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Understanding Point Spreads in Football and Basketball

It appears that the only use for points spread betting is to make the punters life just that much more difficult. If we could simply bet on the horse or the team t win. How easy that would be! But no, the bookies and sports books have to introduce a system that makes everything betting related more foggy and therefore even more difficult with which to make a profit. To that end, let this article help you to understand the basics and the intricacies of point spread betting systems using both football and basket ball for examples.

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How the Point Spread Works

Essentially, it’s about placing a handicap on one team, but solely for the point of betting purposes. It doesn’t have any effect on the game itself. The point is to give both teams an equal chance in regards to the world of bets and wagers. For example, if last seasons Super Bowl champion was playing a basement dweller team that hadn’t won swat-diddly all year, that’s a shoo-in bet. So even if you’re gonna take on the Super Bowl Champs, in all likelihood, you’re gonna win. But what’s the fun in that. It’s a sure thing, So there are no bragging rights to be had either. If you would like to read more betting tips check out our guides to win the jackpot.

Team Handicaps

Now imagine that our basement-dwelling team were able to spot 25 points? And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the concept behind point spread betting. Whenever two teams meet, either on the football pitch or the basketball court, one is pretty much always going to be that much better than the other. If all you had to do was put a wager on the best team to win, well, you would be constantly winning. It could even become boring. gambling companies and sportsbooks would all go broke pretty quickly as well. So, to spice things up a little, they add some spice and try and level the playing field.

Understanding point spreads can earn you a lot

A Real Life Example

In Super Bowl 50, the Carolina Panthers took on the Denver Broncos. From their history, no one with a functional brain would back the Broncos. If you asked any bettor which team he’d back, then the results would be a resounding nod towards the Panthers. So, in order to make the betting more exciting for the punters, bookies and sportsbooks created a points-spread to make both teams more attractive for bets. So to that end, the Panthers were installed as the 6 point favorites. This is normally written as “Carolina-6”. Denver, being the underdogs in this situation, was written up as “Denver+6”. What does all this mean? Well, if Denver were to score anything, then 6 points would be added to the score. So if you had bet on the favorites, then the Panthers would need to win by more than 7 points for your bet to payout.

Underdogs Get Added Points

Because the Panthers are the favorites by 6 points, then we have to subtract that number from their final score for the purposes of spread betting. So, if the Panther’s were to win with the score being 24-17, then the punters would also win their bets. But if they were to win with a final score of 21-17, then they would have lost their wagers because they didn’t win by more than 6 points. now if you had placed a bet on the Broncos, you would still win your bet even if they lost by 5 points or less. Because they’re the underdogs we have to add 6 points to their final score. Now if the Panthers were to win by a margin of exactly 6 points, say 23-17, then that would be classed as a tie and all bets would be refunded.

Money Lines Vs. Point Spreads

It’s common to have the wagering option of a money line when betting on either football or basketball. All you have to do is correctly pick the winner. But there is a hidden drawback here. If you happen to bet on the team that’s expected to win, then you might find yourself risking much more than you stand to win. You see, each team is assigned odds. Just like in a horse race, where a 2-1 favorite will payout much less than, say a 15-1 long shot. Keep in mind that whatever the betting method used, it’s not so much for your benefit. But rather it’s to protect the bookies and sportsbooks. Of course, there are no fixed rules in the sport of betting. Whether you choose the money line or points spread system, these are your personal decisions. Both way, you can win the jackpot online with these bets.