What does spread mean in basketball

For betting purposes, the oddsmaker predicts that the favored team will win by a certain number of points. This number of points is the point spread. The favorite is always indicated by a minus sign e. If you bet on the favorite, you win your bet if the favorite wins AND their margin of victory is greater than the point spread.

If you bet on the underdog, you win if the underdog wins, ties, or if the favored team wins but fails to exceed the point spread. The point spread given in the table above is for the home team only. To see the odds for both teams, click on the matchup. A money line , used in baseball and hockey, takes the place of a point spread.

Money line betting is simply wagering on the contest based on a given price rather than a point spread. The team wagered on has to win the game outright, regardless of the score. Both the run line and puck line are generally set at The more general term of spread is often used across all sports.

This means there is no point spread, and all bets on the outcome are moneyline bets. After reading all this, you may be wondering how these lines are determined. Sports traders or bookmakers set lines at sportsbooks, but there are so many games and lines set every day that it takes more than some experts who know what numbers to crunch. That is by design. This is why opening lines can often be the most advantageous to savvy bettors.

If there is a significant edge to be had in a line, many people will likely spot it, and the line will move. As far as game factors, just about everything you can imagine is taken into account. In the 76ers-Bucks example above, injuries were a major factor. A healthy 76ers team would not be a significant underdog. Being at home is usually worth a few points in basketball and football. There are countless examples of this, but they all add to the final number displayed in a spread.

Nov Nov 11 28 Comments. The Athletic College Football. Nov 11 6 Comments. Nov 11 2 Comments. Nov 11 9 Comments. Nov 11 20 Comments. Press 'Enter' to see all results. Most Recent Stories. Log In Subscribe. AFC East. AFC North. AFC South. AFC West. NFC East.

NFC North. NFC South. NFC West. AL East. In the above example, Tampa Bay Buccaneers beats New Orleans by a margin of 6 points — they covered the spread of 3. However, the Buccaneers may win the NFL game and lose if they don't cover the point spread.

For example, if the final score is they win by 3 points but lose the point spread of at least 3. The New Orleans Saints have remained within the 3. Favorites often win games straight up SU but fail to cover the spread.

In sports betting lingo, this is known as losing against the spread ATS. In this example, the Saints lose the game straight up, and they lose against the spread. In this example, the Saints still lose the game straight up, but they win against the spread.

If you see If you happen to see The lower the negative number, the better for the bettor. Successful sports bettors are often found shopping for the best odds at the lowest risk.

This is true of money line betting and point spread bets. We have assigned odds for illustrative purposes:. The - effectively removes 10 points from that team, leveling the playing fields to make it a more equitable bet. In this example, spread betting odds indicate that a bet on the Miami Dolphins will pay out if they beat the Philadelphia Eagles by more than 10 points, while a bet on the Philadelphia Eagles will pay out if they lose by less than 10 points.

Sometimes, the bookmaker will not show the odds for the underdog, but it is assumed to be the opposite number of the favorite. When you place an NFL point spread bet, you will win if the final result of the sports match, with the point spread factored in satisfies the bet requirements. Assuming the Philadelphia Eagles vs. Miami Dolphins example above, with a bet on the Philadelphia Eagles, you will win if the Eagles beat the Dolphins by at least 10 points.

That - 10 is the minimum number of points that the Philadelphia Eagles must be ahead of the Miami Dolphins at the final whistle. If the final score is Philadelphia Eagles Miami Dolphins, clearly there is a point victory margin so the Philadelphia Eagles win by more than 10 and the bet pays out. The Philadelphia Eagles covered the spread.

If you decide to bet on the Miami Dolphins, they can lose up by up to 10 points and still win the bet. If the final score is Philadelphia Eagles Miami Dolphins, there are 9 points separating the teams. The Dolphins have won this game with the point spread factored in, and your bet will pay out. The Miami Dolphins covered the spread because they stayed within 10 points.

That's how you win with NFL point spread betting! If you bet on the Philadelphia Eagles vs. All new bettors at sport NJ can qualify for a Free Bet No Deposit , so feel free to put your sports betting prowess to the test.

Let's use the Philadelphia Eagles vs. Miami Dolphins example to illustrate how a Tie result affects your point spread bet. If the final score is Philadelphia Eagles 30 — 20 Miami Dolphins, there is a point differential between the teams. Since the Philadelphia Eagles need to win by more than 10 points, and the Dolphins need to lose by less than 10 points, the result is a Tie or a Push.

In this case, the bookmaker will simply refund your money. Since neither the Philadelphia Eagles nor the Miami Dolphins covers the spread, there is no winner. It is a reference to even money bets in point spread betting. In this case, there is no favorite, and there is no underdog. The point spread is effectively 0. It doesn't matter what the winning margin is; only the winning team matters.

Extrapolating from our example of Philadelphia Eagles vs Miami Dolphins , you can easily see a PK match up if it is listed as follows:. Remember the Tie result we spoke of earlier? That is known as a Push in sports betting. Whenever a sports event, game, or match ends in a draw, and a spread was involved, the outcome is known as a Push. You will always get your money back in sports betting when a Push results, provided that the final result lands on the listed point spread.

It's entirely possible to bet on point spreads for the first quarter, the second quarter, third quarter, or the fourth quarter. You can also bet on point spreads for the first half, or the second half — it's your call. Odds makers routinely set point spreads for different parts of the match. These odds are changing all the time, and you as the sports bettor must decide which team will be ahead, or behind, at specific checkpoints.

Clearly, the Philadelphia Eagles are favorites to lead at the end of the first quarter with 3 points or more. The Miami Dolphins are 3-point underdogs, indicating that they need to be ahead of the Philadelphia Eagles by more than 3 points, or not trail the Philadelphia Eagles by less than 3 points at the end of the first-quarter. Come on over and enjoy our full spread of NFL betting options! NBA point spreads and NFL point spreads are the most common applications for spread betting in sport.

In hockey and baseball, the terms puckline and runline are used. They are typically set at You will notice that the number — 1. The reason is attributed to much lower scoring in these sports.