I have to admit, I’m one of those sports fans who if I don’t know what something means, I have no shame in asking. Except when it comes to things that I should technically “already know”.
That is the problem that I continuously run into the problem of when I hear the terms “cover the spread” or “I’ll take the points”. I do what a lot of girls do, shake my head and smile to give off the perception that “yeah she knows what she’s talking about”.
Many girls feel somewhat afraid to ask questions when it comes to sports.
Dec 26, 2018 The point spread is a handicap placed on one team for betting purposes only, it has no place in the game itself. It's designed to give both teams an equal chance at winning in the context of wagers. Think of it this way: If last season's Super Bowl champion was playing a basement-dweller team that hadn't won a game all year, that's a shoo-in bet. The point spread is a handicap placed on one team for betting purposes only, it has no place in the game itself. It's designed to give both teams an equal chance at winning in the context of wagers. Think of it this way: If last season's Super Bowl champion was playing a basement-dweller team that hadn't won a game all year, that's a shoo-in bet.
Usually they are laughed at for not knowing things that seem very simple to the avid sports fan. Avid fans seem to forget that you could spend dozens of years learning about so many rules, stats and the history of each sport and still not know everything.
But that’s also what makes sports so much fun to watch and learn.
I decided instead of asking someone what “covering the spread” means, I would just take the simple route: When it doubt, Google it. And I’m pretty sure, the search engine won’t be laughing at me!
Read on to find out what a point spread, covering the spread, against the spread and over/under mean….
The “spread” is the difference in points scored by opposing teams in an athletic competition. The spread is also known as “the line” or “morning line”. This provides the basis for wagering : points may be “given” or “taken” to equalize a bet, or bets may be made that the difference will be larger or smaller than the estimate.
In simpler terms its when one team is the favorite over the other… so the spread is how many points the favorite has to beat the underdog by.
The spread is the difference in points between the two teams when the game is over. It’s what oddsmakers come up with to determine the winner and margin of victory of a game.
For example: the Lakers are the favorite over the Spurs by 5 points. So the Lakers must beat the Spurs by 5 points to cover the spread. This is how it will be written out in a Sportsbook
Lakers -5
Spurs +5
If one team is minus, then the other team is plus of the same number, so really you only need to see one of the numbers, to know the other.
If the line on the Lakers was -5.5 instead of -5, you would have to bet 6 (and have the Lakers win by that much) in order to collect on a bet. If you bet just the -5 then some betting sites would at least give you your money back or a credit towards future use.
A bet where you try to determine which team will cover the spread; not necessarily which team will win. It’s also known as ATS.
Over/Under means the odds-makers picked the most likely total combined score of both teams. For example in an NFL game with the Jaguars vs Dallas the over/under is 37. You can either bet on either “over” or “under”. Over, is if the two scores added up at the end, total to over 37. Under is if when you add them together, they’re less than 37. If the total is 37, it’s a tie, or “push” again.
If your anything like me and math is not your strongest suit, you will have to read that a couple dozen times to fully understand it. It took a while to find a clear answer on these questions but saved a lot of time from pretending to understand and trying not to look confused if someone were to explain this to me in person.
There are many types of bets, but the most common are: moneyline bets, spread bets, total bets, parlays, teasers and futures. In the beginning we will explain how to read betting lines and then we will deal with different types of bets.
Betting line
Betting line usually shows current odds or moneyline, point spread (handicap) and total for a particular event. For example we can have a line like this:
| Bet Number | Team | Moneyline | Spread or Handicap | Total Points |
| 461 | Bengals | +150 | +6 | over 44 |
| 462 | Patriots | -170 | -6 | under 44 |
Sportsbooks can stuff a lot of numbers in a betting line and sometimes even don't indicate what they mean. When you learn what all these numbers mean you won't be confused any more.
The -170 and +150 are money lines which are used in moneyline bets.
The -6 and +6 are the point spread which are used in a spread bet.
The over 44 and under 44 are the total points which are used in the total bet.
The minus sign (-) always indicates the favorite. The plus sign (+) always indicates the underdog.
Moneyline betting
Money line bets are on the winner of the event. In the example the -170 for the Patriots means that you have to risk $170 to win $100. The moneyline on the Bengals is +150 which means that a $100 bet on the Bengals would win $150, if the Bengals win the game. Of course when you bet $100 on the money line bet and win $150, you will receive $250 on payout.
Spread betting or point spread betting
Spread bet is a bet on score difference between two opponents. In the example above the Patriots are favored to win by 6 points and that is marked with -6 next to their name. So you can make two spread bets: 1) that the Patriots will win by 7 or more points or 2) that the Bengals will lose by 5 or less points. If the Patriots win by exactly 6 points, then the spread bets would be a push and the initial stakes would be paid back to the bettors. Usually with a spread bet the bettor stakes $110 to win $100.
Total bet
Spread Betting Meaning In Urdu
These are bets on the number of points scored in the game by both teams combined, including points scored in the overtime. In the example above the bettor bets whether the total points between the Bengals and the Patriots will be over or under 44. Like in the spread betting the odds are -110, that means risk $110 to win $100.
Parlay
How Does Spread Betting Work
The parlay is a bet on multiple sports events in which all teams must win or cover for the bettor to win and yield huge payout. If just one game doesn't win you lose the entire bet. If one or more games end push then these games are ignored. If you win all other games you get paid according to the games you won.
Spread Meaning Betting Meaning
Teaser bet
A teaser is a special type of parlay in which the point spread on each game moves a particular number of points in the player's favor. Price of moving the point spread are lower odds.
Futures
Futures are bets on future events. At the beginning of the season, the bookmakers give odds for teams who will win the championship. Futures are really difficult type of bet just for wise guys.