What Spread Bet Means

🔞 ALL INFORMATION CLICK HERE 👈🏻👈🏻👈🏻

What Spread Bet Means

States Where Sports Betting Is Legal


What Is A Spread In Sports Betting?


What Does The + And – Mean In Sports Betting?


Forbes Advisor receives compensation from partner links on this page. Online bets are not legal in all locations, and this content is meant for those 21+. Winnings are not guaranteed, and you may lose all of your wagered funds. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER


© 2022 Forbes Media LLC. All Rights Reserved
Sports betting has expanded both in the number of markets that exist and with new intricacies added to player props and live betting. But spread betting is one of the more popular forms of sports betting, and this is a sentiment that will likely never change.
Spread betting has its own allure given the simplicity of the wager type and the ease in following along during a game in the context of each spread wager. In this article, we will discuss what spread betting is and the markets available for this type of bet.
Additionally, we will identify and address some of the complexities of spread betting and some frequently asked questions regarding this betting method.
Point spreads are handicaps placed on a team based on whether they are expected to win or lose by a certain margin. Oddsmakers attempt to reach a specific number line for spreads that they believe would make the forecasted final score closest to even.
One other popular type of betting is placing wagers on the moneyline. A moneyline wager is a bet placed on who will win or lose a game or contest regardless of spread.
For example, if the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees played, and the Dodgers had a +100 odds moneyline, you would win $100 on a $100 bet. The payout is simply 1:1. A wager on the Dodgers’ side would be a winner as long as the Dodgers win the game.
This is very different from the spread, which oddsmakers set to make the teams competing as even as possible, taking into account the perceived strengths and weaknesses of each side.
When it comes to the spread, there is always a favorite and an underdog unless the uncommon occurrence of a pick’em occurs. A favorite will always be surrendering points, i.e. a -7 spread for the Buffalo Bills against the Miami Dolphins means that oddsmakers have labeled the Bills as the favorite by seven points. On the other side, the Dolphins will draw a spread of +7, meaning that oddsmakers view the Dolphins as an underdog by seven points.
The aforementioned pick’em is a situation where no spread exists because the matchup is viewed as one that is extremely close. This basically defeats the purpose of the spread and makes it so that the moneyline is the only bet available in most cases.
The Miami Heat are playing the Orlando Magic in the NBA. The Heat are listed as nine-point favorites, drawing a spread of -9. The Magic, as a result, draw a spread of +9. If the Heat win the game by more than nine points, they will be the winning side against the spread (ATS). If the Magic lose the game by fewer than nine points or win the game outright, they will be the winning side against the spread.
In the event that the final score results in the Heat winning by exactly nine points, i.e. 112-103, neither side of the spread will win and will result in a “push.” This returns all wagers to bettors on the spread.
Point spread bets are appealing because of their simplicity. In addition to the spread number, there are also odds attached to each spread. The vigorish, also known as juice, can be seen on each spread bet before placing your wager.
The vig can be thought of as the book’s fee for taking the wager.
Arguably the best thing about spread betting is that the odds are normally between the -120 and +100 odds range. This ensures that bettors are laying far less juice to make these types of bets than they otherwise would on something like a lopsided moneyline.
A +7 spread is very commonly seen in the NFL due to the scoring of a touchdown and a successful extra point. It can be seen in other sports, as well. If the spread is set at +7, this means that to cover, the underdog must either win the game outright or lose by fewer than seven points. For the favorite to cover, they must win by more than seven points.
A +1.5 spread is less common compared to other spread numbers across all sports given what the oddsmakers are implying when attaching it to a game.
This means that the underdog must win outright or lose by exactly one point to cover the spread. Alternatively, a +1.5 spread means that the favorite must win by two points, runs, etc. or more. The +1.5 is the standard “run line” in MLB betting.
Many baseball games are decided by fewer than two runs.
In the event that the underdog only loses by one, they would be doing what is called “winning by the hook.” This refers to the fact that a side wins against the spread by exactly 0.5 points which is quite common given how excellent oddsmakers are in getting their predictions close to the final score.
As previously mentioned, spread bets have odds attached to them that are usually quite reasonable, existing in the range of -120 to +100 in most cases. Depending on whether you are a bettor who looks to win one unit on a bet or you wager a unit on all bets, this has a significant impact on how much you can make on an individual wager against the spread.
A unit is simply a predetermined dollar figure for your standard wager. If you set aside a certain amount of money for sports betting, a unit is typically 1% of your sports betting funds. This helps bettors minimize risk on any one bet, as sports betting has high variance.
If a bettor with a $100 unit size wagers on a -120 odds spread, they would be placing either a $120 bet to win $100 or a $100 bet to win $83.33.
Let’s now discuss some spread betting examples and intricacies of each major North American sports league. Each league is different given the way scoring is done in each sport, creating somewhat of a learning curve for spread betting.
Betting on spreads in the NFL is one of the most popular ways of utilizing spread betting in the United States. The typical spreads available are first quarter, first half and full game spreads with some bettors also engaging in second half spreads. The NFL has a standard structure for this betting market, unlike some of the other major sports leagues.
An example of an NFL spread wager would be to bet the full game spread of the Arizona Cardinals +7.5 points against the Los Angeles Rams. This would require the Cardinals to win the game outright or lose by less than a touchdown.
Similar to the NFL, NBA spread betting is fairly standard. The same methods are available such as quarter, half and full game spreads. Bettors have proven to engage more in the quarter-by-quarter betting as opposed to the NFL given the fast-paced nature of basketball.
For example, a bettor can place a wager on the first quarter between the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics. The Celtics are favored by two points against the spread. Bettors would be forced to either back Celtics -2 or Heat +2 with an exact difference of two points representing a push.
MLB betting has a very different structure than the NFL and NBA because scores and winning margins are often low. There are technically no “spreads,” but rather a “run line.” Unlike most other sports, MLB run lines typically have odds that can reach as high as -200 or +200 depending on what direction the game is predicted to go.
If the New York Yankees are matching up with the Boston Orioles and the Yankees have a -250 moneyline attached to them, their run line will look something like “Yankees -1.5 at -120 odds.” On the other hand, if the Yankees were to play the Los Angeles Dodgers and were just -115 favorites, their run line would look something more like “Yankees -1.5 at +190 odds.”
NHL “puck lines” operate very similarly to the way MLB run lines do. However, the main difference with hockey is that the average game has far fewer goals scored than a baseball game has runs scored.
If the Nashville Predators play the Anaheim Ducks and the Predators are -200 favorites, their puck line would likely look something along the lines of “Predators -1.5 at -110 odds.” However, if the Predators were to play the Lightning at -115 favorites, the puck line would look something closer to “Predators -1.5 at +190 odds.”
Betting on the spread can be an enjoyable time for any bettor as it adds a wrinkle into the experience that bets on markets like moneylines do not provide. Whether you are looking to back that massive underdog or the close home favorite, doing the research can maximize your profits when engaging in spread betting.
All in all, wagering on spreads is one of the simplest and purest forms of sports betting and should be viewed as one of the best options holistically.
Information provided on Forbes Advisor is for educational purposes only. Your financial situation is unique and the products and services we review may not be right for your circumstances. We do not offer financial advice, advisory or brokerage services, nor do we recommend or advise individuals or to buy or sell particular stocks or securities. Performance information may have changed since the time of publication. Past performance is not indicative of future results.
Forbes Advisor adheres to strict editorial integrity standards. To the best of our knowledge, all content is accurate as of the date posted, though offers contained herein may no longer be available. The opinions expressed are the author’s alone and have not been provided, approved, or otherwise endorsed by our partners .

Daniel Preciado studied sport analytics at Syracuse Univeristy and has covered sports betting since 2018 for The Game Day, The Action Network and Fansided.


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.



Posted by Brad Vanderhide on February. 25. 2022 7 Minute Read
Sports NFL Season Beginning: Here’s Everything you Need to Know
Poker Daniel Negreanu’s 5 Tips for Playing the World Series of Poker
Pop Culture How Many College Football Players Make it to the NFL?
Copyright © 2022 GambleOnline.co 18+ | Please Gamble Responsibly
Do you know how to bet the spread? The points spread or line is one of the most popular bets, especially on football and basketball games. In this article, you'll find the basics of spread betting, including an explanation of American odds.
As sports betting takes off nationwide, many beginners are interested in the various types of bets available, like spread betting. Along with moneylines, propositions, and over/unders, spread betting is one of the staples of wagering on your favorite games. While hockey and baseball wagering have spread betting, it features more prominently in football and basketball.
When the spread was invented and applied to football it helped the game rise to its prominence. Now, spread bets on football games are so ubiquitous, you often hear the broadcasters reference the line.
A points spread bet is a wager that a bettor places on one team of a two-team matchup. Instead of simply picking the winning team (a moneyline bet), the bettor chooses whether or not their team covers the spread. The spread itself is an artificial creation that attempts to adjust for each team’s relative strength.
via GIPHY (He may have known what a point spread bet is. But it is unclear if he really knew how to win them).
The spread or line for a particular game indicates which team is the favorite and by how much . For example, consider a hypothetical Sunday Night Football matchup between the Los Angeles Rams and Buffalo Bills. To bettors and fans, the Rams are considered the better team. But how is this indicated by a point spread?
Professionals in Las Vegas and elsewhere will “set a line” between the two teams. In this instance, the Rams may be favored by 3.5 points. Though football teams cannot score half points, the .5 is often used in spread betting to avoid a push where neither side of the bet is victorious.
As 3.5-point favorites over the Bills, the Rams need to win by four or more points to cover the spread. The Rams could win the game 24-22 but not cover the spread. Any game result where the Bills either win or lose by three or fewer points means Buffalo covered the spread.
On a spread bet for this game, if you picked the Rams to cover, you need them to win by at least four points to win your wager. Likewise, if you selected the Bills to cover the spread, all you need is for them to win the game or lose by fewer than four points.
Sticking to the same hypothetical Rams-Bills matchup, the spread number is only part of a wager on the line for the game. The other component indicates who is the favorite in the matchup. This is where a + and – signs in front of a set of three digits comes into play.
Strictly speaking about a points spread bet, the + and – will tell a bettor who is getting points versus who is giving points . Though the + sign indicates a positive, for spread betting the team with the + sign attached to their number is the underdog .
Conversely, the team with the minus sign is favored to win the game. So, in the hypothetical above, the Rams would be listed at -3.5, with the Bills at +3.5.
A simple way to think about the plus and minus signs is to add or subtract the line from the team’s score during the game. As above, if the Rams win the game 24-22, they do not cover the 3.5-point spread. You can deduce this by either adding the 3.5 to Buffalo’s score or subtracting 3.5 from the Rams. Hence, the plus and minus. Once the simple math is done, you’ll see which team covered the spread.
The plus sign indicates the favored team is giving points to its opponents. Essentially, for spread bettors, the game started with a score of 3.5 Bills – 0 Rams. That’s because the Bills are getting points against the spread. At any point during the game, you can know which team is covering by either adding 3.5 points to the Bills’ score or deducting 3.5 from the Rams’.
It can be challenging for most new bettors to separate winning the game from covering the spread. The opposite of covering the spread does not mean your team did not win, only that you lost your bet. As shown above, as 3.5-point favorites the Rams can beat the Bills but not cover the spread.
The Rams may have won the Super Bowl, but the Bengals actually covered the spread. (AP Photo/Doug Benc)
Because the spread is used to set the teams on an even playing field, covering the spread means your team overachieved. Hence the phrase “good teams win but great teams cover.” Betting the spread means that you beat expectations. Often, because professional line-makers are good at their jobs, a team only covers by a half of a point, aka “the hook.” If the Rams beat the Bills 28-24, they would not only win the game, but cover the 3.5 point spread as well.
Teams that do not cover the spread failed to live up to expectations, at least in the mind of line-makers. However, the point spread is designed to attract even betting on both sides of the game. While typically this tracks the relative strength of the opponents, sometimes linemakers will shift a line based on other factors, like home-town allegiance or national following.
After the line number and the plus/minus sign, there is one further component of spread betting beginners need to understand. That is the triple digit number attached to the spread. This system is referred to as American Odds and refers to the return offered by a wager.
Typically, point spreads differ from moneyline betting because the spread offers a -110 return on either side of the game. Here, the minus sign indicates that you will receive less than you put at risk if you win your wager. A -110 is standard for point spreads in American Odds and means that you need to risk $110 to win $100. If the line were to say even, that indicates that you will win $100 for every $100 risked. Conversely in American Odds a plus sign before the triple digit number means you will receive greater than a dollar for dollar returns on a wager. +110 indicates that if you bet $100, you would win $110 on a successful bet.
To complete the hypothetical, for the Rams – Bills matchup, each team would receive a -110 designation for their side of a spread bet. The spread smooths out the differing strength of each team. With a well-set points spread, it is equally likely that either the Bills or the Rams would cover the spread.
Bettors on either side of the equation need to wager $110 to win $100 if their team covers the spread. A similar moneyline matchup may have had the Rams -200 and the Bills +150, solely to win the game. So, for players who believe the Rams will win and do so relatively easily, the spread offers significant value . Instead of needing to risk $200 to win $100, if a bettor believes the Rams can cover the 3.5-point line, they can wager $110 and return $100 on a win.
Because both the line and the odds are constantly shifting before a game, finding the best odds is vital to becoming a winning sports bettor.
Our reviews of the top sports betting sites on the internet can help you find the best place to wager on the spread, and even secure sports betting and casino bonus offers to help boost your bankroll.

Sportsbooks That Offer Bets On The Spread
Last updated on: September 6th, 2022
One of the most popular ways to bet on sports online is by betting the spread . The spread is a bookmakers’ attempt to even the playing field between two unevenly matched teams. The spread essentially deducts points from the favorite’s final score, giving both teams an even chance of winning the game, once the handicapped spread is applied. Betting with the spread means taking the points and betting on the underdog (the team considered less likely to win the game). The underdog’s point spread will be listed as a positive number (+7). This means that seven points are added to the underdog’s final score. Betting against the spread means giving points betting on the favorite (the team considered more likely to win the game). The favorite’s point spread will be listed as a negative number (-7). This means that you would subtract seven points from the favorite’s final score.
Team A is a 7-point underdog against Team B. If you bet on Team A with the spread and the final score showed a Team B victory 27-21, you won your bet and “covered the spread.” Since you bet on Team A +7, adding 7 points to Team A’s final score changes the outcome in favor of Team A 28-27. Even though Team A lost the game outright, the added points give them the advantage. Likewise, if you bet on Team B against the spread, subtract seven points from the final score. In a game that Team B won 17-7, the handicapped score of 10-7 still sits in favor of Team B.
Betting on the spread has become a classic bet type of various types of sports in the world, but the NFL is the most common for this particular bet type. When betting on the NFL, bettors know that points are typically scored in increments of seven or three. Wit this knowledge, a projected close game would most likely have a spread of three. This type of idea is not as easy to predict as the NBA, where free throws to stop the clock can suddenly make the result of the game a six-point differential instead of a three-point game, messing up a spread bets that were placed on a spread of -2.5. When betting on the spread for baseball it is called the run line, and hockey refers to it as the puck line, with most other sports stic
Private Letter
Lingerie Porn Movie
Deep Anal Penetration 6