Football Betting Plus Minus

For those visitors new to the sports betting topic, we have added this guide to teach you how the point spread works and try our best to explain the point spread the simplest way possible. It's a fact that the point spread is the most popular form of betting, especially on the NFL games, and one may have heard references to spread betting on the TV, in books, etc. But for many the question of how point spread works remains a mystery. Whether you want to learn how the point spread works in order to place bets or out of simple curiosity, this guide should be able to give you the basics of spread betting. You can learn more about the NFL point spread at this website.

What is point spread, how point spread works: In it's simplest form, the spread is point handicap given to one of the football teams. It takes the form of plus/minus sign followed by numbers. An example of point spread is 'New England Patriots -7'. The '-7' is the point spread. It simply means that if you bet the point spread on the Pats, New England must win the game by more than seven points in order for your bet to be a winner. If the spread was '+7', the plus sign indicates that the team must lose the game by no more than 7 points for your spread bet to be a winner. So, let's put this in a nutshell - the minus sign in front of the point spread means that those points will be taken from the NFL team's final score and the plus sign means that those points will be given to the football team in the end. The point spread on an NFL game would always have one team being 'given' points (+7) and the other team being 'taken away' points (-7), the points are always the same for either team. Here is an example of NFL point spread:

New England Patriots -7
San Diego Chargers +7

As you can see, both spread numbers are the same for each team, the only thing that changes is the + and - signs, i.e. which team will be given the points handicap. The easiest way to calculate the point spread is to simply subtract the point spread from the team's final score. For example, if the final score is Patriots 21 - Chargers 17 and you've bet the Pats spread, you will lose, since 21-7=14, which would make the score Pats 14 - Charges 17, i.e. the Patriots fail to cover the point spread. Learn more about the spread and how to bet it by following the link on our top menu.

© PointSpreadNFL.com - All Rights Reserved. Not associated with the NFL.

Point spread betting is the most popular form of sports betting. The vast majority of sports wagers use a point spread thanks to the popularity of football and basketball. Even though this type of betting is so popular, it may take awhile to understand.

Anytime you see odds with a minus in front of it, take the number and that is what you would need to bet in order to win $100 in profit. So, a -450 number would mean that you would have to bet $450 in order to win $100 in profit back. On the other hand, an odds number with a 'plus' in front of it means that the team or player is an underdog.

  • Minus means favorite. Plus means underdog. The number you see next to the minus sign is the number you need to BET to win $100. The number you see next to the plus sign is how much you WIN if you bet $100. Let’s look at a quick example: San Diego Padres +145 vs. Pittsburgh Pirates -165. In the above example, you see a money line.
  • A point spread is a bet on the margin of victory in a game. The stronger team or player will be favored by a certain number of points, depending on the perceived gap in ability between the two teams. A minus sign (-) means that team is the favorite. A plus sign (+) means that team is the underdog.
Betting

The point spread is sometimes known as an equalizer for sportsbook operators. All teams aren’t created equally, so sportsbooks can create a point spread for a game so that each team playing has an almost even chance of winning the game. In a way, the point spread will even the field for both teams.

The point spread gives a reason for bettors to risk money on both teams. The better team playing in the game is considered favorite. They have to win by the point spread offered by the sportsbook. The favorite in a game is listed as being minus (-) the point spread.

The worse of the teams playing in the game is called the underdog. The bettor wins if this team wins the game outright or loses by an amount smaller than the point spread. The underdog in a game is listed as being plus (+) the point spread.

Let’s use this past Super Bowl between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Kansas City Chiefs as an example.

Using this example, the Chiefs were 3-point favorites over the Buccaneers. The Chiefs needed to win by 4 or more points to cover the spread.

Likewise, the Buccaneers were 3-point underdogs. That means the Buccaneers needed to win the game outright or not lose the contest by 4 points or more. At Chiefs -3, if they won by exactly 3 points, the betting result would have been a “push” and bettors for both sides would have gotten their wagers refunded.

The Buccaneers pulled off the upset, winning by a score of 31-9, and rewarded bettors who backed them at +3.

Point spread betting odds

Point spreads are usually set with -110 odds, but pricing often fluctuates at online sportsbooks. This is the sportsbook operators’ house edge. The odds guarantee the sportsbook operator will see a little money over time. When the odds are set at -110, the bettor must wager $110 to win $100 (or $11 to win $10).

The odds on a point spread are most commonly known as the vigorish or “vig” for the sportsbook. You might hear this small profit margin for the sportsbook called the “juice” by some sports bettors.

Football Betting Plus Or Minus

Point spread FAQs

What does ‘pick em’ or ‘pick’ mean in NFL betting?

A “pick em” (sometimes seen as “pick”) is when the teams have a point spread of zero, meaning neither team is favored. In this instance, you’re essentially picking moneyline and your bet will be determined on the winner alone.

What does -7 and +7 mean in NFL betting?

A spread of minus-seven (-7) means that a is favored to win the game by a touchdown (technically, a touchdown and the extra point). A team favored by -7 must win the game by eight or more points to win the bet. If the team wins by seven, the result is a “push” and the bet is refunded.

A spread of +7 means the team must win the game or lose by fewer than seven points to win the bet. A loss by seven would result in a push.

Plus Minus Betting Explained

What does -3 and +3 mean in NFL betting?

Plus Minus In Football Betting

A -3 spread means that the favorite must win by more than a field goal to win the wager. A three-point win would result in a push and the sportsbook would refund the wager.

A spread of +3 means the team listed as the underdog must win the game or lose by fewer than three points to cash the bet. A three-point loss would be graded as a push by the sportsbook and the bet would be refunded.

Betting

Why are point spreads in the NFL so much lower than in college?

In 2019, the Baltimore Ravens led the NFL in point differential per game at +13.7 points; the Miami Dolphins ranked last in the NFL in point differential per game at -11.7. Even Kansas City– known for their explosive offense– had an average point differential in 2019 of just 9.7 points. The net point differential in the NFL is -14.1, or -0.9 points per game. Basically, the talent differential in the NFL is so minute that even mismatched teams often draw games within a score of each other.

NFL spreads are most commonly between one point and four, with six being a heavy favorite and extremes coming out around 15-20 point favors. (For those wondering, the 1941 Chicago Bears hold the NFL record of point differential at +15.7 points per game. Conversely, Ohio State had a +33.1 average point differential in 2019.)

Point spread and odds movement

Sportsbook operators often aim to have equal money on both sides of a point spread. When the money is exactly split the sportsbook operator will see the exact vigorish as their profit margin. If all things are equal over time this will maximize how much money the sportsbook operator can make.

In an effort to have equal money on both sides of a wager, the sportsbook operator will move the point spread to attract money on the side that customers aren’t betting on. The odds for a point spread might change before the actual point spread. There are certain point spread numbers, like 3 and 7 in football, the sportsbook operators would like to avoid moving away from since the final score margin falls on these two numbers most often.

For example, if a lot more money is wagered on the New England Patriots -3, the vig may shift from -112 to -115 and -120 before the line moves to -3.5.

Plus 100 Betting

Run and puck lines

Football and basketball games are mostly bet using a point spread. The less popular major sports, baseball and hockey, are mostly bet using a moneyline. In an effort to make baseball and hockey more appealing to point spread bettors, the sportsbook operators offer run and puck lines, respectively.

Football Betting Plus Minus

These alternative lines give point spread bettors a chance to wager on other sports using a more familiar method of betting. Since points (runs and goals) aren’t as easy to come by in baseball and hockey, the odds with the lines may have a wider spread than a football or basketball game.

Comments are closed.