What is Point Spread Betting? Guide to betting on the spread 2025

But large spreads (10 or more) are notoriously tough to cover, especially in divisional games where the playing field is more even. Weather impacts point spreads as well, especially for outdoor games. In this scenario, if you’re betting on the Bills, they must win the game by more than 4.5 points for your bet to pay out. On the flip side, if you place your wager on the Bengals, they can lose by up to 4.5 points or win outright for you to win the bet. You can commonly make point spread sports bets on football, basketball, hockey, soccer, baseball, and ice hockey.

In the Ravens vs. Chiefs game, however, there can be, as the betting line is Chiefs -3. However, this evolution also creates new opportunities for prepared bettors. Alternative point spreads, live betting options, and micro-betting markets provide additional avenues for finding value beyond traditional full-game spreads. Divisional games often play out differently than expected due to familiarity between teams and increased motivation.

Understanding the Numbers

‘+’ shows the underdog and the points they can lose by to cover the spread. Conversely, ‘-‘ shows the favorite and how many points they need to win by to cover the spread. Spread betting is betting on the outcome of a sporting event based on bet accuracy, not just win or lose.

Definition of Spread in Betting

Over time, good process will lead to positive outcomes, while emotional reactions to bad beats typically result in larger losses. Instead of focusing solely on recent results, evaluate the underlying factors that contributed to those outcomes. Consider opponent strength, injury situations, weather conditions, and other variables that might have influenced the results.

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So a sportsbook will make a bet on Kansas City to simply win the game much more “expensive.” A very realistic moneyline price would be Chiefs -350/Bengals +275. So, place a small wager, about $5-$10, on a well-researched point spread bet. You’ll see how much fun it can be and why sportsbook oddsmakers are superb at their jobs. We all have made these mistakes when wagering, especially on spreads. But if you follow our advice, you can limit the damage of making a frustrating and common mistake while spread betting.

The point spread is a winnable bet, but you have to learn to bet numbers instead of betting teams. It’s easy to get trapped into betting good teams, not realizing that the spread is a great equalizer. Like baseball, the point spread in hockey goes by a different name. In hockey, it’s called the “puck line,” and like baseball, it’s usually set at -1.5 or +1.5. In baseball, you’ll rarely see a betting market labeled “point spread.” Instead, it’s called the “run line.” The run line functions the same way as the point spread.

• If you think the Bengals are a sure thing to win straight up, you can bet the moneyline and not worry about the stress of the Bengals covering the spread.
• The screenshot below indicates how point spreads are displayed at online sportsbooks.
• This means the 49ers are the favorites and expected to win by 10 points.
• For instance, if the game between Michigan and Purdue had a 21-point spread in favor of the Wolverines, oddsmakers believe Michigan will win by that many points.
• A point spread is a number created by oddsmakers that is designed to even the playing field between two opponents in a particular game, allowing bettors to wager on the margin of victory.

Impulse betting can be fun and rewarding when the wager hits, especially when you take advantage of beginner’s luck. In the above example, -6.5 means the favorite is laying six-and-a-half points. That means the favorite must win by at least seven points to cover. Spread betting can be a more effective way to get more lucrative odds, even though there is enhanced risk.

The point spread is a number used to illustrate the disparity between two teams. Early can capture soft openers; late captures the most information (injuries/weather) and lets you compare your number to the closing line. Suppose a top-10 Michigan football team plays a game early in the season against pinup a mid-major program that has nowhere near the talent and ability of the Wolverines.

When you bet on the spread, there are tips, tricks, and strategies to improve your chances of winning and getting the best of the number. However, in baseball, due to the low scoring nature and variance of the sport, the run line is almost exclusively at -1.5 or +1.5. With the run line staying static, the odds vary more and don’t stay at or near -110 like they do in football or basketball. Find out why betting over/unders, AKA totals betting, is an important skill for any online bettor. Find out more about the bets inside the game to keep you in the action. A team on a win streak with poor efficiency might be inflated in the market; a losing team with solid efficiency may be a buy‑low ATS.

The point spread functions as the most popular way to bet on sports. A point spread bet sees the sportsbook add or subtract a certain number of points to one team’s final score in a matchup between two teams. For the Dolphins to cover the spread, they must win by four points or more. If they won by three points, they would fail to overcome the 3.5 deficit.

Imagine betting the mid-major team to cover +24.5 points or the March Madness Cinderella at +7.5 points. Or if you are wagering on Alabama and would rather bet -24.5 instead of placing a moneyline wager on the Crimson Tide at odds. A comprehensive guide to U.S. states in which FanDuel Sportsbook offers legal online sports betting. This guide also explains which other FanDuel platforms (FanDuel Casino and FanDuel DFS) are available in those states. The (-275) on the favored Bengals, however, means you would only earn $36.36 profit on a winning wager.

Beyond the NFL, college basketball is a great sport, because there are so many teams and the sportsbooks can’t possibly keep up on all 350-plus teams. For much of the 2022 NFL Conference Championship week, the Chiefs were 7-point favorites, before so many bets came in on Kansas City that the Chiefs moved to 7.5. That might seem minor, but that .5 can be the difference between just getting your money back on a push when Kansas City wins or cashing a winning ticket.