Wager Mage
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How do payouts work on spreads?

Points spread betting: outcomes If bettors choose correctly and win, a sportsbook will pay the bettor in full amount based on the “price” of the wager, which is most commonly -110. That means a bet for $110 would win $100, or $11 would win $10, and so on.

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Point spread betting is the most popular form of sports betting in the United States. The primary purpose of point spread betting is to create an opportunity to wager money on teams/athletes in a given contest by assessing their relative strength against each other. The point spread involves the scoring units in each sport (i.e., points, goals, runs, etc.), and is designed to create a playing field as level as possible between the two teams for potential bettors, in the form of a projected margin of victory.

For example,

in most college football seasons, Oklahoma’s football team is going to destroy the Kansas squad in a Big 12 battle. The point spread allows bettors to assess the margin by which Oklahoma will whoop them. If favored by nearly five touchdowns, Oklahoma would be -34.5. Alternatively, Kansas might keep the margin within 34.5 points. You could take Kansas at +34.5 at one of your favorite in most college football seasons, Oklahoma’s football team is going to destroy the Kansas squad in a Big 12 battle. The point spread allows bettors to assess the margin by which Oklahoma will whoop them.If favored by nearly five touchdowns, Oklahoma would beAlternatively, Kansas might keep the margin within 34.5 points. You could take Kansas atat one of your favorite sports betting apps

Points spread betting: outcomes

A point spread bet has three potential outcomes: win, loss, or push.

If bettors choose correctly and win , a sportsbook will pay the bettor in full amount based on the “price” of the wager, which is most commonly -110. That means a bet for $110 would win $100, or $11 would win $10, and so on. (More on this later.) , a sportsbook will pay the bettor in full amount based on the “price” of the wager, which is most commonly -110. That means a bet for $110 would win $100, or $11 would win $10, and so on. (More on this later.) Alternatively, a “push,” when the game result falls exactly on the point spread margin — results in a “voided” or “canceled” bet and means that bettors get their original wagers returned. — results in a “voided” or “canceled” bet and means that bettors get their original wagers returned. Obviously, a loss is a loss.

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A point spread bet differs from a moneyline bet because the outcome of a spread bet, for bettors, does not always mirror the final result of the sporting event. Where a moneyline bet involves picking one team to win outright (or a draw when offered as a potential outcome), the losing team in a point spread bet may still provide a win for bettors, depending on the score of the sporting event. Taking the early example, if Oklahoma beats Kansas 51-21, a 30-point margin, Kansas would be a heavy loser but cover the spread.

Point spread bets, explained

There are three components of a point spread wager:

The actual point spread

The favorite

The underdog

The spread The point spread is the number of scoring units (i.e., points for basketball and football, runs for baseball, goals for hockey and soccer) representing the projected margin of victory for the favorite over the underdog. The amount of the spread can range widely from sport to sport and event to event. Additionally, home-field advantage is incorporated into a point spread, with the customary “adjustment” being anywhere from zero to three points, depending on the track record of a team’s performance at home. The New Orleans Saints’ raucous home at the Superdome is a notoriously difficult environment for visiting opponents. A team that plays well at home would normally have a maximum three points added in its favor to the spread, while a team that does not play well at home or overall would likely have a smaller adjustment to the spread in its favor. So if the Saints played their opponent on a neutral field? Points for home field advantage would not come into play. Sportsbooks or oddsmakers set the spread, while bettors evaluate the matchup in a process called “handicapping.” Professional bettors will even calculate their own spreads on games, then compare them with what sportsbooks have posted and attempt to find and exploit discrepancies. The favorite The favorite is the team viewed as more likely to win. Using $100 as the betting unit (size), a bettor would have to wager the amount listed (i.e. -110) in order to win $100. If the bet wins, the sportsbook would pay $210, which is the stake ($110) plus the win ($100). Bettors who choose the favorite win their wager when that team wins by an amount greater than the point spread. For example, if the Colts are favored over the Titans by 5.5 points and the Colts win by 7 points, the Colts have “covered the spread.” Bettors who wagered on the Colts will have won the bet. A favorite is always represented with a minus sign (-) preceding the point spread. For example, in an AFC East showdown, the Patriots might be -6.5 against the Jets, or a “6.5-point favorite.” The Jets would correspondingly be +6.5 “against the spread.”

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The underdog The underdog is the team considered less likely to win, or put another way, more likely to lose. For point spread betting purposes, the value of the point spread is added to the team’s total as part of the wager. Bettors who choose the underdog win their wager when that team either wins the event outright OR loses by an amount less than the point spread. For example, if the Seahawks are favored by 5.5 points over the Rams but Seattle wins by only 4 points, Seattle has “failed to cover.” Bettors who wagered on the Rams would win the bet despite the Rams losing the actual event. In this case, the Rams have “covered the spread.” If the Rams win the game outright, they have likewise covered the spread. An underdog is always represented by a plus sign (+) preceding the point spread. For example, “Rams +5.5.”

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