The lines on sportsbooks are getting wider and wider. Sometimes, it can be hard to figure out where you should place your money. If you’re looking to place a bet on a game but don’t know exactly where you should shop, you’re going to have a bad time winning or losing. The key to making good sports picks is understanding how to look at betting spreads. In this article, we will teach you how to do just that.
The Basics Of Betting Spreads
It’s important to understand the basics before you can start using this information to your advantage. A betting spread is the amount of money that is placed on one side of a sports bet. For example, if you wanted to bet 100 dollars on the New England Patriots vs the New York Jets in the 2018 NFL season, the betting spread for that game would be 200 dollars, as shown below.
(Image from BettingDimes.com)
Betting spreads can be used to help gauge the strength of a bettor’s hand. It’s basically the ‘over/under’ line for a given game. This is important because often times, the bookmakers will list the over/under lines separately. It can be easy to miss when you’re placing a bet, but if you look carefully at the numbers, you can usually figure out which is the actual spread and which is the over/under line.
What Should You Look For When Reading Betting Spreads?
When you’re looking at betting spreads, you need to keep a few things in mind. First, stay away from bets that have a minus sign in front of it. Second, be careful when looking at bets where the favorite is listed as 5 or more points favored. Third, make sure that the number of points is in parenthesis next to the selection. This will help you determine the spread if the number of points is not directly next to the selection.
How Do Bookmakers Set The Spread?
Bookmakers usually set the spread when they publish the odds for a game. The amount of money that is bet on one side of the bet will determine how much the other side will cost you. If there’s a large amount of money placed on one team, the opposite team will usually be a bit more affordable. This is called an implied line. If there’s not a significant amount of money on either side of the bet, the spread will be set at the odds makers’ discretion. It can be difficult to tell which team is going to win until the end, so it’s best to avoid betting on games where you can’t win money back in case the game ends in a tie.
When Are The Most Common Games For Basketball Spots?
The most common games for basketball betting spreads are ranked from most to least common as follows:
- College Basketball – ranked 6th most popular game
- NHL Hockey – ranked 10th most popular game
- NBA Basketball – ranked 11th most popular game
- WBSC World Baseball Classic – ranked 12th most popular game
- NASCAR Racing – ranked 16th most popular game
- UFC – ranked 17th most popular game
- Auto Racing – ranked 19th most popular game
- Australian Football League – ranked 20th most popular game
How Do Bookmakers Set The Spread For Soccer Matches?
For soccer matches, the most common games for betting spreads are ranked from most to least popular as follows:
- English Premier League – ranked 1st most popular game
- Italian Serie A – ranked 2nd most popular game
- La Liga – ranked 3rd most popular game
- Ligue 1 – ranked 4th most popular game
- Australian A-League – ranked 6th most popular game
- Chilean League – ranked 8th most popular game
- Japanese League – ranked 9th most popular game
- Argentine League – ranked 10th most popular game
How Do Bookmakers Set The Spread For NFL Games?
For NFL games, the most common games for betting spreads are ranked from most to least popular as follows:
- Super Bowl – ranked 1st most popular game
- World Football Championship – ranked 2nd most popular game
- NFC Championship – ranked 3rd most popular game
- AFC Championship – ranked 4th most popular game
- Divisional Playoffs – ranked 5th most popular game
- Conference Championships – ranked 6th most popular game
- Playoffs – ranked 7th most popular game
- National Championship – ranked 8th most popular game
- Pro Bowl – ranked 9th most popular game
- NHL Playoffs – ranked 10th most popular game
- Piazza – ranked 11th most popular game
- Cherry Blossom Classic – ranked 12th most popular game
- Turkey Shoot – ranked 14th most popular game
- MLB Postseason – ranked 15th most popular game
- Chinese New Year – ranked 16th most popular game
- Wimbledon – ranked 17th most popular game
- US Open – ranked 18th most popular game
- The Masters – ranked 19th most popular game
- Grey Cup – ranked 20th most popular game
Advantages Of Using Betting Spreads
There are several advantages to using betting spreads. First, it’s easy to use. Secondly, it can provide information on the spread. Thirdly, since it takes into account the amount of money wagered on either side of the bet, it can give you a good estimate of how much each team is actually worth. Fourth, you can use betting spreads to enter a few simple wagers. It’s easy to use and accessible for everyone.
Disadvantages Of Using Betting Spreads
There are also some disadvantages to using betting spreads. First, it can be difficult to find the games where the spread is prominently displayed. Sometimes, you might have to search for them carefully. Often times, the spreads for betting are set at the discretion of the bookmaker. This means that they can change the numbers at any time and without notice. Lastly, since it takes into account existing wagers, it can be difficult to accurately predict the outcome of a game when using this method.
Conclusion
The information provided in this article will help you understand and use betting spreads. If you’re interested in making winning trades more often, take a look at the OddsTool. It’s the best tool for analyzing sports betting odds and finding good value. With it, you can simply enter the team you’re interested in using and the league they’re playing in and get a customized analysis of the odds that appear most favorable to you.