Spread Betting >The Point Spread

From: The Graduate

Understanding the point spread
Lately I have been upset with the confusing documentation about spread betting provided online. Here at Spread Betting International, we decided it is important to explain spread betting in a way that is easy for even novice bettors to understand. So that is our objective, and in this post I will address the point spread.

The definition of point spread is the predicted scoring differential between two opponents as quoted by a sports book. The point spread is also called the line. If you have bet on a sporting event in the past, but have never bet on the point spread, this will ease the process and explain how it works.

How the point spread works

When two teams meet on the playing field or on the basketball court, one team is typically better than the other, or in a more favorable position because of factors like playing at home. If all you had to do was to pick the winning team in a game, everybody would simply wager on the best team, or the home team in a even matchup. However, this would bypass all the lines, burning the odds makers, and allowing the bettors to collect their winnings at a high rate.

Point spread example

Lets take, for a hypothetical situation on one of the types of football bets (using the point spread), that the Kansas City Chiefs were visiting the Detroit Lions and Detroit was established as a six-point favorite at game time, which is commonly written as Detroit -6. Kansas City would be the underdog and displayed as Kansas City +6.

If you bet the favorite, Detroit has to win by more than six points to win your bet. Remember, the Lions are favored by six points, so we subtract six points from their final score on a spread bet. If Detroit were to win 27-20, Lions bettors would win their wager. If the Chiefs were to win the game by any score and you picked the Chiefs you would win not including the extra six points. If the Lions were to win, 20-14, it would be exactly six and a push, so you would get your money back.

Betting against the spread (ATS)

In the sports betting industry the acronym ATS is used to label a team's record when betting against the spread. ATS records are a valuable tool in sports handicapping. You should always factor the team’s ATS record before making a wager. Here’s why..

A team may be playing great, winning a lot of games and having a 5-0 record. However, at the same time they could have a dreadful ATS record of 0-5, because they are overvalued by the general public and the odds makers, and are just barely winning these games. Although on the other hand, a team’s record could be 2-3, but playing in a lot of close games as the underdog, and have a good ATS record of 4-1.

Bookmaker's interest

Have you ever wondered why the point spread can change, or move, over time? Here’s why. In order to guarantee a profit for the house, a bookie needs to create even action on both sides of a particular game. In a perfect world the bookie would have 50 percent of the handle (or bets) come in on the underdog and 50 percent on the favorite.

This ensures that the sports books are guaranteed a profit because of the 10 percent commission, or "vigorish" (vig) charged on most sports wagers. This is why there is "movement" on the point spread. If a game is being bet more heavily on one side, the bookie must move the spread to attract interest on the other side, in order to balance the action.

Spread betting myth

Many people decide that it's too arduous without ever giving it a try. In fact, once the simple concept has been grasped it becomes exceedingly painless to comprehend. Just determine if you think the odds makers' prediction is too low or too high, and then wager accordingly. It's that straightforward. Learn the basics, so you and your wallet are not spread too thin, but rather spread very wide.

So stay with us at Spread Betting International, and Sports Betting Times, to help you obtain this type of education and become successful with sports betting.