Guides
How to Interpret the Points Spread/Line?
The points spread is also called the line. Most newspapers and websites publish the line on a football or
basketball game simply as a single number. In our example we will
use Philadelphia against San Antonio in which Philadelphia is favored by 4 over
San Antonio. The usual format for this game would be displayed as:
- Philadelphia -4
- San Antonio +4
What is generally understood with such a line is that in a wager
on this game one would risk 110 to win 100. For example you may risk
$55 to win $50 or $110 to win $100, but what is understood in the
presentation of the line is that a bettor will lose an extra 10% of
their wager amount if they should lose.
However in the era of online gaming, business competition has led
to a better deal for the gambler. One no longer needs to risk and
extra 10% on every wager they make. For example, at
Linesmaker.com, if you
make a wager on Fridays, you will find that you only need to risk 5%
on most games. In this case the line would be displayed as:
One would only be risking $105 to win $100 on a wager on
Philadelphia.
If you win, you still win $100. However if you lose, you only lose
$105 instead of $110.
Sometimes the line will be displayed as a rather larger number
after the point spread. There are 2 different ways to display this
number. On 2GuysPicks.com, the number displayed is the difference
between the bet and the payoff. Other sites add 100 to the number,
showing what you'd need to bet in order to win $100. Let us look at
an example where you would need to wager $120 in order to win $100:
On 2GuysPicks.com this would be shown as:
Other sites will show it as:
Just remember that these represent identical odds, and are just 2
different ways of displaying the information.
In this case, the bookmaker is getting a lot of business on
Philadelphia and is trying to generate more business on San Antonio. The
bookmaker has two choices, they can either move the game to
Philadelphia
-4.5 or if they like they number 4, they can stay on 4 and move the
"juice" instead.
In this example, a bettor who placed a $100 wager on Philadelphia
would be risking $120 to win $100. On the other hand, if one where
to wager on San Antonio, they would only be risking $100 to win $100,
they would not be risking anything more than their wager amount.
This is how the bookmaker entices bettors to wager on San Antonio and
balance their book.
In general most bookmakers apply the principal that the
difference between betting on the favorite and the dog is 20 cents.
So if the favorite is -115 then the dog is -105. If the favorite is
-125, then the dog is +105. And if the favorite is -110, then the
dog is -110.
Game Totals?
The same principal above applies to wagers on the total of the game. If
the game total is 41o20, then a wager on the over is risking 120 to
win 100 and a wager on the under is risking 100 to win 100. If the
line simply states 41, then a wager on the over or the under are
both risking 110 to win 100. (of course the difference between the
favorite and the dog is only 10 cents on Fridays at
Linesmaker.com)
What is the Money Line?
A Money Line wager is a wager on the outcome of the game
regardless of the point spread. Who will win straight up. The usual
display for a money line wager in football is as follows:
- Philadelphia -200
- San Antonio +170
In this example, a wager on Philadelphia to win the game would be
risking 200 to win 100. One may bet $200 to win $100 or $150 to win
$75. The bottom line is the same, one has to risk 200% of their
wager to win 100%. A wager on the underdog, San Antonio, would be a
risk of 100 to win 170. One may bet $100 to win $170 or $200 to win
$340. The bottom line is the same, one has to risk 100% of their
funds to win 170% back.
The same principal applies to baseball and hockey wagering.
| Sports
Betting -- A Game of Skill |
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 Sports
betting is a game of skill. The challenge is to gather and
analyze as much information as you can about a game, weigh
the probabilities of each team winning, and subsequently compare
your opinion to the oddsmaker''s. Make the right judgment and
you win. It''s as simple as that.
 While
luck may be a deciding factor in the outcome of any single
game, and will inevitably go against you on occasion, it will
balance out in the long run. Being a consistent winner in
sports betting is not about luck but whether you are prepared
to invest the time and effort to become knowledgeable about
the sports you bet on, whether you can weigh all the factors
in a cool, objective fashion, and whether you adopt a consistent,
disciplined, long-term approach to your betting. Do all these
and you will come out a winner. Remember, it''s you against
the oddsmaker, not the bookmaker.
If
you''d like to try out your sports betting skills, visit
SPORTSBETTING.COM.
It is the simplest and most popular destination for sports
betting on the internet. Check
it out now. |
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