What is the difference between spread and straight up?

What is straight up? 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.

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.

Is it better to bet on 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.

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

How does a spread bet 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 is the "Spread" in Sports Betting

How do I win if I bet 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.

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).

What does a minus 7 spread mean?

A favorite will always be surrendering points, i.e. a -7 spread for the Buffalo Bills against the Miami Dolphins means that oddsmakers have labeled the Bills as the favorite by seven points.

What's +10 spread mean?

The +10 means that Team A will have to win by at least 10 points for you to win our bet, while the -10 means Team B has to lose by fewer than 10 points for you to win your bet.

What does a +3 spread mean?

The point spread is the expected final score difference between two teams. It is represented as both a negative and positive number; if the spread is 3 points, you'll see that as both -3 and +3. The team that is the favorite to win gets the minus-number (-3); the underdog gets the plus-number (+3).

Is it smart to bet the moneyline?

Moneyline betting does have the potential of giving a nice payout. But in some cases, the Moneyline odds aren't worth it with teams that are heavy favorites. The Moneyline has the most reward with underdog teams that actually have a chance of winning.

Should I bet on Moneyline?

If your analysis tells you a 6.5-point underdog stands a good chance of winning the game outright, bet the moneyline. However, if you think that 6.5-point underdog will be competitive but likely not win, bet the point spread.

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 does +200 mean for odds?

Odds with a plus sign are underdog bets. Plus odds tell you how much profit you will get on a $100 bet. A $100 bet with +200 odds nets you $200 profit plus your original $100 bet. If you bet $20, you would profit $40. For the rare even money odds, those can be listed as -100, +100 or EV.

What does a +10.5 spread mean?

Looking at the underdogs, the Redskins are +10.5 on the spread (10.5-point underdogs), meaning they would have to lose by 10 or less in order for your bet to cash. The Titans are 4.5-point underdogs, meaning they would have to lose by four points or less in order to win.

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.

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.

Can a team lose and still cover the spread?

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.

What happens if you bet $100 on a money line?

This means that the bettor would have risked $400 and ultimately gained $100. The positive number shows how much would be gained on a successful $100 bet. A +300 money line, for instance, would mean that if you place a successful bet of $100, you would win $300.

What does +7.5 mean in gambling?

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. Once the game is over, you can take the Patriots final score and add 7.5 points. If they now have more than the opponent, your bet is a winner.

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 +7.5 mean with sports gambling?

An underdog could be expressed, for example, as +7.5. That means that if the team wins the game, or loses by seven or fewer points, then those who bet on that team won. If they lose by eight or more points then the favorite has covered the spread, and those who bet on the underdog lose their money.

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 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.

What does minus 8.5 spread mean?

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.