What does +5.5 spread mean in basketball?

For betting purposes, the oddsmaker predicts that the favored team will win by a certain number of points. This number of points is the point spread. The favorite is always indicated by a minus sign (e.g. -5.5) and the underdog

underdog

An underdog is a person or group in a competition, usually in sports and creative works, who is largely expected to lose. The party, team, or individual expected to win is called the favorite or top dog. In the case where an underdog wins, the outcome is an upset.

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Underdog - Wikipedia

by a plus sign (e.g.+5.5).

What does over 5.5 mean in basketball?

If one side is considered to be 5.5 points better than the opposing team, you can wager that this team will win by more than 5.5 points. You can also back the opponent to lose by no more than 5.5 points or win the match.

What does a minus 5 spread mean?

In simple terms, a point spread is a bet on how much the favorite team will win by. If the team has a minus sign, that means they're the favorite and they'll have to win by the specified number or more for you to win your bet.

What does 5.5 mean in sports odds?

For example, let's say the Dallas Cowboys (+5.5) are playing the New England Patriots (-5.5). If you bet on the Cowboys, they don't have to win, they just have to lose by 5 points or less. If you bet on the Patriots, they have to win by at least 6 points.

What does +6.5 spread mean in basketball?

Now, let's use an example of a team that is a 6.5 point underdog, or +6.5. For the underdog to win the point spread bet, they can either win or lose by less than 6.5 points. If the underdog team wins by 30 points or loses by less than 6.5, then the outcome is the same.

NBA Betting - The Spread Explained

What does minus 5.5 spread mean?

If you bet on an underdog, they can lose by fewer than the assigned spread or win outright for you to win. For example, if a spread is (+5.5) points, your team can lose by 5 or fewer or win outright. Moneylines just require your team to win the game outright — the winning margin does not matter in this type of bet.

What does +7.5 mean basketball?

The bettor then wagers on which team he or she thinks will cover the spread. Example: Boston –7.5. Detroit +7.5. In the above example, Boston is a -7.5 point favorite, while Detroit is considered a +7.5 point underdog.

What does +5.5 mean in basketball?

Your money would be returned in that case. The Cavaliers would then be +5.5, which means they would cover if they lost by less than 5.5 points, or if they were to win outright.

What does +5.5 bet mean?

If you pick a team that is listed at +5.5 points, it must lose by five points or less or win the game outright for it to produce a winning bet.

What does +5.5 mean in sports bets?

+5.5 means you add 5.5 to the final score of your teams score and -5.5 means you subtract -5.5. A money line bet is just picking a team to win without a point spread and that would usually correspond with odds, such as “+115” which means if you bet $100, you'd get $115 (and your $100. The 5.5 is called a point spread.

What does a negative spread mean in basketball?

The team wagered on has to win the game outright, regardless of the score. The minus sign (e.g.-130) always indicates the favorite and the amount you must bet to win $100. The plus sign (e.g.+120) always indicates the underdog and the amount you win for every $100 bet.

How do spreads work in basketball?

The point spread is a calculated points difference determined by oddsmakers between two teams lining up. For example, if Golden State is playing Charlotte, they'll be a big favorite. As a 12-point favorite (for example), Golden State must win the game by 12 points or more for them to 'cover the spread.

How do you read a negative spread?

What does +4.5 mean in basketball?

In basketball, you might see a point spread of -4.5/+4.5, which means the favored team will need to win the game by five points or more for your bet to cover the spread. If you bet on the underdog, they simply need to win the game or lose the game by less than four points. If they lose by five, your bet won't cash.

What does +8.5 mean in basketball?

By betting on the spread, you wager on whether you think that Team 1 will win by more than 8.5 points (so 9 points or more). Conversely, if you wanted to bet on Team 2 +8.5, you are wagering that Team 2 will either win or only lose by fewer than 8.5 points (so 8 points or fewer).

What does +1.5 spread mean in basketball?

A spread of +1.5 or -1.5 basically indicates both teams are pretty much evenly matched—essentially, a +1.5 underdog has just about as good of a chance to win as a -1.5 favorite (at least in the eyes of oddsmakers). Again, though, this only applies to football and basketball spread betting.

What does +8.5 odds mean?

If it says “Hornets +8.5”, that means that you are betting on the Hornets to either win outright, or at least lose by fewer than 8.5 points. Here's how the results breakdown: If you bet on the Celtics: If they win by 8.5 points or more, you win your bet. If they lose or win by less than 8.5 points, you lose your bet.

What does away +7.5 mean?

What is the main peculiarity of Handicap Away +7.5 wagers? Handicap Away +7.5 means a bet on an Away team to win, draw or lose by no more than seven points. Depending on your betting market, points can be substituted by goals, seconds, runs, and others.

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.

What is a 2.5 spread in basketball?

What is a 2.5 point spread? All point spreads don't have to be whole round numbers. If we choose to back the favorite in this spot we'll need them to win by 3. This also means that if we choose to wager on the underdog we'll need them to lose by 2 or less in order to win that bet.

What does a +6 bet mean?

Then that's where you'll want to place your wager. If the final score is Dolphins 21, Giants 17 – the bet on the +6 point spread is a winning bet if you bet on the Giants. If the Dolphins win the game by exactly 6 points, then it's called a “push” and your bet would be refunded. Point Spread Tie Rules (Push)

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 +2.5 spread?

In sports betting, a team that is +2.5 is a 2.5-point underdog. The team must lose by 2 points or less or win the game in order for the bet to win.

Is a negative spread good or bad?

It's not possible to have two of each sign for a spread. The team with the negative (-) number is the favorite, or team predicted to win the game. The team with the positive (+) number is the underdog and is expected to lose the game.

Is a negative spread bad?

Betting on a team with a negative point spread means they are the favorites. If they still seem likely to win and cover, they can start to pay out pretty well. Some hate the idea of trusting the underdog team to stay competitive in a matchup.