If you’ve ever heard the term “cover the spread” and have been completely confused by it, you are at the right place. Point spread betting is one of the three most basic types of bets that sportsbooks offer to players on nearly every matchup.
Covering the spread means covering the margin set by the oddsmaker needed for a certain team to win and for your bet to go through. Of course, things are not as easy as that. There is a lot that goes into spread betting and we aim to cover it all and provide you the necessary information.
What is a Point Spread?
The main question that novice sports bettors ask themselves is – What is point spread betting? To put it in simple terms, it is a number set by the oddsmaker to even the odds between two teams and allows betting action on both sides. It relates to the margin of victory in a given match, as the favorite has to win by a certain margin for the bet to be a successful one. This means covering the spread.
However, most bets come against the spread, where even if the underdog loses, but by a lesser margin than the spread, the bet still counts as a winning one. This is particularly common in higher-scoring sports like basketball or football.
How to Read a Point Spread Odds?
Since point spread betting in basketball is the most common type of point spread bet, let’s look at an example in a game played between the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Portland Trail Blazers. You should be getting something like this.
| Teams | Spread | Odds |
|---|---|---|
| Minnesota Timberwolves | -6.5 | -110 |
| Portland Trail Blazers | +6.5 | -110 |
As you can see here, the Minnesota Timberwolves are the favorites to win. For the bet to go through, they have to win by a margin higher than 6.5 points. Winning by 5 counts as a losing bet.
On the other hand, Portland enters the game as the underdogs. If you bet on them to win, they can even lose for your bet to go through. However, they can’t lose by a bigger margin than 6.5 points.
How does it work?
When learning about point spread betting, there are two main factors that you have to consider – the positive (+) and negative (-) signs. The minus sign indicates the favorite. On the other hand, the plus sign indicates an underdog.
This is how the oddsmakers even out the playing field. For the action to go both ways, the favored team has to score a certain number of points for the bet to go through. If they don’t the bet is a losing one. On the other hand, the underdogs have a chance as well. Even if they lose and do so under the given line of points, your bet will still be a successful one.
What Does an Underdog Spread Mean?
Understanding point spread betting is in many ways more secure than when betting on the favorite. Most experienced bettors would rather wager on the underdog instead of the favorite, as they do have a margin that could easily be covered by the losing team, making the bet a winning one.
For instance, the Boston Celtics are -9.5 spread favorites to win against the Washington Wizards. However, the game goes down to the wire with Jayson Tatum scoring a crucial layup for the Celtics, securing a three-point win for the Celtics.
If you decide to bet on Washington, you still win even with the Wizards losing. If they managed to lose by a lesser margin than 9.5 points, that is. However, if the game ends in a blowout, and the Celtics win by 20 points, betting on the Wizards will count as a losing bet. Because the margin is much greater than the set 9.5 points.
What Does a Favorite Spread Mean?
The negative point spread meaning is associated with betting on the favorite. The team marked with a minus sign (-) is the stronger team in the matchup and the one favored by everyone to win. However, to even the odds, the bookmakers will add a certain point margin that the stronger team has to cover for the bet to be a winning one.
So, if the LA Clippers are favored to win versus the Philadelphia 76ers by a -8.5 point spread, they have to make the margin of 8.5 or more points for the bet to be a successful one. If they still win, but by a lesser margin than 8.5, the bet is a losing one. For that reason, betting on the underdog is much more popular than betting on the favorite to win. But it all depends on the offered spread.
How to Identify a Good Spread Bet
Identifying a great chance when you see one is much easier to do in spread betting. Other forms of bets may be a bit harder to find value in. But when it comes to spreads, things are much more straightforward. Nevertheless, you still have to learn how to recognize it when you see it.
- Calculate your bets before you consult the lines: Predict the outcome on your own and compare your prediction with the given lines. That way, you lessen the influence a sportsbook can have on your opinion.
- Public opinion and the Sharps: Sharps are professional bettors who wager on instinct rather than emotions, while the public usually tends to side with the favorite. Sharps are able to recognize big money bets more easily than less experienced people. So following their advice or opinion is a good tactic to consider.
- Double down on smart moves: If you notice that your bet is going in the positive direction, you still have the option of making another bet and setting the side in your favor even further.
Which Sports Offer Point Spread Betting?
Point spread betting is actually available in almost every sport. However, it is much more natural to bet on high-scoring sports, like basketball or football, than it is on those where the score line is lesser, like hockey or baseball. The spread margin stands a bit lower than you would see it in high-scoring sports.
If we take soccer for example, Inter Miami need to cover a -2.5 spread for them to win versus Toronto FC. They basically have to win by 3:0 for the bet to go through, or 4:1. If they win by 2:0 or 2:1, the bet will not go through.
So some of the sports and leagues that point spread betting is available on include:
- Basketball (NBA)
- Football (NFL)
- Hockey (NHL)
- Baseball (MLB)
- Soccer (MLS)
Conclusion
At first glance, point spread betting can be a bit confusing. Especially to beginners and those who have never tried it before. But when you do it for the first time, you get to see that it is actually much easier than you first thought. It can turn out to be one of your favorite forms of betting. But only if you are able to understand it well and can devise specific strategies around it.
Point spread betting can be quite useful, especially if you are a fan of basketball or other high-scoring sports. Things get a bit harder when you use it on low-scoring sports. Nevertheless, there are ways to use it on any occasion, but you still have to be mindful of the rules of the sport you have decided to bet on.
Point Spread Betting: All You Need to Know
A few helpful additional pieces of information for the end.
The spread is a margin that evens the odds between two opposing teams. It helps to even out the playing field and betting opportunities.
The favored team is given a point marking that they have to cover in order for the bet to go through. If they don’t make it, the best is considered a losing one. On the other hand, if you bet on the underdog and they lose by a bigger margin, the bet is a loss. However, if they lose with a lesser margin, your bet is a successful one.
The minus spread indicates the favorite. It indicates the amount of points that the favored team needs to cover for the bet to be a success.
Betting on the negative odds often means betting on the favorite. It is a secure type of bet as you are betting on the likelier team to win.
