Do you have to beat the spread?

To cover the spread, a bettor must either bet on the favorite or the underdog, and to win their wager, the team must cover the point spread—or, win by more than the point spread.

Do you have to beat the spread to win?

When you bet “against the spread,” it's not enough for the favorite to win the game; now, they have to win by more than a specified amount (the point spread) in order for them to “cover the spread.” Let's go over some of the basics of betting the spread. BET $5 ON NFL & GET $150 IN BONUS BETS!

What happens if you don't cover the spread?

You win $100, and your total payout would be $210. You wager $110 on the Chiefs to cover the spread. But you are wrong, and the Chiefs only win by three, 17-14, which means they fail to cover as a 7.5-point favorite. This means the Broncos cover the point spread, and you lose $110.

Does the spread matter who wins?

For example, with a 4-point spread, the favorite team must win by more than 4 points for bettors to get paid. Conversely, the underdogs can lose by 1, 2, or 3 points (or win the game outright) and still win the bet. However, if the underdogs lose by more than 4 points, the bet is a loss.

What happens if the spread hits exact?

A push in sports betting occurs when the point spread or point total hits the exact number in which you bet. For example, you can bet the Dallas Cowboys as a -7 point favorite to beat the Green Bay Packers or the Packers as a +7 point underdog.

What is the "Spread" in Sports Betting

How do I win if the spread is?

Spread vs.

Point spreads involve a winning margin. If you bet on a favorite, they need to win by more than the assigned spread. For example, if a spread is (-7.5) points, your team needs to win by eight or more. If you bet on an underdog, they can lose by fewer than the assigned spread or win outright for you to win.

Do you have to beat the spread on a money line bet?

If you place a bet on the moneyline, that means you think the team you bet on will win the game. If they win, you win, no matter the score. While a point spread requires the team you bet on to win by a specified margin, moneyline does not.

Can you lose a spread bet?

The only way you lose a point spread bet on an underdog is if the favorite beats that underdog by a margin greater than the spread. In this case, if the Volunteers win by more than 3 points, your bet would lose. While novice bettors might think that betting on the underdog is smarter, that isn't true at all.

How does a +7 spread work?

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.

How often do underdogs cover the spread?

NFL underdogs won 34.3% of games during the 2022-23 regular season. That's approximately three percentage points lower than the 2021-22 season (37.5%), reducing the three-year winning percentage (2020-22) to 34.7%.

What does +7.5 mean in a spread?

If you bet on them to win, they must beat the opposing team by at least 7.5 points. On the opposite side of the wager, the New England Patriots are the underdog to win. To beat the spread, they must close the point gap to within 7.5 points or win outright.

What happens if you push on a spread?

A push describes a bet for which there's no winner or loser between a bettor and the sportsbook. The sportsbook will refund your initial stake if the bet is a push. A push is most common for spread and total bets, but it can come up elsewhere.

What does a +3.5 spread mean?

A spread of +3.5 means a team must win outright or lose by fewer than four points to cover the spread. A +3.5 spread is particularly enticing in football because, as noted earlier, 3-point victory margins are extremely common. An example of a +3.5 spread: New England Patriots +3.5.

What does +7.5 spread mean on Fanduel?

When you bet the spread, you're betting on a team's margin of victory or defeat. So, if you bet on the favorite (indicated by the “-”), they have to win by more than the number shown. If you bet on the underdog (“+”), they have to win outright or lose by less than the number shown.

What does +13.5 spread mean in football?

So, if you bet on the Chiefs and they win the game, but by less than 13.5 points, you would lose that bet. If you bet on the Broncos you would win the bet if they win, OR if they lose by 13.5 points or less. A Chiefs 28-17 sounds great for Kansas City, but that's a winning bet for Denver.

How does the spread work?

Bookmakers set a spread with the hopes of getting equal action on both sides of a game. For example, the Colts are a -3 point favorite against the Texans. The -3 points is the spread. If you want to bet the Colts on the spread, it would mean the Colts need to win by at least three points for you to win the bet.

What happens if you bet $100 on a line?

A moneyline bet would be a bet on -150 or +180. If you bet $100 on the Eagles to win at -150, you would net a payout of $166.70. If you bet on the Giants to win at +180, the payout would be $280 because they are an underdog.

What does +8.5 mean in spread bet?

Let's say that a team is favored as 8.5 point favorites or written as -8.5. For the favored team to “cover the spread,” they must win by at least nine points. If they win by eight points or less, it doesn't matter that they won because they didn't cover the spread.

What does a negative spread mean?

A point spread is a bet on the margin of victory in a game. The stronger team or player will be favored by a certain number of points, depending on the perceived gap in ability between the two teams. A minus sign (-) means that team is the favorite. A plus sign (+) means that team is the underdog.

What is the +1.5 spread?

When you see a +1.5 in front of a team's name, that means that they are 1.5-point underdogs in that matchup.

Can you cash out on a spread?

Some sportsbooks offer Cash Out for moneyline wagers, point spread wagers, parlays and futures bets. The option to Cash Out is particularly useful if a bettor has a futures wager on a long shot that doesn't seem fit to finish as strong as they start.

What happens if the spread is 3 and they win by 3?

A spread of -3 means that that team must win by over 3 points to cover while a spread of +3 means that the team must win or lose by less than 3 points to cover. If a spread is +3 and the team loses by 3, the bet would be a push.

Can you make money on a spread?

It is possible to profit and make money spread betting on the financial markets, if you buy low and sell high, or sell high and buy low. But as with any form of short-term leveraged speculating on the financial markets, it may be harder than you think.

What does minus 9 spread mean?

The negative value -9 indicates the Giants are favored by 9 points. The positive value (+9) indicates the Jets are underdogs of 9 points. To place a bet on the favored Giants means they must win by at least 10 points to cover the spread. The underdog Jets can lose by eight points and still cover the spread.

Who wins more favorites or underdogs?

Basics of Underdog Odds

The underdog is always the side of the bet with the biggest, most attractive odds. If you win a bet on an underdog, you will always win more money than if you had bet the same amount on the favorite. The bigger the underdog, the bigger the potential payout if you win.