How do you pick against the spread?

As we explained with moneyline betting, a negative (-) number of points indicates the favorite and a positive (+) number of points indicates the underdog. To “cover the spread,” favorites must win by more points than the spread, while underdogs must not lose by more points than indicated.

What does picking against the spread mean?

Betting “against the spread” (ATS) just means you're betting on the point spread in a particular matchup as opposed to the moneyline, or some other type of wager. Bettors often use a team's ATS record to gauge its performance against the spread.

How does picking the spread work?

You can choose the favorite to cover the spread or the underdog plus the listed number. For this example, the Cowboys are 3.5-point favorites over the Raiders. If Dallas wins by four points or more, such as 30-21, it will have covered the spread.

What does a +7 spread mean?

The underdog odds will be +7, meaning the team can win outright or lose by less than seven points to win the bet. A loss by exactly seven points would cause a push bet.

How often do favorites beat the spread?

This is the breakdown from last season: 133 times the favorite won the game and covered the spread. 97 times the underdog won the game outright. 39 times the favorite won the game but the underdog covered the spread.

Point Spread Betting Explained: Sports Betting 101

Is it better to bet early or late?

A generally accepted strategy in NFL betting is to place bets early in the week, and it's a fairly simple principle: As bettors make wagers, bookmakers adjust their lines, and those lines only become more accurate and thus harder to beat. This principle is backed up by data.

Is it smart to bet on favorites?

It's a matter of value. If you think a favorite is being undervalued by the oddsmaker, then you should consider betting on that team. If you're betting a favorite on the money line, you're likely going to win more often than you lose, but that doesn't mean you'll return a profit long term.

What does minus 2 spread mean?

In the simplest terms, a negative spread indicates the favorite, which is the side that's expected to win the matchup. A negative point spread really means that team has some work to do. For a negative spread bet to hit, the team has to beat its opponent by a margin greater than the point spread.

What does a minus 4 spread mean?

Betting Line

Following this example, the Chiefs are at -4.5. This means that in order to win on the point spread or cover, Kansas City would need to win the game by five points or more.

What does spread minus 9 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.

How do you make money on the spread?

Traders should find a spread-betting company that doesn't trade against its clients. Instead, the company makes its money by matching positions among clients and generating revenue from the spread. Another way spread betting firms make money is when clients pay holding fees to carry a position overnight.

How do you trade a spread bet?

How do you read spread odds?

Do favorites or underdogs cover more?

Underdogs have covered the spread in more games than favorites in four consecutive regular seasons.

Is it better to bet the spread?

Betting on favourites against the spread results in better payouts than when taking the moneyline. With underdogs, covering the spread requires winning the contest or losing by a less than the point spread.

Should you bet the spread?

Go with the spread

If you are into sports betting, then you are probably looking to win some money. The best way to do that is by taking some risks. Betting against the spread provides a much better opportunity to do this.

Is a negative spread good?

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.

What if the spread is 0?

Betting on the point spread means betting on whether the favorite will defeat the "underdog" by more than the point spread. When the point spread is 0, it is often shown as "PK" since bettors must simply "pick" the winner of the game regardless of margin of victory.

Is against the spread Plus or minus?

A favorite is always represented with a minus sign (-) preceding the point spread. For example, in an AFC East showdown, the Patriots might be -6.5 against the Jets, or a “6.5-point favorite.” The Jets would correspondingly be +6.5 “against the spread.”

How do you read a 2 10 spread?

The 10-2 Treasury Yield Spread is the difference between the 10 year treasury rate and the 2 year treasury rate. A 10-2 treasury spread that approaches 0 signifies a "flattening" yield curve. A negative 10-2 yield spread has historically been viewed as a precursor to a recessionary period.

What is a minus 6 spread?

The favorite is the team projected to win the game. They are assigned a point spread with a minus symbol (-) in front of the number, such as Pittsburgh Steelers (-6.5). If you were to bet on the Steelers to cover the spread in this instance, Pittsburgh would need to win by seven or more points for you to win your bet.

What does a +1 spread mean?

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.

What is the most profitable way to bet?

How often do favorites win?

How often do moneyline favorites win in NBA? Over the past five seasons, 67.25% of favorites have been successful in the NBA regular season.

Do bookies lose if Favourite wins?

Each week, many punters betting on football put a selection of favourites in their accumulator. If the favourites all win, the bookie pays out.