Some games can be
mismatches, where everybody knows who’s going
to win a particular event. This is not very interesting
to bet on, because the return on betting the favorite
is not very high, and the underdog is highly unlikely
to win in the first place.
The spread is what a sportsbook uses to make
an event interesting for bettors. Consider the
example below:
| New York Giants |
+3.0 |
-110 |
| Green Bay Packers |
-3.0 |
-110 |
In the example, the spread is set at three points.
The +3.0 after the New York Giants means that
the Giants are the underdog in this game; the
Giants must either win, or not lose by more than
three points, for a bet on the Giants to win.
The 3.0 after the Green Bay Packers means that
the Packers are the favorite; the Packers must
win by more than three points for a bet on the
Packers to win.
If Packers win by exactly three points, then
the bet is said to have fallen on the spread and
is deemed a push. All bets are voided and the
stakes returned in this instance.
The second number, -110, after each team is the
price of a winning bet. A winning bettor will
win $100 for every $110 bet.
More About Point Spread Betting
The point spread is the #1 most important word in
the world of sports betting. Point spreads are most
commenly set and monitored by the oddsmakers in
Las Vegas for use in both sportsbooks & online
gambling sites on the web. The point spread requires
considerable oversight and monitoring on the part
of the sports betting investor.
A change in the point spread can make all the difference
in the world when it comes to winning a bet.
Movement of a point spread in the slightest way
can take a sports betting investor, who has studied
the lines, from Rags to Riches. This is why we shop
for the best lines and point spreads.
The pointspread - also called "the line"
- is used as a margin to handicap the favorite team.
The oddsmaker - also called the handicapper - "gives"
points (or goals) to the underdog for betting purposes
only. The bettor must take either the favorite or
the underdog.
The favorite is always indicated by a minus sign
(e.g. -5.5) and the underdog by a plus sign (e.g.+5.5).
For betting purposes, the outcome of the game is
determined by taking the actual game score and finding
the difference between the scores of the two teams
playing (called the pointspread or just the "spread").
If the "line" is put in at a half point
(e.g. -5.5 for the favorite Orlando) by the oddsmaker
then there can be no "push." In this case,
there is "action" at any final game score
pointspread. In a pointspread, you must wager $110
to win $100 ($210 is returned to the winner). 10/11
is the standard for pointspread bets on most sports.
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