What's a spread?

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 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 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 3 spread mean?

A minus 3 spread means that the team that is favored is expected to win by 3 points. This means that if you bet on a team's spread at -3, then the team must win by at least 3 points for you to win your bet.

What is a spread on NFL?

The point spread - also called "the line" or "the spread" - is used as a margin to handicap the favorite team. 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.

What is the "Spread" in Sports Betting

What is a +7 spread football?

What Does a +7 Spread Mean? A +7 spread is very commonly seen in the NFL due to the scoring of a touchdown and a successful extra point. It can be seen in other sports, as well. 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.

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 +/- mean in spread?

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 does +7.5 spread mean in NFL?

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 does +7.5 mean in alternate spread?

What Does a +7 Spread Mean? A spread of +7 means the underdog must either win the game or lose by fewer than 7 points to win the bet. Let's say an NFL game is listed like this: Seattle Seahawks vs. San Francisco 49ers.

How do you read a spread?

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).

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.

How do football spreads work?

For point spread betting purposes, the value of the point spread is added to the team's total as part of the wager. Bettors who choose the underdog win their wager when that team either wins the event outright OR loses by an amount less than the point spread.

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 +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 +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 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 +10.5 spread mean NFL?

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 +6.5 mean in football odds?

For example: Green Bay –6.5 means that Green Bay is the favorite and must win by at least 7 points. Chicago +6.5 means that Chicago is the underdog and has been “spotted” or “given” 6.5 points; if Chicago loses by 6 or fewer points, it is a winning bet (if Chicago pulls an outright upset, it is also a winning bet).

What is the positive and negative spread?

There must always be a positive and a negative. 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.

How do you pick against the spread?

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 $200 INSTANTLY!

Do I bet on spread or money?

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 does spread vs moneyline work?

At its core, sports betting is putting money behind an outcome of your choice and getting paid if that outcome is achieved. If a bet is on the winner of a game, that is called a moneyline bet. If you're betting that a team will win or lose by a certain amount of points, that is called a spread bet.

What does a minus 6 spread mean?

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.

How do you read football odds and spreads?

The number that follows the negative symbol (the odds) reveals how much to bet for every $100 you want to win. For example, as explained above, if the team you're betting has -110 odds, you need to wager $110 to win $100. If your team has -150 odds, you must risk $150 to win $100.