NFL POINT SPREAD
There are a bunch of ways you can bet on the NFL. Not only do you have the usual moneyline and point spread wagers, but you also have totals (over/under), props, first-half bets, second-half bets, and more.
NFL POINT SPREAD
Spread betting gets a bit more advanced than just "who's going to win", and requires you to have a solid knowledge of how a team might perform. For example, let's say Green Bay is listed as +3.5 (-110). That means that, in order for your bet to pay out on those -110 odds, the Packers need to either win the game or not lose by 4 points or more.
If you're betting totals, and you're probably seeing a pattern here, you're betting on the total number of points scored. These bet types are pretty logically named, no? Anyway, if you're betting on a Packers v. Bears matchup and the total is set at over or under 48.5, that means that oddsmakers don't expect the cumulative score earned by both teams to exceed 48. If it does, and you bet the OVER, you get a payout. If it doesn't and you bet the UNDER, you get a payout.
Reading the NFL odds is simple. Whether you're looking at totals bets, props, moneylines, or spread betting, the negative number indicates the favorite (and a lower payout) and the positive number indicates the underdog (and a higher payout). When betting the spread, there are also smaller numbers indicating the point difference, and for totals, the total number of expected points.
A point spread n NFL betting looks at the performance of a team regardless if they win or lose. A losing team can still win a point spread bet by "covering" the spread, and earning at least as many points as is set by the spread.
The DraftKings Sportsbook app makes placing a bet on a football game super easy. The platform provides you with a virtual bet slip; you just add the games you want to place a wager on. Once you make a betting pick, the platform shows you all the types of bets you can make for your selections, the odds, and betting spreads for NFL games. Once you've made your picks and put down an amount to stake, a handy "Place Bets" button lets you finalize your wager.
The moneyline column works the same as with spread betting. In this case, you'd have to bet $200 to win $100 when betting on New England. The stake would be $100 to win $200 if you choose Kansas City to win.
You can bet on preseason exhibition games just as easily as regular season games. Sportsbooks will post the odds a few weeks before the preseason game, and you can place moneyline bets, spread wagers, or totals just as you would a regular game.
The perceived stronger team (the favorite) must win by a certain number of points/runs/goals to cash your bet. The worse team (the underdog) can lose by fewer than that same amount of points, or just win the game.
Betting the point spread is one of the basic elements of sports wagering. Here we will answer the question of what is a point spread and provide several examples. Betting on the point spread is when you wager on how many points a team will win or lose by. Point spread betting is particularly popular when wagering on football and basketball.
Here we will cover what the point spread is, how it works, and other minutiae surrounding the most popular form of sports betting. Ready to bet on the point spread now? Check out spread odds below and click to bet.
Most times, particularly at high levels of professional sport, the competitors have very close talent levels, and therefore the handicap winds up on the smaller side. Take, for example, the 2022 Super Bowl spread between the Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Rams.
The LA Rams were favored by 4 points over the Bengals at most sportsbooks. This appeared as LA Rams -4. The Rams needed to win by 5 or more points to cover the spread. Cincinnati was a 4 point underdog. This appeared as Bengals +4. That means the Bengals would have needed to win the game outright or not lose the contest by 5 points or more. The final score was Rams 23, Bengals 20, so bettors who bet Bengals +4 would have won their bets considering Cincinnati only lost by 3 points.
For an example of the spread coming into play, look at the other Chiefs vs. Buccaneers matchup from the 2020 season. In Week 12, the Chiefs traveled to Florida for a road date with the Bucs and won 27-24. Pro Football Reference quotes -3.5 as the closing line.
Combine that with home field, and the betting market sees a closely matched contest. Hence, Green Bay took the field as favorites, but favorites expected to prevail by just 3 points. However, the point spread ended up being a non-factor as the Saints ended up winning easily, 38-3.
This means bettors must win more than 50% of the time to break even. In fact, on point spread betting at -110, the breakeven point comes out to 52.38%. Check out this page for more math behind the vig in sports betting.
While the above examples (the -110 in American odds and 1.91 in decimal odds) represent industry standard vig, be aware that sometimes books will adjust the vig slightly. In these cases, your breakeven point may move up or down depending on which direction the adjustment happens. Most frequently, this happens when an NFL line edges toward a key number.
For one, the vig on spread betting will generally be among the lowest of any markets offered. This means the sportsbook keeps less of the money they accept (known as the handle), which means more goes back to the bettors.
Finally, spread betting keeps many otherwise uninteresting games worth watching. Sure, maybe the Chiefs are up 20 points on the Jets in the fourth quarter, but outcome of the game with the handicap included may remain up in the air.
Just understand going in that you will encounter some frustrating situations with spread betting. In particular, end-game scenarios often play out in ways that adversely impact a spread bet but have no impact on the actual result. For example, a -7.5 NBA favorite up 108-100 in the final seconds may play lackluster defense and allow a meaningless bucket that covers the spread.
Live betting has become increasingly popular over the years as it has become increasingly widespread thanks to more sophisticated technology at the hands of bookmakers. All you have to do is log in to your online account during a big game and you will see constantly shifting live betting lines, most often posted during commercial breaks.
Point spread betting is the most popular form of sports betting in the United States. The primary purpose of point spread betting is to create an opportunity to wager money on teams/athletes in a given contest by assessing their relative strength against each other.
The point spread involves the scoring units in each sport (i.e., points, goals, runs, etc.), and is designed to create a playing field as level as possible between the two teams for potential bettors, in the form of a projected margin of victory.
A point spread bet differs from a moneyline bet because the outcome of a spread bet, for bettors, does not always mirror the final result of the sporting event. Where a moneyline bet involves picking one team to win outright (or a draw when offered as a potential outcome), the losing team in a point spread bet may still provide a win for bettors, depending on the score of the sporting event.
Because the point spread is designed to be attractive to bettors who want to wager on either the favorite or the underdog, the value will sometimes range from +100 to -120 on each respective side, or -105 and -115, as the sportsbook attempts to entice wagers at different prices.
Suppose a point spread opens with the Celtics favored by 5 points over the Knicks at -110. If bettors believe the Celtics are going to whoop the Knicks by more than 5, they may collectively place a larger amount on Boston. And if a lot of people are betting on the Celtics at this number, the imbalance has the potential to change the vig to -115 or -120, which may dissuade more action on the Celtics.
Example: The Bucks are favored by 4.5 over the Lakers and the Bucks win 108-102, a 6-point margin. They have covered the spread, and people betting on the Bucks will win their wagers.
Example: The Cowboys are favored by 7.5 points over the Giants, but the Giants keep the game close and lose by only a field goal, 30-27. The Cowboys have failed to cover the spread, while the Giants did cover the spread.
While a moneyline bet is an entirely separate wager from a point spread wager, the two are connected in terms of how the potential moneyline payout allows bettors to examine perceived gaps in team levels.
As an example, if Team A is favored by 3 points in an NFL game at or near -110 or Team B is a 3-point underdog at or near -110 per $100 bet, that same game could have a moneyline status of -160 for the favorite and +135 for the underdog. The difference reflects the perceived gap between the teams.
When the point spread increases, the moneyline wager requires betting more money to achieve the same return, but because the point spread is designed to create betting on level terms for both teams, the value remains at or near -110 for the favorite or at or near -110 for the underdog per $100 bet regardless of the size of the point spread.
Every sportsbook offers three common bet types for every game, match or event posted to the betting board: moneylines, totals and point spreads. The latter is popular among all sports bettors: newbies, seasoned wagerers, recreational players and professionals.
In this example, the Rams are the favorite, with -6.5 suggesting that oddsmakers believe Los Angeles is 6.5 points better than Pittsburgh. A point spread bet on the Rams -6.5 means you need them to defeat the Steelers by at least seven points to win your bet.
A team covers the spread if it successfully beats the point spread. In the scenario above, that means the Rams beat the Steelers by 7 points or more, or the Steelers beat the Rams by any margin OR lose by fewer than 7 points. 041b061a72