When you place a wager on sports, whether it’s betting on sports, or simply interested in the outcome of games, odds are you’ll come across the phrase ‘half a point’. What does that mean exactly? Let’s explore.
What Is Half a Point In Sports Betting?
When you place a wager on a horse or a sports team, the odds will often be given out in point forms, i.e. 1, 2, 3, 4, etc. If you ever pick up a betting slip in a coffee shop before a game, you’ll likely see ‘half a point’ written on it. Why? Well, when you bet on a horse or a sports team, the odds are usually 50–1 or 100–1. So, half a point simply means you’ll win or lose half the amount you wagered, rounded down to the nearest whole number. In other words, you’ll win or lose 50–1, or 100–1. Let’s walk through an example.
Example:
Let’s say you stake $100 on the Green Bay Packers to win the Super Bowl. The odds are now 200–1. You’ll win $200 or lose $100 if the Packers win the Super Bowl. Your $100 wager will be split into two $50 wagers, which means your winnings from the first wager will be $25 and your second wager will be a loss of $75. You’d have $50 left over after the Super Bowl. Half of that ($25) is what you’ll win or lose on your first wager, and the other half ($75) is what you’ll lose on your second wager. That’s how half a point functions in an example like this.
How Is Half a Point Rounded Up?
When you place a wager on a horse or a sports team, your winnings or loses will be rounded up or down to the nearest whole number. Let’s say you wagered $100 on the Packers, as previously stated, and they won the Super Bowl. Your winnings will be $200, which is two times the amount you wagered. However, since you lost one of the two $100 wagers, your winnings will be $150. In this case, half a point would be rounded up to the nearest whole number, in this case $100, leaving you with a $50 net profit.
On the other hand, if the Packers had lost the Super Bowl, your winnings would have been $0. Since you had both wagers on the same team, the loss would have been halved, which means your $100 wager would have resulted in a $50 loss.
What Is The Difference Between A Half Point And A Point-Bet?
If you place a wager on a horse or a sports team and the odds are 50–1 or 100–1, you’re placing a point-bet. If the odds are, for example, 11–1 or 22–1, you’re placing a half point-bet. In a point-bet, your winnings will be exactly half the amount you wagered, while in a half point-bet your winnings will be rounded down to the nearest whole number. So, as stated above, if you bet $100 on the Packers and they win the Super Bowl, you’ll win $200 (two times $100), but since you lost one of the two $100 wagers, your earnings will be $150, leaving you with a $50 net profit. If the Packers had lost the Super Bowl, your winnings would have been $0 since you had both wagers on the same team, resulting in a $100 loss.
As for half a point, again, it’s rounded down to the nearest whole number. In the above example, if you stake $100 on the Packers and they win the Super Bowl, your half point will be rounded up to the nearest whole number, $100, leaving you with a $50 net profit. If the Packers had lost the Super Bowl, your half point would have been rounded down to the nearest whole number, resulting in a $100 loss.
What If I Don’t Want To Place A Wager?
If you have a specific team or horse you don’t want to risk on because you know they’re going to lose, you don’t have to. Simply pick one of the other 19 teams or 19 horses and place a market wager, which is what sportsbooks are offering at the time of writing. A market wager is where you place a wager on the outcome of an event, as opposed to placing a bet on a single horse or sports team, which is called a line wager. A market wager will have the same odds as the selected team or horse (in this case, 200–1) with the added bonus of also getting you a free dinner or drinks if your team or horse wins.
Additional Rules For Sports Bettors:
When you place a wager on a horse or a sports team, there are a few other things you should be aware of.
First, in the U.S., you must be over the age of 21 to place wagers. Second, in most states, you have to be a resident of that state to place wagers. Third, if you go over the odds you’ll be charged a ‘tipping’ or ‘vig’ charge, which is usually about 10% of your total wager.
That’s half a point in sports betting. Thanks for reading! We hope this article has helped you in some way. If you have any other questions or comments, please feel free to drop us a line below! And, as always, GOOD LUCK ON THE TABLES.