Baseball Spread Betting
Point spread betting is the most popular form of sports betting. The vast majority of sports wagers use a point spread thanks to the popularity of football and basketball. Even though this type of betting is so popular, it may take awhile to understand. The point spread is sometimes known as an equalizer for sportsbook operators. Get the latest sports betting odds for NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, NCAA football and NCAA basketball, including spread, money line and over/under.
Point spread betting is the most popular form of sports betting. The vast majority of sports wagers use a point spread thanks to the popularity of football and basketball. Even though this type of betting is so popular, it may take awhile to understand.
The point spread is sometimes known as an equalizer for sportsbook operators. All teams aren’t created equally, so sportsbooks can create a point spread for a game so that each team playing has an almost even chance of winning the game. In a way, the point spread will even the field for both teams.
The point spread gives a reason for bettors to risk money on both teams. The better team playing in the game is considered favorite. They have to win by the point spread offered by the sportsbook. The favorite in a game is listed as being minus (-) the point spread.
Point Spread Baseball Betting
The worse of the teams playing in the game is called the underdog. The bettor wins if this team wins the game outright or loses by an amount smaller than the point spread. The underdog in a game is listed as being plus (+) the point spread.
Let’s use the upcoming Super Bowl between the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an example.
Using this example, the Chiefs opened as 3-point favorites over the Buccaneers (currently Chiefs ). The Chiefs need to win by 4 or more points to cover the spread.
Likewise, the Buccaneers opened as 3-point underdogs. That means the Buccaneers would need to win the game outright or not lose the contest by 4 points or more. If the line is Chiefs -3 and they win by exactly 3 points, the betting result is a “push” and bettors for both sides would get their wagers refunded.
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Point spread betting odds
Point spreads are usually set with -110 odds, but pricing often fluctuates at online sportsbooks. This is the sportsbook operators’ house edge. The odds guarantee the sportsbook operator will see a little money over time. When the odds are set at -110, the bettor must wager $110 to win $100 (or $11 to win $10).
The odds on a point spread are most commonly known as the vigorish or “vig” for the sportsbook. You might hear this small profit margin for the sportsbook called the “juice” by some sports bettors.
Point spread FAQs
What does ‘pick em’ or ‘pick’ mean in NFL betting?
A “pick em” (sometimes seen as “pick”) is when the teams have a point spread of zero, meaning neither team is favored. In this instance, you’re essentially picking moneyline and your bet will be determined on the winner alone.
What does -7 and +7 mean in NFL betting?
A spread of minus-seven (-7) means that a is favored to win the game by a touchdown (technically, a touchdown and the extra point). A team favored by -7 must win the game by eight or more points to win the bet. If the team wins by seven, the result is a “push” and the bet is refunded.
A spread of +7 means the team must win the game or lose by fewer than seven points to win the bet. A loss by seven would result in a push.
Baseball Spread Betting Spread
What does -3 and +3 mean in NFL betting?
Sportsbook Baseball Betting
A -3 spread means that the favorite must win by more than a field goal to win the wager. A three-point win would result in a push and the sportsbook would refund the wager.
A spread of +3 means the team listed as the underdog must win the game or lose by fewer than three points to cash the bet. A three-point loss would be graded as a push by the sportsbook and the bet would be refunded.
Why are point spreads in the NFL so much lower than in college?
In 2019, the Baltimore Ravens led the NFL in point differential per game at +13.7 points; the Miami Dolphins ranked last in the NFL in point differential per game at -11.7. Even Kansas City– known for their explosive offense– had an average point differential in 2019 of just 9.7 points. The net point differential in the NFL is -14.1, or -0.9 points per game. Basically, the talent differential in the NFL is so minute that even mismatched teams often draw games within a score of each other.
NFL spreads are most commonly between one point and four, with six being a heavy favorite and extremes coming out around 15-20 point favors. (For those wondering, the 1941 Chicago Bears hold the NFL record of point differential at +15.7 points per game. Conversely, Ohio State had a +33.1 average point differential in 2019.)
Point spread and odds movement
Sportsbook operators often aim to have equal money on both sides of a point spread. When the money is exactly split the sportsbook operator will see the exact vigorish as their profit margin. If all things are equal over time this will maximize how much money the sportsbook operator can make.
In an effort to have equal money on both sides of a wager, the sportsbook operator will move the point spread to attract money on the side that customers aren’t betting on. The odds for a point spread might change before the actual point spread. There are certain point spread numbers, like 3 and 7 in football, the sportsbook operators would like to avoid moving away from since the final score margin falls on these two numbers most often.
For example, if a lot more money is wagered on the New England Patriots -3, the vig may shift from -112 to -115 and -120 before the line moves to -3.5.
Run and puck lines
Football and basketball games are mostly bet using a point spread. The less popular major sports, baseball and hockey, are mostly bet using a moneyline. In an effort to make baseball and hockey more appealing to point spread bettors, the sportsbook operators offer run and puck lines, respectively.
These alternative lines give point spread bettors a chance to wager on other sports using a more familiar method of betting. Since points (runs and goals) aren’t as easy to come by in baseball and hockey, the odds with the lines may have a wider spread than a football or basketball game.
MLB MONEYLINE EXPLAINED:
The moneyline bet is the most common wager in baseball betting. Baseball, like hockey and soccer, is a “moneyline sport” as opposed to a “spread sport” (like football or basketball). That means that baseball bettors are generally just betting on the team that they think is going to win rather than betting on a team to cover a particular point spread.
The favorite in a game has a negative moneyline (example: -150). The underdog has a positive moneyline (example: +135). The odds represent the payouts on a $100 wager. So for a favorite at -150 the bettor would wager $150 to win $100. For an underdog at +135 the bettor would wager $100 to win $135.
Again, baseball bettors are simply trying to pick which team will win the game. The moneyline is simply the agreed upon payout of the wager.
MLB RUN LINES EXPLAINED:
The run line functions like the point spread in sports like football or basketball. The run line in baseball is 1.5. That means that if you bet on the favorite (-1.5) you are betting on that team to win the baseball game by two runs or more. If you bet the underdog on the run line (+1.5) you are wagering that your side is either going to win outright or lose by just a single run.
There are two parts to a run line wager. The first is the actual run line (+1.5/-1.5) and the second is the moneyline value associated with which side of the run line you take. For instance, a bet of -1.5, +120 means that if you wager on the favorite (-1.5) your $100 wager would result in a +$120 win.
The purpose of betting on the run line is to get adjusted odds in your favor. If a team is a moneyline favorite of -200 that might be too much to wager on. However, if you bet on that team at -1.5, -110 you are wagering that your team will win by two or more runs and in return getting a more favorable moneyline (-110).
About one-quarter of all MLB games are decided by one run.
MLB TOTALS or OVER/UNDER EXPLAINED:
MLB totals are a bet on the total combined number of runs that both teams will score in a given game.
You can bet totals ‘over’ or ‘under’. If you are betting ‘over’ then you are betting that the combined number of runs from the teams will exceed the posted total. If the posted total is 8.5 and you bet ‘over’ then you wagering that nine or more runs will be scored. If you are betting ‘under’ 8.5 then you are hoping for eight or fewer combined runs to be scored.
MLB games have to go at least nine innings for the total wager to be legitimate. All runs scored in extra innings count towards the totals wager.
MLB FUTURES EXPLAINED
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MLB Futures are wagers on eventual results regarding certain teams. For example, a World Series futures wager is a bet on which team will win the World Series in October. Other types of MLB futures wagers can involve the number of wins a team earns during the season, which team wins the division, or which team wins the league pennant.
The odds on futures wagers are generally expressed similar to a moneyline. For example, the Mets could be posted at +1500 to win the World Series. That means that a $100 wager that proved correct would yield $1,500.
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