What is Spread Betting?

When you bet on sports, you have a number of different options. Some are easy to understand, while others may be a bit more complicated. Point spread betting is one such option and we’ll take a look at how it works.

What is point spread betting?

In sports betting, a point spread is the difference in points between two teams that bookmakers set up. It is designed to give an advantage to the team that is expected to lose. The team with more points at the end of the game would win.

The weaker team receives a plus sign label, and the stronger team gets a minus sign label. The game is more interesting for bettors, since one team is typically better than the other. Bettors can bet on the final margin of victory instead of only having to choose an outright winner.

The 11/10 vig, or vigorish, is the commission taken by sportsbooks on bets made on the point spread. To ensure a profit for the bookie and an increase in sports betting, this commission must be greater than 52.38%. If a bettor hits that percentage, he or she will break even; if not, he or she will lose money after factoring in the vigorish.

What is Point Spread and Odds Movement?

Bookmakers prefer to have an equal amount of money on both sides of a point spread. They do this because it gives them greater visibility on their vig as a percentage of profit margin. The more balanced the action on both sides, the more exact their margin will be over time.

To balance the bets on each side of a point spread, the bookmaker will move the spread. This can happen before or during the game, depending on how much action has been placed on one team. If there is too much action on one side, the odds will move to encourage more action on the other side. The numbers 3 and 7 are important for final score margins in football because they represent common scores like 10-3 or 23-7.

What are point spreads and odds movements?

Puck lines are a type of point spread in sports betting, popular in football. The odds are typically around 1.5; one side has 1.5 points added to their total while the other team usually, but not always, the favourite, has 1.5 points taken away.

The puck line is an alternative to the run line in baseball. Unlike the run line, which requires that a particular player start a game for the bet to be honoured, the puck line doesn’t require a specific player or team to win.

Betting on the puck line can be a profitable strategy when the favourite is in high demand and not valued highly by the bookmakers. To identify these opportunities, look at the odds board. This is when you should place your bet on the team leading by two or more goals.

History of Spread Betting

Before point spread bets became popular, sports bettors had few options. They either could bet against the odds on each team or take the favourite. If they wanted to take a longshot and win big if it won, they would face steep odds against them.

Bookies had a problem: if a big underdog hit, or all of their customers were on a favourite, they stood to lose a considerable sum. They overcame this by using point spreads.

The idea of the ‘wholesale odds system’ originated in Chicago in the 1940s. Charles McNeil is credited with devising it, though some debate whether he was the originator. He was a maths teacher who turned bookie. McNeil took concepts from other professional bettors to fine-tune his ‘wholesale odds system’.

People can bet on sports in many ways, including online. One way bookies offered more games was through television, which also helped grow sports betting in the 1950s. People could watch the events they bet on at home or in pubs.

FAQs

What is the difference between Moneyline and puck line bets?

Even though they both have the word “line” in their names, the puck line and moneyline sports bets are quite different. The puck line requires you to pick which team will score more goals, but not necessarily win; meanwhile, the moneyline requires you to pick only one team to win.

What is a reverse puck line?

A proposition bet lets a bettor take the underdog, and still be guaranteed to win if the underdog wins by 1 or more goals.

What is vig?

A fee is charged by sports betting operators for accepting your wager. You place your wager, and they accept it.

Conclusion

Sports betting is a popular pastime for millions of people around the world. Point spread betting can be confusing at first, but it’s worth learning about if you like making money from sports.