Join me as we learn the answer to what the spread means in betting and see how spread betting works with real examples.
Instead of sticking to plain old win/lose, spread betting lets you predict not just outcomes but whether a team will surpass or fall short of a spread set by the bookies. Even if your team loses, you could still win your bet if it’s within the margins.
One of the best ways to explain this method is to use real-world examples. We will pretend you are playing at one of your favorite NFL betting sites. You are betting on an NFL game between the New England Patriots and the Kansas City Chiefs. This particular betting spread type will be based on the number of points scored; the sportsbook sets the following spread:
Here, the Chiefs are the favorites to win, and the Patriots are the underdogs. This is similar to moneyline betting, whereby the “-” is represented as the favorite, and the “+” represents the underdog.
If you placed your bet on the Chiefs, they would need to win by 8 points or more to win the bet. If you bet on the Patriots, your bet would still pay out if they were to lose; however, they would need to stay within 6 points of the Patriots.
Wondering why you don’t win if it’s 7 points in either situation? In these instances the bet would be a tie and the money is returned to the bettor, this is typically known as a ‘push’ in spread betting. So, if the Chiefs win by exactly 7 points or the Patriots lose but within exactly 7 points of the Chiefs, the stake is returned to the bettor, but no winnings are paid.
Half-point betting involves the bettor buying or selling a half-point on the spread to ensure there are no ties. As it is not possible to get half-points in most sports, it forces a bet to be won or lost.
Depending on which way you move the spread, it will also increase or decrease your odds and implied probability of a win. If you buy a half point, you increase the probability of winning but decrease the betting odds. Selling a half point decreases the probability of winning but improves the betting odds.
If we look at the previous example with the half-point betting strategy implemented, the spread could be changed to the following:
In this new example, the Chiefs would need to win by more than 8 points, and the Patriots can lose as long as they are within 7 points of the Chiefs. As you can see there is no longer the potential for the bet to be tied, so it guarantees a win or loss.
To better determine the value and impact of buying or selling half points on a spread in betting, players can make use of the half-point calculator. This tool will highlight the changes in odds and the potential payouts you could receive.
The half-point calculator is a universal tool that is applicable for any spread betting sports. So, if you’re looking to use it while visiting the best college football sportsbooks, you can do that with no problems.
Here’s a short list of pros and cons for this method:
Depending on where you’re based, the choice of sportsbooks offering ATS markets can vary widely. Some states have licensed dozens of online betting sites and apps while others may only have a handful to choose from. The good news for bettors is that spread markets are amongst the most common in the US sports betting landscape, it really shouldn’t matter which site you choose, there should be basic ATS lines there.
However, the more you look into the topic, the more than where you bet can matter significantly when it comes to the spreads. With alternate lines, varying limits and different odds available depending on where you go, choosing the best site in your respective state is a good move. Don’t settle for lines that have way higher juice than needed or where alt lines aren’t available.
Here are some of the top tips for responsible spread betting:
Making sure you know the basics of the system should be a minimum requirement. If you’re new to betting then it can be a little more complex than traditional win/loss betting, so you need to make sure you fully understand spread betting, from how it’s set to what it represents and more.
Getting overly excited with your bets, or frustrated even and betting more than you can afford is certainly not the sign of a responsible player. Sticking to a specific budget for your gameplay will help minimize these risks. You could also look to introduce the Kelly calculator or fractional Kelly calculator into your betting habits, as a way of allocating your budget strategically.
As with all sports betting, there are various factors that can affect the event and its outcomes. From recent performances to injuries, game schedules, recent controversies, and more. So a little bit of light research before placing your bet could be useful.
Betting emotionally rather than logically can lead to a player using much more of their bankroll than they would have regularly been comfortable with. It’s important to be disciplined when you are betting and focus on objectivity rather than emotion.
Earlier, we touched on the use of the half-point calculator to move the betting spread to align with your preferences. But this isn’t the only betting calculator available to players in the betting world. A few of the most popular betting calculators with a description of their functionality can be seen in the table below:
| Betting Calculator | Description | |
|---|---|---|
| Moneyline betting calculator | Highlights the implied probabilities and potential payouts of moneyline bets. | |
| Hedge betting calculator | Shows how much to wager on an opposing outcome to secure a profit regardless of the outcome. | |
| Parlay calculator | Highlights the potential payouts for multiple individual bets placed under one ‘parlay’ bet. | |
| Kelly criterion calculator | Uses the Kelly criterion formula to allocate an optimal bet size based on users bankroll. |
Spread betting is another interesting way to bet on your favorite sports. It is a little more advanced than traditional bets, but you might find it a lot more exciting—who knows!
There are a multitude of different benefits to this betting type, with a small handful of associated risks, too, which we’ve discussed in this guide. This will help better prepare you for taking on some of these bets for yourself. As a beginner, stick to the sports you already know and understand, as this will make the experience both more enjoyable and easier.
It’s actually pretty simple, the betting spread is a margin of victory or loss that a team must stay within or exceed for the bet to be won. For example, if a team has a spread of -7.5 then they must win by 8 points or more, likewise a team with +7.5 can not lose by more than 7 points.
Typically players pick popular American sports such as the NBA or NFL when using the strategy. But, if you’re someone who’s interested in the latest golf news, tournaments and events, then you’ll be pleased to hear this can also be used on individual sports such as golf.
It’s certainly a little more complex than your typical moneyline bet, but as long as you’ve not had the method explained incorrectly to you, then you should be able to pick it up relatively quickly.
Spreading provides a new and exciting twist to sports betting, one where bettors can bet on margins rather than win/loss. Additional other benefits include the variety of bets you can make, the strategic and research element of making these bets and its ability to enhance the experience of live sporting events.
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