What is straight up and against the spread?

When researching a game, bettors will often find two records listed for each team: SU & ATS. The latter means against the spread. The former is straight up, which simply means a win-loss record like you would see looking at the NFL or NBA standings. Betting results are not related to straight-up records.

What does it mean to be against the spread?

This is most often seen when betting on the NFL, but point spreads are common in the NBA as well. 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.”

How does a bet against the spread work?

Sports Betting against the Spread FAQs

If you want to bet on the favorite to win and the spread is 6.5 points, the team needs to win by seven more points. If the team you wager on is favored by 6.5 points and ends up winning by three points, you lose the wager due to the team not covering.

What does against the spread record mean?

Against the spread (ATS): This refers to the statistic that shows the ATS record of a particular team. The ATS record is made up of the win/loss record in the games where the point spread was available.

What is a straight up bet in football?

The most basic way to bet on football is a straight bet on the pointspread. When making a straight bet, the team the player bets must cover the pointspread. This means that the favored team must win by a stipulated number of points or the underdog will receive that number of points.

What is the "Spread" in Sports Betting

Is it better to straight bet or parlay?

So to be clear: While your odds increase with each successive bet, the individual odds that go into the whole bet shrink up. In short: Parlays aren't worth the money. But they are fun, which is why we recommend going easy! Parlays should not be your bread and butter.

What is against the spread NFL?

Betting against the spread means you are taking the Underdog and the points in a game. To win you want the “underdog” to either win the game outright OR lose by less than the “Point Spread” you are given. As an example of this we will use the following. The New England Patriots (-7) vs NY Jets (+7).

Is it better to bet over under or spread?

The bettor interested in an over/under wager must guess whether the teams will combine to score more than 46.5 points or fewer. If you think it's going to be a lower-scoring game, you will want to bet the Under. If you think it'll be a higher-scoring game, you should bet the Over.

Is spread a win or lose?

The point spread: Betting the spread

It's not a matter of a team winning or losing like in a moneyline bet. For a favorite: The favorite must win by more than the point spread. For an underdog: The underdog must outright win OR lose by fewer than the point spread.

What does a +12 spread mean in football?

The 49ers have to win by 12 or more points to cover the spread. If the Cardinals win or lose by 10 or less, that side wins the bet. If the game lands on 11, like a 21-10 49ers win, it's a push and all bets are refunded. If you see a -11 that means that team is favored, and +11 means you're taking the underdog.

What does a +7 point spread mean?

What Does +7 Spread Mean In Betting? If the spread in betting is seven points for a game, it means the underdog is getting seven points, noted with a + symbol as the underdog, which would be +7 on the odds. A team posted at -7 is the favorite, which is noted with a - symbol as the favorite and is laying seven points.

Is a spread a straight bet?

The most common type of football bet is the straight bet on the point spread. The team the player selects must cover the point spread which means the team must win or not lose by a predetermined margin of points. Point spread wagers are usually offered at 11/10 odds. So the player would have to lay $110 to win $100.

What happens if you win by the exact spread?

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 does +1.5 spread mean?

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).

How do you read a bet 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.

Can you lose money on a spread?

If you lack sufficient funds in your spread betting account to enable you to hold your bet position when the market makes a large move, your spread betting firm will automatically close out your trade at a loss even if you wished to hold onto it.

Do you win more on moneyline or 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.

How do spreads 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.

Is the spread always even money?

While a point spread requires the team you bet on to win by a specified margin, moneyline does not. However, point spread bets typically have odds somewhat close to even money, meaning you would win about as much as you bet if you won.

What's the best NFL team against the spread?

NFL Records Against the Spread: Teams With Best ATS Records in 2022-23. The Giants led the league in regular-season ATS wins. The Chiefs have been poor against the spread. The Cowboys had the best ATS record in 2021.

What is Tom Brady against the spread?

Brady's teams covered the spread in 58.1% of his starts, a cover percentage that ranks third among quarterbacks with at least 100 starts, behind Joe Montana and Joe Theismann. Brady finished 190-136-7 against the spread. Including postseason, Brady was 215-158-8 against the spread all-time.

Do people win big on parlays?

Rarely do big-payout parlays hit and they favor the house in the first place, which is why we call playing long-shot parlays among the most common “beginner” mistakes.

What is the best way to bet NFL games?

Betting the Point Spread

Betting “against the spread” is the most popular way to wager on football. You may hear people reference the spread in a variety of ways: betting against the spread, betting the spread, point spread betting, or simply ATS (against the spread).