What's spread?

The spread, also referred to as the line, is used to even the odds between two unevenly matched teams. 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.

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 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 does spread mean in NFL?

The spread

The point spread is the number of scoring units (i.e., points for basketball and football, runs for baseball, goals for hockey and soccer) representing the projected margin of victory for the favorite over the underdog. The amount of the spread can range widely from sport to sport and event to event.

How does a spread bet work?

Point spread meaning

Unlike the money line, where you're just betting on a team to win or lose, the point spread sets one team as the favorite and one team as the underdog and sets a line that is subtracting from the favorite's points total to level the playing field.

Point Spread Betting Explained: Sports Betting 101

What does a negative 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.

How do you read a bet spread?

What does +7 mean NFL spread?

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.

What is +7 spread football?

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. For the favorite to cover, they must win by more than seven points.

What does +3 spread mean in football?

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 you read a negative 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 +4 spread mean?

Cincinnati was a 4 point underdog. This appeared as Bengals +4. That means the Bengals would have needed to win the game outright or not lose the contest by 5 points or more. The final score was Rams 23, Bengals 20, so bettors who bet Bengals +4 would have won their bets considering Cincinnati only lost by 3 points.

How does a +7.5 spread work?

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 +200 mean for odds?

They are American money line odds; for example, +200 signifies the amount a bettor could win if wagering $100. If the bet works out, the player would receive a total payout of $300 ($200 net profit + $100 initial stake).

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.

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 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 football spreads work?

In spread betting, the favorite has to win by a certain number of points for the bettors who pick them to cash in. Spread betting is a go-to wagering option for sharp sports bettors compared to other betting types like NFL moneyline betting, totals betting, NFL futures, or player prop bets, for example.

What is the moneyline vs spread?

A moneyline bet is one of the easiest kinds of bets you can make at a sportsbook. Simply put, it means betting on a specific team to win a game. While betting on a point spread is about who wins and by how much, a moneyline bet is solely about who wins.

What does a minus 10 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 a minus 6.5 Spread mean?

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. The underdog will have covered, and anyone who bet on their point spread will have won that bet.

Is a spread a straight bet?

Straight Bet: A straight bet is an individual wager on a game or event that is determined by a spread, money line or total. Point Spread: The point spread represents the margin of points in which the favored team must win by.

Should you bet spread and moneyline?

A moneyline bet is a much better option for certain sports. Nonetheless, it's hard to make any real money with this type of wager. If a sport has a spread betting option available, it's almost always worth it to go with that option. A spread bet is usually your best bet.

What does minus 4.5 Spread mean?

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 0.0 spread mean?

A 0 point spread means there is no favorite or underdog in the game, match, etc. This is often called a “pick 'em” bet or a “moneyline” bet.