Are you wondering how a sports betting spread works exactly? Look no further, in this post we will dive deep and help you understand spread betting for good.
When I first started sports betting, the spread confused me. I thought I had won bets when I ended up not winning. Let’s break it down for you below.
To learn all the basics of sports betting, check out our comprehensive sports betting guide.
The + Side of the Spread
The plus side of the spread will be the underdog team. For example, let’s say NC State is playing Colorado State and is 4.5 point underdogs. What this means, if you take the (+4.5) then you think Colorado will either:
A. Lose the game by less than 4.5.
Or
B. Win the game.
If either of these 2 happen, Your spread bet is in the money.
The – Side of the Spread
The – side of the spread will be whichever team is favored to win the game. As a real live example, Tennessee is a 22 point favorite in the first round of the NCAA March Madness Tournament against St. Peters. This means Tennessee is (-22.0).
This line means that Tennessee must win by more than 22.0 points to win the game. If they lose the game, or win by less than 22.0, then this spread will not cover, and you will lose the bet.
The Best Sportsbooks for Spread Betting
Bovada is a full service sportsbook and casino, offering a fantastic live betting feature. To bet on the spread, Bovada is the best place to get in on the action live.
Sports Betting offers their players a huge selection of game lines and player props. Their lines are competitive, making them your destination for spread bets.
BetUS provides their players with a top-tier betting experience. With lines that are hard to beat, BetUS is a fantastic sportsbook for betting on the spread.
How to Tell if a Spread Bet is a Push?
How to tell if a spread bet is a push when it comes to sports betting. I’ll use college basketball as an example. If the spread is any number with a .5, a push will not be possible. However if the spread is for example -22.0 and the favored team wins by exactly 22.0 points.
Then, the spread will be considered a ‘push’ and the amount that you placed on that bet will be returned to your account, or if in a parlay that leg will be voided.
History of Spread Betting
Way back in the 1900’s, before bookies would take a commission on every bet, sports bettors looking to place their money on a single game or event would have to bet against the odds on every team their bookie designated to them. This allowed the bookie to ensure that they would not lose all of their money on favored teams, which is understandable.
If a game had too many people looking to bet on the favored team or player, the bookie would have to stop accepting bets, in order to minimize their losses.
We know that today, the odds are constantly updated and that sportsbooks will accept bets no matter how skewed the odds.
However, bookies back in the day needed a solution to these skewed odds and super-favored teams. in the early 1940’s, the spread bet was born.
By offering sports bettors an option to bet on the difference in points, bookies could improve their odds of winning and could offer more games to their customers and not stop accepting bets.
Sports betting grew massively in the upcoming decades, as new racetracks began popping up all over the country, and professional sports teams began expanding.
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