
Betting result: Bucks spread bettors lose (didn’t win by at least six points); Suns bettors win (lost by fewer than six points)
Betting result: Push (the game was decided by the exact point spread of 5 points)
In the latter situation, all point spread bets are refunded. That is, everyone who wagered on Bucks -5 would get their money back, as would everyone who wagered on Suns +5.
It’s not uncommon for point spreads to move up and down—and it can happen multiple times in the span of hours or even minutes. This “line movement” tends to occur most frequently the closer you get to game time.
Why do sportsbooks make these adjustments? There are numerous reasons, but here are the three most common:
Lopsided betting action: A sportsbook’s ultimate goal is to have the same amount of money bet on both sides of every game/event (thus limiting the book’s financial liability).
So let’s say a bunch of five-figure wagers come in on a 4-point underdog, and the other side (4-point favorite) has only received a few hundred dollars in bets. In this case, the book might adjust the point spread to -3.5/+3.5 or even -3/+3 to balance out the action (that is, attract more money on the favorite and less on the underdog).
Injuries/suspensions/trades/rest: When news breaks that a key player won’t be suiting up—the quarterback in football; the starting pitcher or best hitter in baseball; the top player in basketball; the goalie in hockey—you can be sure oddsmakers will adjust the point spread. How much depends on the missing player’s worth to his/her team.
Weather: Obviously, this pertains to outdoor sports only, but inclement weather—wind, rain, snow, etc.—can lead to a point spread shift. That said, poor weather more often leads to line moves with totals (i.e., the Over/Under) than spreads.
In almost all instances, whenever making a point spread wager, bettors must pay a fee called the “vigorish” (also known as “the vig” or “juice”). This fee is displayed in the same manner as moneyline odds.
The standard odds for spread wagers is -110 for both the favorite and the underdog. That means no matter what side you’re taking, when the vig is -110, you must wager $110 for every $100 you want to win, $11 to win $10, or $1.10 to win $1.
(Note: Some sportsbooks won’t even list “-110” on their betting boards and apps—it’s just assumed that’s the vig.)
Sometimes, oddsmakers will adjust the juice rather than move the point spread up or down a half-point (or more).
So let’s say the New England Patriots are facing the Miami Dolphins; the point spread is Patriots -3.5/Dolphins +3.5; and most bettors are wagering on New England. Instead of shifting the spread to Patriots -4/Dolphins +4 (with -110 odds on both sides), the sportsbook might retain the -3.5/+3.5 spread number but move the vig to Patriots -120/Dolphins +100.
In this instance, bettors backing New England have to risk $120 to win $100 and need the Patriots to win by at least four points. Dolphins bettors would risk $100 to win $100 (even-money odds) and need Miami to win the game or lose by no more than three points.
The answer to this question: It depends on which side wins the wager, the bettor or the book. When bettors come out on top—no matter if it’s a spread or moneyline wager—they get the juice back as part of their winnings. But when a bettor loses, the sportsbook retains the vig (think of it as the “cost” of doing business with the sportsbook).
Here are two examples that illustrate where the vig ends up:
Matchup: Baltimore Ravens vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
Point spread: Ravens +6.5 (-110)/Steelers -6.5 (-110)
The wager: $110 (to win $100) on Steelers -6.5
Betting result: Bettor wins and collects $210 (original $110 wager, plus $100 in winnings)
Matchup: Baltimore Ravens vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
Point spread: Ravens +6.5 (-110)/Steelers -6.5 (-110)
The wager: $55 (to win $50) on Steelers -6.5
As we’ve detailed, spread betting with football and basketball is as basic as it gets. You’re either “giving” points (betting on the favorite) or “receiving” points (betting on the underdog). The rest is simple math (add to/subtract from the final score).
With other sports, spread betting is a bit different (yet still not all that difficult to comprehend).
Most bettors who wager on the NFL, NBA, and college football and basketball stick with the point spread. However, the moneyline is usually the preferred format for sports like the NHL, MLB and soccer.
The main reason: Football and basketball are higher-scoring sports that often feature final scores with wide margins (35-17, 122-101, etc.). Point spreads help tighten those margins in the betting market.
Conversely, baseball, hockey and soccer are traditionally lower-scoring sports with tighter victory margins (6-4, 4-3, 1-0, etc.). As a result, the “point spread” is always a low number.
In baseball, the spread is referred to as the “run line” and is always listed as -1.5 (favorite)/+1.5 (underdog). In hockey, it’s called the “puck line,” and just like baseball, it’s always -1.5/+1.5.
For a run line/puck line favorite to “cover the spread,” it must win by multiple runs/goals, while a run line/puck line underdog must win outright or lose by no more than one run/goal.
As for soccer, the spread is known as the “goal line”. Considering that fútbol is the lowest-scoring team sport on the planet, it shouldn’t be surprising to learn that the goal line is usually listed at -0.5/+0.5.
Here’s what that means: If you bet a favorite on the goal line (-0.5), it must win the match—if the final score is a tie, you lose your wager. But if you bet a goal-line underdog, you can cash with an outright win or a tie (because you’re “getting” half a goal).
As with football and basketball, spread wagering in other sports comes with vigorish attached. The key difference? Whereas the vig in football and basketball spread betting is most often -110 on both sides, in the other sports, it can vary greatly. And it’s all correlated to the moneyline odds.
Here are two examples (one from MLB, one from the NHL):
If the moneyline for a Texas Rangers-Houston Astros game is Astros -220/Rangers +190, the associated run line probably would be Astros -1.5 runs (-115)/Rangers +1.5 runs (-105).
Perhaps you like the Astros’ chances to beat the Rangers on this day but aren’t interested in laying -220 odds on the moneyline (that is, betting on Houston to win the game, regardless of the victory margin). You can instead choose to bet the Astros on the run line at -115 odds.
So you’ve essentially cut the odds price in half (from -220 to -115), but here’s the tradeoff: Houston has to win by at least two runs for you to win your bet.
Switching to the NHL, let’s say the moneyline in a Vegas Golden Knights-Colorado Avalanche game was tight, something like Vegas -120/Colorado +110. The puck line odds would be much more extreme, roughly Golden Knights -1.5 goals (+170)/Avalanche +1.5 goals (-190).
Why? Because oddsmakers believe this contest is a virtual toss-up (hence the tight moneyline odds). The puck line odds tell you it’s more probable that Vegas wins by exactly one goal (or loses outright) than wins by multiple goals.
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Matt Jacob is a freelance writer and editor based in Las Vegas. He has written/edited for multiple print publications and online platforms, including the Las Vegas Review-Journal, The Washington Post, UNLV communications, VegasSeven magazine, Premier Boxing Champions and, most recently, Props.com.

Brian Pempus has covered the U.S. gambling indusry since 2009, starting with Card Player Magazine in Las Vegas. He was later deputy editor of sports betting at Better Collective and managing editor at The Game Day, before joining Forbes Advisor in 2022.

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How The Spread Levels the Betting Playing Field
How The Spread Levels the Betting Playing Field
00:00 Damien it's there here alongside Kelly getting ready for the lineup.
Our sports betting show right here on Bloomberg.
You always hear the term point spread and we will show you how it completely
changes the outcome of the game. The spread is a bet on the margin of
victory in a sporting event. The goal is to even the gap between the
favorite and the underdog. The bet is different than setting the
money line which is a simple win loss wager.
Let's take a look at this year's NCAA men's basketball tournament where Duke
took on Cal State forwards and the spread was even half points meaning Duke
would need to win by 19 points to cover. Yet with the game well in hand and duke
up by 19. The Blue Devils allowed an uncontested
dunk with just four seconds left in regulation that resulted in a final
score of seventy eight to sixty one a seventeen point differential that left
two bettors carrying the lock. Now you understand why every point
matters if you are watching the spread and you can catch the lineup on Fridays
and Saturdays on.
22:00 Bloomberg Markets The Close The fast-paced program is the quintessential market close show leading up to the final minutes and seconds before the closing bell on Wall Street with the latest news, data and expert analysis.
Bloomberg the Lineup September 6th, 2022, 5:37 PM GMT+0300
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