Spreads are the most common form of betting in all major sports and will give you, based on odds, the greatest return on your money. The general purpose of spread betting is to create an active market for both sides of a wager.

     Understanding point spreads is a key first step in learning about sports betting. In any sports game there are two teams competing against each other for a win. These teams are rarely evenly matched meaning that typically one team has a better chance than the other to win the game. Point spreads are intended to help level the playing field between these two teams by balancing the likelihood of each team winning by adjusting the final score with a spread.

     The team that is favored to win the game by the sportsbooks will have points subtracted from their final score and teams not favored will have positive points added on. For example, the Chicago Bears are playing the Green Bay Packers. The Bears are favored to win the game by 9 points, therefore will be listed as Bears -9 in the sports book. The Packers are the underdog and are expected to loose by 9 points, therefore will be listed Packers +9. If you decided to take the Bears at -9 they will have to win by 9 points or more or else the participants whom bet the Packers will win that bet. If the game ends with the Bears winning by exactly 9 points then the game is considered “no action” and you will receive your money back that you had placed on the bet.

     The point spread will adjust throughout the week leading up to game time. Many factors lead to the points adjusting such as injuries, weather conditions, and if bets coming in to a sportsbook favor one team mor than the other. Whenever you make a bet on a game you will be locked into that spread and it cannot be adjusted.