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Spread Betting - or - Betting the Spread
Bet Type: Standard
In Brief: Players can "take" the sportsbook's point spread and add them to an underdog's final score amount and will win the bet if this amount is greater than the total points scored by the favorite. Also, players can "give" the sportsbook's point spread and subtract them from a favorite's final score amount and will win the bet if this amount is still higher than the underdog's final score.
Spread betting is one of the fundamental wagers in all of sports betting. In the aggregate, sportsbooks hope to balance their action by creating a betting market for a particular contest that is balanced; that is, the action wagered for the favorite equals the action wagered for the underdog. When action isn't balanced, it tends to indicate a bad spread has been assigned to the game, and this opens the sportsbook up to heavy losses. On the other hand, unbalanced action can also benefit the sportsbook, creating huge profits if a matchup produces an unexpected result.
How Can I understand Spread Betting?
The best way to explain spread betting is with examples. If you're good with math and numbers, these will appear relatively simple to understand. Much of sports betting depends on basic logic, ratios, and general arithmetic.
For the purposes of our example, let's assume a 7 point spread.
Taking the Underdog with a 7 Point Spread:
If you take the underdog, your bet will win if the final total point amount scored by the underdog + 7 points is greater than the favorite team's final total point amount.
A. WIN Underdog scores 21 points, Favorite scores 26 points. 21 points + 7 point spread = 28, which is greater than favorite's 26 points. Gambler wins.
B. LOSE Underdog scores 21 points, Favorite scores 31 points. 21 points + 7 point spread = 28, which is less than than favorite's 31 points. Gambler loses.
C. TIE/PUSH Underdog scores 21 points, Favorite scores 28 points. 21 points + 7 point spread = 28, which is a tie. The bet pushes, and the gambler neither wins nor loses.
Taking the Favorite with a 7 Point Spread:
If you take the favorite, your bet will win if the final total point amount scored by the favorite - 7 points is greater than the underdog team's final total point amount.
A. WIN Underdog scores 14 points, Favorite scores 22 points. 22 points - 7 point spread = 15, which is greater than underdog's 14. Gambler wins.
B. LOSE Underdog scores 17 points, Favorite scores 22 points. 22 points - 7 point spread = 15, which is less than underdog's 17. Gambler loses.
C. TIE/PUSH Underdog scores 15 points, Favorite scores 22 points. 22 points - 7 point spread = 15, which is a tie. The bet pushes, and the gambler neither wins nor loses.
Overall, spread betting can be profitable for a sportsbook if the action is balanced, that is, relatively equal amounts of money have been bet on both the favorite and underdog. The spread - or points - assigned to each game can also be beneficial to the player, since it allows an acceptable margin of error when making a bet. In other words, you don't have to pick the outright winner; you just have to win given the points assigned to the game.
Why is a spread notated with a .5 or 1/2 point amount?
In cases where a spread is given with a half point, ie. 7.5 point spread, or 3.5 point spread, it indicates that the sportsbook does not want to push on the final result of the game. Similarly, the player can not push either. This occurs because there are no .5 point increments in any sort of American sporting events. Thus, a tie can never happen because the spread is factored with this .5 or 1/2 point increment.
Spread betting is popular for Super Bowl betting, and most other major football betting events. Additionally, spread betting can help the player who has chosen an underdog in an obvious mismatch, ie. a top NFL team versus a bottom team, with a 9 point or greater spread. Some advanced bettors like to practice "middling" with the spread, betting on both sides of the game and making money on the difference from each bet's result. This isn't always an automatic win and bears some risk just as any other advanced wagering strategy.
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