While it’s always exciting to win big on the football betting, it’s more exciting to win big on the right side of the game. When you win big on the favorite, there’s always the chance it was just a freakish run of luck. When you’ve got money riding on the result of a game, you want to make sure you’re not getting sucker-punched by the sports book – especially when it comes to your favorite teams!
In order to avoid getting burned by the bookies, it’s important to know how pointspread betting works. Pointspread betting is a type of wagering where you’re getting paid on the outcome of a football game. Instead of placing a wager on whether the total number of points will be greater than, less than, or equal to the total number of points scored in the game (known as the over/under wager), you’re playing a game of inches. Instead of betting on the final score, you’re betting on which team will be +3 or -3 in the end.
This article will break down what +3 and -3 mean in terms of the betting lines as well as how to read those lines and apply them to your own games.
The Basics of Pointspread Betting
Pointspread betting is a type of wagering where you’re getting paid on the outcome of a football game. In order to place a wager, you’ll first need to determine which team will be the favorite and which team will be the underdog. The favorite is the team you think will win the game while the underdog is the team you think will lose the game. Once you’ve got your favorite teams, you can move on to setting the wager amount and determining whether you want to bet on the total number of points or which team will be +3 or -3 at the end of the game.
Here are the three rules you need to remember when considering pointspread betting:
- The favorite is the team you think will win the game
- The underdog is the team you think will lose the game
- The payout is determined by the magnitude of the predicted margin of victory (i.e., how many points will the favorite win by at the end of the game).
Let’s take a look at how these three rules play out in practice.
The Magnitude of the Predicted Margin of Victory
The magnitude of the predicted margin of victory determines how much you’re going to be paid on the outcome of a game. The more points the favorite wins by at the end of the game, the higher the payout – up to a point. As you might expect, the opposite holds true for the underdog. So if the Rams beat the Chargers by three points, your payout will be based on three points, but if the Chargers beat the Rams by one point your payout will be based on one point. This is why it’s important to look at the magnitude of the victory when determining whether or not to punt on a bet.
The key to pointspread betting is remembering that the magnitude of the predicted margin of victory is based on the final score of the game. If you don’t mind getting punked by the bookies then you can always go for the underdog and +3 payout since the margins of victory for these teams are usually pretty close to the final score! Remember that these teams will be laying off each other all night long so don’t be afraid to jump in with either side as long as you keep a cool head about it.
How Are The Spreads Calculated?
The spread is the difference in points between the favorite and the underdog. The spread is always displayed in the form of the number of points to pick (-105 for the Rams, +105 for the Chargers in this case). In most cases, you’ll see pointspreads calculated with the help of statistical models, allowing for some level of accuracy. These models take the variables of the game (e.g., weather, injuries, etc.) into consideration and use the results to determine the outcome of the game. In the case of our example, it’s pretty obvious that the underdog will lose this particular game since they’re playing against a team that’s previously recorded 27 straight losses. So even though the Chargers are a popular team to bet on, it might not be the best choice in this case since they’re really overmatched by the amount of points spread!
The Upset Special
If you’re a fan of the underdog, you might also be interested in the upset special. This is a type of wagering where you’re getting paid on the outcome of a game in which the favorite went against the spread and won despite being considered an underdog. In most cases, the upset special is a way of getting extra cash back from the bookies since it’s considered a very rare event to see an upset special pay out. However, the opposite is also true – it’s fairly common for the favorite to cover the spread and win the game, especially if they’ve got a good matchup. The key to an upset special is finding a team that most people consider a sure thing to beat, but something unexpected happens and they end up losing the game. As in the case of the pointspread, it’s important to look at the variables that could lead to an upset. If you’re feeling lucky, you could try an upset special on a game you’ve got money on anyway since you might just win some extra cash back. But in most cases, it’s best to avoid these types of wagers since you’re not going to get your money back if they don’t pay out!
Remember that just because a team is an underdog doesn’t mean they’re automatically going to lose the game. Just because the pointspread is +3 doesn’t mean the Rams will stomp on the Chargers. It simply means the game is close and you might want to consider backing the underdog in this case. Or, if you’ve got an upset special on your mind, then go ahead and put your money on the favorite, but make sure you have a Plan B in case things don’t turn out the way you expect!
Betting On The Number Of Points Scored
Another form of wagering you might encounter is betting on the total number of points scored in the game. This is called a total-point bet or a point-spread bet when referring to the amount of points the favorite and the underdog are staking respectively. When placing this type of wager, you’re getting paid based on how many points the favorites score throughout the game. So if you’ve got the Cowboys against the Giants, for example, you might want to put your money on the Giants since they’ve got a pretty good track record of upsetting the Cowboys. The key to a point-spread bet is remembering that you’re not necessarily betting on the winner of the game but on the total number of points scored. This way, even if the Giants don’t win the game, you’ll still get your money back since they’ll most likely score a lot of points against the Cowboys!
This form of wagering is a little more difficult to apply since you’re not always certain of how many points will be scored in the game. For example, if there’s a clear mismatch in physical ability between the two teams (e.g., an NFL running back pitted against the high school team), then there’s no question that the high school team is going to lose. However, if the teams are of equal ability (e.g., a high school baseball team playing against the Little League team), then it’s a little more difficult to tell how many points might be scored. In this case, it depends on a lot of factors including the quality of the weather, the condition of the field, and the experience of the players on the field.
Regardless, pointspread betting can be a lot of fun when applied properly. Just remember the three rules above and you’ll be able to enjoy the experience without getting burned by the bookmakers. This is especially important if you’ve got experience since you’ll know what to look out for in terms of possible scam artists. Plus, it’s always exciting to see the computer generate the winning number for you since you know your gamble paid off. If you’ve got a good feeling about a particular game, you might want to consider betting on it since the payout for these types of wagers is usually very high. It’s important to note that just because a team is an underdog in one game doesn’t mean they’ll be an underdog in every game. So, even if you’re getting great odds on a game, it might not be the best idea to bet on it since there’s always a possibility the favored team will pull off an upset and win the game. Simply put, find a game that you think is more in your favor and go for it!