What Is The Point Spread On Tonights Nfl Game?
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If you’re a football fan, you’re probably wondering what the point spread is for tonight’s NFL game. Luckily, we’ve got you covered. Check out our blog post to learn everything you need to know about point spreads and how they work.
Introduction
The point spread – also called “the line” or “the spread” – is used as a margin to handicap the favorite team. For betting purposes, the oddsmaker predicts that the favored team will win by a certain number of points. This number of points is the point spread. The favorite is always indicated by a minus sign (e.g. -5.5) and the underdog by a plus sign (e.g.+5.5). If you bet on the favorite, you win your bet if the favorite wins AND their margin of victory is greater than the point spread. If you bet on the underdog, you win if the underdog wins, OR if the favorite loses TOO MUCH to cover the spread
What is the point spread?
The point spread – also called “the line” or “the spread” – is used as a margin to handicap the favorite team. For betting purposes, the oddsmaker predicts that the favored team will win by a certain number of points. This number of points is the point spread. The favorite is always indicated by a minus sign (e.g. -5.5) while the underdog is always indicated by a plus sign (e.g.+5.5). If you bet on the favorite, you win your bet if the favorite wins AND their margin of victory is greater than the point spread. In other words, they must win by more than the predicted amount in order for you to win your bet.(e.g.-3-120). If you bet on the underdog, you win if the underdog wins, OR if they lose but their margin of victory is greater than the point spread.(e.g:+3+100)
How do bookmakers set the point spread?
The point spread is set by the bookmakers and they will decide how many points they think the better team should win by. This is called the margin or line. The favourite team will have a (-) negative sign in front of the number while the underdog will have a (+) positive sign in front of the number. For example, if the New England Patriots are playing the Miami Dolphins and the bookmakers think that the Patriots should win by 7 points, then they will set the point spread at -7.0 for the Patriots.
If you bet on the Patriots, then they must win by more than 7 points for you to win your bet. If you bet on the Dolphins, then they can lose by up to 6 points and you would still win your bet because with the point spread, it is as if they are receiving 7 points. Bookmakers will also set a Moneyline which is simply odds on who will win straight up without considering the margin or line.
How does the point spread affect bettors?
The point spread is the most popular way to bet on NFL games, and it’s also the simplest. The point spread is a handicap given to the team that is expected to lose by a certain number of points. For example, if the New England Patriots are playing the Buffalo Bills and the Patriots are favored by 7 points, it means that the Patriots are expected to win by 7 points.
If you bet on the Patriots, you will win your bet if they win by more than 7 points. If you bet on the Bills, you will win your bet if they lose by less than 7 points or if they win the game outright.
The point spread is designed to make betting on either team equally attractive, which should theoretically result in more bets being placed overall.
Conclusion
The point spread is the number of points by which the better team is expected to win. In order for a bet on the favorite to win, that team must win by more than the point spread. In order for a bet on the underdog to win, that team must either win outright or lose by less than the point spread.
