When it comes to sports and sporting events, point spread betting is the most popular wager. This guide will help you to better understand betting against the spread, how to read point spreads, what sports spread outcomes are, and teach you the basics of how to make a point spread bet.
Here are the best online sportsbooks for bets against the spread:
The goal of any point spread is to level the playing field between the two teams via a numerical handicap that either adds or decreases value of the superior or inferior team. If, on paper, Team A is more talented than Team B, Team A will be the point spread favorite and Team B will be the point spread underdog. This means Team A will be giving, or laying, points to the underdog, while Team B will be receiving, or taking, the points, which will added to their final score.
The favorite in a point spread bet will look something like this:
| Matchup | Point Spread |
| Dolphins | +6.5 |
| Chiefs | -6.5 |
Kansas City is favored by 6.5 points over the Dolphins and need to win by 7-or-more points for the wager to win.
The underdog in a point spread bet will looking something like this:
| Matchup | Point Spread |
| Steelers | +4.5 |
| Browns | -4.5 |
Pittsburgh is 4.5-point underdogs to the Browns and must lose by 4-points-or-fewer OR win the game outright for the beth to cash.
The hook in point spread betting refers to the 1/2 point after the decimal and avoids the chance of a push or point spread bet tie. So, if the Chargers are 5.5-point favorites, the 0.5 is referred to as the hook because they must win by six to cover the hook.
It doesn’t happen that often, but sometimes two teams are so evenly matched a point spread doesn’t exist and oddsmakers create a quasi-second moneyline via the pick’em, PK option. In those cases, a team doesn’t need to cover a point spread, they just have to win outright.
Another way of saying “winning a spread bet” is “covering the spread.” When you win a point spread bet, your team either wins by a certain number of points, loses by a certain number of points or the underdog you backed wins outright.
The easiest way to explain a point spread loss is with a real-world example:
Say, the Giants are -5.5 favorites over the Jaguars.
New York wins 25-20. You subtract 5.5 points from 25 to get 19.5. Because Jacksonville scored 20 compared to 19.5, the Jaguars and not the Giants covered the spread and your bet is a loss.
Remember when we defined “the hook” in the section above? When a point spread is a whole number like -4 or +7, your bet has a chance to push. This means the final score is the exact difference of the spread. Case in point, if the Patriots are 3-point favorites over the Bills and New England wins 27-24, that’s a push because when you add or subtract three to the favorite and underdog, respectively, the score becomes 27-27 or 24-24.
Simply stated the vig, vigorish or, in slang terms, juice is the baked-in tax/fee you pay the sportsbook for accepting your wager. How this works is simple. Let’s say the vig is (-110), if you wager $100 on a bet and it wins, you don’t win $100, you win $90.91. In order to win $100, you’d have to wager $110 on (-110) vig.
Live sports betting point spreads is a great option if you don’t have strong lean before the game starts. If you notice something about either team after opening kickoff, the best online sportsbooks offer live betting point spreads throughout the game. So, say a below-average NFL team like the Jaguars jump out to a 7-0 lead against the Titans and Tennessee is now favored by fewer points, live betting allows you to place a wager on the losing team – with a more favorable point spread compared to pre-game- if you think they’ll come back to beat Jacksonville. These live betting odds also apply to moneyline and point total bets. Odds update in real-time.
When it comes to sports betting odds, minus money is when a team is favored and/or an outcome is more than likely to occur.
For example, the Chiefs -3.5 (-110), you’d need to risk $110 if you wanted to win $100. If Kansas City won by 4-or-more points, the bet wins.
Referred to more often in moneyline wagers, there are instances when plus money odds can be enjoyed on a spread bet.
For example, the Bills +3.5 (+105), you’d risk $100 to win $105 rather than (-105) requiring you risk $105 to win $100.
After your minus-money or plus-money wager hits, head to the online sportsbook cashier to request a payout or start building your bankroll and start researching your next point spread bet.
Unlike in football betting and NBA betting, where points are accumulated, betting the spread in baseball and hockey is obviously different as runs and goals scored are counted. New sports bettors will notice that MLB spreads are referred to as run lines and NHL spreads are known as the puck line. They should be read as you would point spreads.
For example, a baseball game with a run line of -1.5 / +1.5 means the favorite needs to win by more 2-or-more runs or the underdog needs to lose by one run or win the game outright. A puck line of -1.5 / +1.5 in a hockey matchup means the favorite needs to win by 2-or-more goals or the underdog needs to lose by one goal or heads to an overtime shootout.
Because run totals and goal totals are typically way lower than NFL and NBA over-under point totals, bettors typically avoid run and puck lines in favor of the respective sports moneyline odds.
As in anything related to sports betting, there are pros and cons to point spread wagers compared to say a moneyline or point total. Here’s a quick-hit breakdown of the pros and cons to spread betting.
In sports betting, a point spread refers to the margin a team needs to win by or lose by to “cover the spread” and is also sometimes referred to as a team’s handicap. For example:
| Teams | Point Spread |
| Browns | -3.5 |
| Steelers | +3.5 |
The Browns are 3.5-point favorites and the Steelers are 3.5-point underdogs. The point spread is 3.5 points.
Reading a point spread is quite easy because you’re either adding or subtracting points to the team’s actual total. For example, if the point spread is Eagles -3.5, you’ll subtract 3.5 points from their actual total at the end of the game. If Philadelphia’s still leading after the subtraction, you’ve covered the spread and bet wins. If the point spread is Cowboys +3.5, you add 3.5 points to the Dallas total at the end of the game. If the Cowboys are leading after the addition, they’ve covered the spread and wager wins.
The vig or vigorish is the official term for “juice,” which can be viewed as a tax the online sportsbook chargers for accepting your bet. The most common vig is around (-110), which means you must wager $110 if you want to win $100. Sports odds are based on a $100 wager, but you do NOT have to wager $100 each time. If you risk $50 and the juice is (-110), you’d win $45.45 if the bet cashes.
Yes, point spreads change all the time in the lead up to a sporting event. Roster changes like injuries can swing a spread several points in either direction, while heavy action (numerous bets) on one side of the point spread may force the bookmaker to adjust the line up or down.
Many factors go into a point spread, including player news, recent game results, where the game is played, weather announcements, and injury news. Once a line is set, the point in sports spread betting often changes. The factors listed below could affect the point spread, but betting action is the main reason.
Bookmakers are quite skilled at creating accurate point spreads. So, it’s not easy to cover the spread and that’s why odds are better on ATS betting compared to moneyline wagers where you simply have to pick a winner. Even so, point spread wagers are the most popular sports bet type in the NFL, college football and basketball.
