Points Spread Meaning
If you've never set foot in an actual sportsbook before or logged into an online sportsbook, the chances of you getting overwhelmed when you actually do is very high. In an actual Las Vegas sportsbook, there is typically a lot of commotion and the odds and lines are displayed on a massive digital board for everyone to see. When a novice sports bettor looks at the massive digital signage, they will see a bunch of numbers, both positive and negative, some two digits, some three digits. They also won't have a clue what any of it means. The same can be said for the online sportsbooks. It looks like a massive spreadsheet with negative and positive numbers beside each teams' name.
Points Spread Meaning Match
Their odds would drop to -315 with a 1.5-point spread, and return to the same odds as a moneyline — which is a way to bet on the outcome without a spread — at around -385. Alternate lines can go in the other direction as well. The Chiefs could be given +115 odds at a spread of -9.5 points, which means a $100 bet would pay out $115. The point spread is sometimes known as an equalizer for sportsbook operators. All teams aren’t created equally, so sportsbooks can create a point spread for a game so that each team playing has an almost even chance of winning the game. In a way, the point spread will even the field for both teams. Point Spread Definition 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. Spreads are often listed with a half-point (ex: 9.5) in order to prevent the final margin from landing exactly on the spread number (ex: 3-point spread, final score of 17–14). Point Spread betting is basically betting by how much a certain team will win or lose. The whole concept of point spreads is based on the principle of underdogs and favorites. The favorites (a team that is expected to win) “lays” points to the underdog (a team that is expected to lose) to make up the difference in equality.
The easiest way for me to describe what all these numbers mean to you is to define it as point spread betting. Point spread betting is the most popular way to bet on the NFL and NBA, and it is a way for a sportsbook to generate betting interest on both sides.
Linemakers who work for the sportsbooks must put out lines that will entice the 'favorite' bettors to lay the points and take the favorite or entice the underdog bettors to take the points with the underdog.
As an example, let's say you are looking to place your very first wager on the Super Bowl. You look at the matchup either online or at a Las Vegas sportsbook and this is what you see:
Kansas City +4.5 (-110)
Carolina -4.5 (-110)
How Do Point Spread Bets Work?
Using the example above, the linemakers have determined that the Carolina Panthers are 4.5-point favorites over the Kansas City Chiefs. The favorite team can also be referred to as the chalk . The favorite will always be represented by a negative (-) number, while the underdog will always be represented by a positive (+) number.
Based on the line above and which team you decide to bet on, the Panthers must win by five or more points in order for those with a Panthers (-4.5) ticket to be declared a winner. As long as the Panthers win by five or more points, the final score itself does not matter. A 10-0 win is just as much a winner as a 56-50 win.
However, if the Panthers were to win the game by four or less points, then all Panthers backers can toss their tickets in the trash. A 17-14 or 21-17 Panthers win would cash the tickets with Chiefs +4.5 on them. A Falcons outright win as 4.5-point underdogs would do the same.
What is the -110 Line?
The standard price to pay when betting on point spreads is (-110). This is the sportsbooks way of ensuring a profit no matter which side covers the spread. The extra 10 cents is also known as the 'juice' or 'vig' . Paying the extra 10 cents is like paying a tax or commission to the sportsbook for brokering the bet.
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The -110 line means that in order for you to profit $100 you must wager $110. Some sportsbook offer something called 'reduced juice' , which means that you can still profit $100 but the risk is a few dollars less.
For example, if you see reduced lines such as -7.5 (-105) that means that you must risk $105 dollars in order to profit $100. If you see -7.5 (-102) then you must bet $102 in order to profit $100. It may not seem like a big deal at the time, but saving a few bucks each time over the course of the season can really help your bankroll.
Which brings me to my next point. If you are serious about getting into sports betting, it is vital to have more than one sportsbook to make a wager at. Shopping around for the best lines will help your bankroll and you will be able to turn a bigger profit. If you see a pair of sneakers for $110 at one store, and the exact same pair is $102.99 at another store - which store are you buying them from?
What is a Push?
When betting the point spread, there is almost always a winner and a loser. However, in some instances sportsbook decide to put out a whole number such as -3 for bettors to bet on. If the final score ends with a differential of three points - no matter who wins - the bet is considered a 'push' and all money is refunded to both sides since neither team covered the spread.
Points Spread Meaning Definition
What does Pick'em or PK Mean?
When two teams are evenly matched, and the sportsbook can't decide which team should be the favorite, they will release PK lines which means neither team is favorite. The team you wager on must simply win the game by any score in order for your ticket to be graded as a winner.
What Happens When the Point Spread Changes?
This is a very common occurrence throughout the sports betting industry. Sportsbooks have the right to shift the spread or odds for any given match prior to it starting. Many factors play a huge role in this decision, and they include injuries, weather, the volume of bets on one side, and anything in between. Depending on the time you place your wager, the bettor may also have an advantage or disadvantage based on which way the spread has shifted.
For example:
Opening Line: Carolina -4.5 vs Atlanta +4.5
Thursday's Line: Carolina -2.5 vs Atlanta +2.5
If bettors were quick to jump on the Atlanta line at +4.5 when it first came out, they would have a distinct advantage over those who waited closer to kick off and were stuck with +2.5. The opposite holds true for Carolina. Bettors that were quick to pull the trigger are now laying two more points than they would if they were patient and saw the line movement before making their move.
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The point spread is the most popular form of sports betting odds, yet the novice bettor struggles the hardest with understanding how the point spread works. In this article we will explain to our readers, in the most basic terms and with examples, how the point spread works, how to bet the spread and shed some extra light on terms such as 'ATS' and 'cover the spread'. For our examples we would use football as the sport of choice, but keep in mind that the point spread is a betting option with many other sports.
Let's begin with a rudimentary explanation of what is point spread. In its simplest form, the point spread is a scoring handicap given to one of the teams, i.e. a certain amount of extra points are given to one team and taken from the other. How does the point spread work? Pretty simple, actually, but best learned through example:
Points Spread Nfl
Let's take the current point spread at the popular sportsbook Bookmaker, where the point spread on the Steelers vs Broncos game is currently posted as '-9' Steelers and '+9' Broncos. What this means is that the Broncos would be given extra 9 points (plus sign in front of the number) at the end of the game by the bookmaker and if after adding the extra 9 points the final result favors Denver - the Broncos have covered the spread and this is what 'cover the spread' means, i.e. the point spread bet is a winner. The opposite is true with the Steelers - the point spread posted by the sportsbook takes away 9 points from the Steelers final score (hence the minus sign in front of the spread) and in order for them to cover the spread and you to win the bet, Pittsburgh must win the game by more than 9 points.
Let's say that the final score if Steelers 31 - Broncos 27. In this case the Steelers fail to cover the spread, since the point spread on Pittsburgh was -9, and 31-9=22, which is less than the Broncos' 27 points. On the other side, Denver does cover the spread, since the extra 9 point spread points are enough for them to beat the Steelers. And this is how betting the spread works. One can choose to bet the spread on either team, i.e. you can bet that the Steelers will cover the spread or bet on Denver to cover the point spread. As you can see from the above example, they are not the same thing, each bet could have a different outcome.
And what if the point spread leads to a draw? Using the same example from before, what if the final score is Pittsburgh 31 - Denver 22 and you wagered on the Broncos to cover the spread? The final points of Denver 22 plus the 9 point spread will result in a 31-31 draw between the teams. This is called 'no action' and results in the sportsbook giving you back the wager you have made, i.e. you neither win or lose money on the bet. But what would happen if the point spread underdog wins the game outright? Naturally you would win the bet, since the team would be a winner even without the extra points added.
As you can see, betting the spread and understanding how the point spread works is very simple. The plus sign in front of the point spread number means that the team will be given the handicap of those points at the end of the game, while the minus sign means that this number of points would be taken from the team from their final score. The latter is also called 'ATS', which is an acronym for 'against the spread'. In the above example, the Steelers are listed with -9 points spread, i.e. they are 9 against the spread or the ATS on the Steelers is nine points.
Simply put, when betting the spread one should look at the numbers and see if the etra points given or taken from each team would make a difference in the final result. If you think that Team A would still beat Team B even with the point spread number taken away from their final score, then you should bet the spread on Team A. The opposite is true if you think that Team B will win or lose by a margin enough to be covered by their point spread.