spreads
POINT SPREADS:
Point spread wagering is the most common form of wagering. Let's say the Patriots are playing Jets this Sunday, everyone knows the Patriots will easily defeat the Jets.
What point spread wagering asks is not who is going to win… but by how much is a particular team going to win by.
For our example we will say the Patriots are a 7 point favorite over the Jets.
(the way you will see it on your computer screen when placing a bet):
| 303 | Patriots | -7 |
| 304 | Jets | +7 |
These two lines are filled with information you must know to wager on the game.
| 1. | The numbers on the left (numbers 303 & 304) are called the rotation numbers. These are the numbers assigned to the teams for the purposes of betting; these numbers are universal throughout the betting community. |
| 2. | The Patriots are listed on top of the Jets, this tells the player that the Patriots are the visiting team. |
| 3. | The -7 next to the Patriots shows that the Patriots are a 7 point favorite over the Jets. |
What this Means:
If you place a wager on the Patriots you need the Patriots to win by 8 points or more to win your bet.
So if the final score was:
| PATRIOTS: 21 JETS: 10 |
PATRIOTS: 10 JETS: 7 |
PATRIOTS: 14 JETS: 7 |
| You would win your bet. | You would lose your bet; even though the Patriots won the game… they did not "cover" the point spread. | You would push* your bet. |
*A push means that, taking the point spread into account, the game was a tie. In the
case
of a push all funds are returned to you… your wager plus the juice.
Conversely, if you bet the Jets, you would be getting 7 points. So if the Jets lose by 6 points or less you win your wager, if they lose by 7 it is a push, and if they lose by 8 or more you lose your bet.
Let's say you bet the Jets +7 points.
If the final score was:
| PATRIOTS: 21 JETS: 10 |
PATRIOTS: 10 JETS: 7 |
PATRIOTS: 14 JETS: 7 |
| You would lose your bet. | You would win your bet. | You would push* your bet. |