How to Read NFL Point Spreads
Contents
How to Read NFL Point Spreads and understand the different types of bets you can make on an NFL game.
Introduction
In order to understand how to read NFL point spreads, it is important to understand what they mean. The point spread is the projected number of points that separate two teams. For example, if the New England Patriots are playing the Miami Dolphins, and the Patriots are favored to win by 7 points, then 7 points is the point spread. The favorite must win by more than 7 points for a person betting on them to win the bet. Conversely, the Dolphins must lose by less than 7 points for a person betting on them to win the bet. If the Patriots end up winning by exactly 7 points, then it is called a “push” and nobody wins or loses the bet.
What is the Point Spread?
The point spread is the most common way to bet on NFL games, and it’s also the most common way to lose your money betting on NFL games. The point spread is the difference between the two teams’ final scores. The favorite is the team that is expected to win, and the underdog is the team that is expected to lose.
How the Point Spread Works
Point spreads are used to even the playing field between two teams that are unevenly matched. In other words, the point spread is designed to level the playing field by making sure that no team has an unfair advantage over another team.
The point spread works by giving points to the team that is considered to be the underdog, while taking points away from the team that is considered to be the favorite. For example, let’s say that Team A is playing Team B. Team A is considered to be the favorite, and so they will be given -5 points. Meanwhile, Team B is considered to be the underdog, and so they will be given +5 points.
If you were to bet on Team A, then they would need to win by more than 5 points in order for you to win your bet. If you were to bet on Team B, then they would need to either win the game outright or lose by less than 5 points in order for you to win your bet.
What is the Moneyline?
In addition to the point spread, you will also see a moneyline attached to the spread. Unlike the point spread, which is determined by a careful evaluation of statistical data, the moneyline is set by oddsmakers and sportsbooks based on public perception and betting patterns.
The moneyline is simply the odds attached to a given bet. Oddsmakers will set lines in order to encourage or discourage betting on either side. When numbers are larger (such as +200 or +300), they indicate that underdog bettors will receive a bigger payout if they win. When numbers are smaller (such as -200 or -300), they indicate that there is more of a risk associated with that bet, but also a greater potential payout.
How to Read NFL Point Spreads
The point spread is the most common way to bet on NFL games, and it’s also the most misunderstood. The key to understanding the point spread is to think of it as betting on the margin of victory. For example, if the Patriots are playing the Jets and the Patriots are favored by 7 points, that means the Patriots need to win by more than 7 points for you to win your bet.
How to Read a Point Spread
The point spread is the most common way to bet on NFL football. The point spread is the difference between the two teams’ scores. The favorite is always indicated by a minus sign (e.g. -7), and the underdog is indicated by a plus sign (e.g. +7). If you bet on the favorite, you win if they win by more than the point spread. If you bet on the underdog, you win if they either win outright or lose by less than the point spread. The point spread is usually expressed as a whole number (e.g. -7 or +7), but can also be expressed as a half-point (e.g. -6.5 or +6.5).
To bet on a particular team, you simply need to pick which team you think will win and then decide how much you want to wager on that team. For example, let’s say that you want to bet on the New England Patriots in their game against the Buffalo Bills. The Patriots are favored to win by 7 points, so you would need to wager $11 (your original wager plus $10) to win $10 if they end up winning by more than 7 points. Conversely, if you think the Bills can keep it close and either win outright or lose by less than 7 points, then you would only need to wager $1 to win $10 if they do indeed lose by less than 7 points.
While most bets on NFL football are made using the point spread, there are other ways to bet on football games as well. For example, many sportsbooks will also offer betting lines for “over/unders.” These bets are based on whether the total score of both teams combined will be over or under a certain amount (usually set at 44 or 45 points). Another common type of bet is called a moneyline bet, which simply allows you to pick which team will win outright without any regard for the point spread. Moneyline bets usually have odds that are significantly higher for favorites and lower for underdogs since your chances of winning are much higher when betting on a favorite who is expected to win outright.
How to Read an NFL Moneyline
An NFL moneyline is a wager on the outright winner of a game, not a spread. In other words, you’re betting on which team will win the game outright, regardless of the point spread. Moneylines are offered for both sides of the football game. For example, let’s say that the Patriots are playing the Dolphins in Miami and the point spread is -7 Patriots. This means that oddsmakers believe that New England is 7 points better than Miami and will probably win the game by at least seven points.
Conclusion
Most people who bet on NFL games have at least a rudimentary understanding of how the point spread works. However, there are still a lot of people who don’t really understand how it works or how to read NFL point spreads. In this article, we’ll explain everything you need to know about NFL point spreads so that you can make informed and winning bets.
The point spread is the most common way to bet on NFL games, and it’s also the simplest. The point spread is basically a handicap that is used to even out the playing field between two teams. The team with the higher score is considered the favorite, and they will have to win by more than the point spread in order for bettors to win their bets. The team with the lower score is considered the underdog, and they can lose by up to the point spread and still have bettors win their bets.
The point spread is usually expressed as a number of points, with the favorite team giving up that many points and the underdog team receiving that many points. For example, if the New England Patriots are playing the Buffalo Bills, and the Patriots are favorites by 7 points, that means that they will have to win by more than 7 points in order for bettors who picked them to win their bets. Conversely, if you pick the Bills as your underdog pick, they only have to lose by less than 7 points for you to win your bet.
