Betting spreads
A bettor who sides with the favorite at needs that team to win by 4-plus points to cover the spread. Siding with an underdog at + requires that team to. NFL and college football weekends are also very popular for sports betting. What are futures bets? Fans betting spreads bet a team to win the World Series, Super Bowl, NBA. This refers to the handicap line set by the sportsbooks in order to make the game equal. In NFL point spread betting odds, you might see one team priced at The answer to what is a point spread. Sports betting spreads show minus (-) and plus (+) for favorites and underdogs like the Lakers (+).
What Is A Point Spread Bet?
What does negative 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).
How do sports betting spreads work?
In this matchup, there is a big difference between the two odds, indicating a much higher probability of the Chiefs winning the game. Often the odds are much closer. Fractional odds aka "British odds," "U. Let's posit that the following are the odds on the three teams most likely to win the NBA Championship:. It can quickly be determined that the Brooklyn Nets are the favorites, while the perceived odds of Golden State or Milwaukee winning are longer.
Decimal odds aka "European odds," "digital odds," or "continental odds" are popular in continental Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. These are a bit easier to work with and understand. The favorites and underdogs can be spotted instantaneously by looking at the numbers. In other words, your stake is already included in the decimal number no need to add back your stake , which makes the calculation easier.
Let's look at an example involving who might have won the U. Suppose the decimal odds were:. Here we can see that the bookmaker correctly priced Biden as the favorite to win the election. The higher the total payout i. Simply put, the greater the odds against a team, the larger the payout will be for anyone who bets on it. You stand to make more money on positive odds, but the chances of a win are lower.
Vegas odds aka "Las Vegas odds" are a form of American money line odds used in sportsbooks. They can include a point spread representing the expected margin of victory. This allows bettors to wager not only on the winner but over or under the bookmaker's predicted point spread. Betting spreads American, British, and European odds are three different ways of expressing the same thing and can be converted from one to another.
By understanding all three and how they work, you'll increase your own odds of placing well-informed if not always successful bets. If you or someone you know has a gambling disorder, please call the National Problem Gambling Helpline at , or visit ncpgambling. The National Law Review. American Gaming Association. Table of Contents Expand. Table of Contents. Betting on the Money Line Example.
The Bottom Line. Business Leaders Math and Statistics. Trending Videos. Key Takeaways The three main types of betting odds are fractional British odds, decimal European odds, and money line American odds. 
These formats are alternate ways of presenting the same thing and hold no difference in terms of payouts.
British fractional odds are the ratio of the amount profit won to the bettor's stake. The point spread function is a handicap that puts two uneven teams on equal footing. Without the spread, it would be difficult to bet a college football game between an SEC powerhouse and a small FCS school because in that type of mismatch, the SEC school would be a massive money line favorite.
There are plenty of exceptions however, like when oddsmakers want to shade the line in one direction. If the Bucks are -6 against the Heat and oddsmakers want to attract a little more money on Miami without quite moving it to 6. Point spread odds vary most in the NFL though, since each point can be quite important and valuable. You see it especially often around key numbers like three and seven in football.
The difference between A team might be The point spread will usually be the first market listed. One oddsmaker might have the Lakers as -3 while another has them at -2, and that small difference can make a huge long-term difference. Betting the point spread is always about finding value. That means not always betting the teams with the best records.
There might be an NFL team that is , but goes at covering the spread. A point spread can shift in the run-up to a game for a variety of reasons. A key player getting hurt or scratched from a game can shift the line dramatically. In some sports like the NFL, the betting volume can be so overwhelming from the public that sportsbooks might adjust the odds to attract more action on one side or put themselves in a more favorable position to turn a profit.
The NFL is one of the sports where point spreads are most important. But the difference between As such, getting the best number possible in NFL betting is very important. In terms of betting strategies, matchup analysis is also most important in the NFL.
Injuries are also important to factor in, especially when there are cluster injuries in a position group. There are some nuances to understand with run line betting. You may notice that home teams often have better odds on the The home team is more likely to win by a single run because if the game is tied going into the ninth then the home team will win as soon as they plate one run.
In baseball, some bettors prefer to bet a favorite Basketball betting also has many distinctions. One good strategy can be to back scrappy bad teams against far superior teams. NBA and college hoops point spread betting can be frustrating, since spread bets can often be decided by free throws at the end of the game.