A point spread is one of the most common types of sports bets, used in the NFL, NBA, and college sports to level the playing field between teams. If you’re wondering what a point spread is, how it works, and how to bet it, this guide breaks it down with clear examples and betting strategy.
Another popular betting option is the money line, which involves betting on which team will win the game outright, without considering the point spread. This guide reflects standard point spread pricing and line movement patterns observed across major regulated U.S. sportsbooks.
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What is a Point Spread
A point spread is a betting line that sets a margin of victory. The favorite must win by more than the spread, while the underdog can lose by less than the spread or win outright for a bet to cash.
Watch: Point Spread Betting Explained
Examples referenced in this article reflect typical pricing and market behavior across leading U.S. sportsbooks.
How to Read a Point Spread
Reading a point spread is straightforward once you understand how favorites and underdogs are displayed. Sportsbooks list each team with either a minus (-) or plus (+) number, which represents the expected margin of victory.
The favorite is shown with a minus sign (e.g., -7), meaning they must win by more than that number of points. The underdog is shown with a plus sign (e.g., +7), meaning they can lose by fewer points or win outright for your bet to cash.
Here’s a simple example:
- Team A -7: must win by 8 or more points to cover
- Team B +7: wins if they lose by 6 or fewer, or win outright
If the final margin lands exactly on the spread (e.g., 7 points), the result is typically a push, and your bet is refunded.
Point spreads can also include half-points (like -3.5 or +7.5), which eliminate the possibility of a push and ensure a clear win or loss.
Point Spread Bet Example
In a spread bet, sportsbooks like FanDuel or BetMGM assign a number (the “spread”) to balance betting action. For example, if the Eagles -7 face the Giants +7, the Eagles must win by over seven points to “cover the spread.” If they win by fewer or lose, the Giants cover instead. If the Eagles win by exactly seven points, the bet is a push and your stake is refunded.
What does a +7 spread mean?
A +7 spread means the team is given a seven-point head start for betting purposes. If you bet on a +7 team, your bet wins if they win the game outright or lose by six points or fewer; losing by seven usually results in a push.
Point spreads are designed to balance uneven matchups. When one team is favored by -7, the opposing team automatically gets +7 added to its final score for grading the bet.
Here’s how it works in practice:
- Underdog +7 wins outright: bet wins
- Underdog loses by 1–6 points: bet wins
- Underdog loses by exactly 7: push (stake refunded at most sportsbooks)
- Underdog loses by 8 or more: bet loses
It’s worth noting that spreads can include half points (like +7.5), which eliminate pushes entirely. Exact rules can vary slightly by sportsbook, so always check house terms.
What does a minus 3.5 spread mean?
A -3.5 spread means the favored team must win by at least 4 points for your bet to win. The “minus” sign shows they’re the favorite, and the half-point (.5) prevents a tie or “push,” so the wager either wins or loses outright.
Point spreads are common in NFL, NBA, and college football markets, where the score difference helps ensure competitive betting odds. Payouts typically come at -110 odds on each side, meaning you’d bet $110 to win $100 in profit.
Quick Reference:
- -7 = favorite must win by more than 7
- +7 = underdog can lose by up to 6
- -3.5 = must win by 4 or more
- +3.5 = can lose by 3 or fewer
How Does the Point Spread Work?
A point spread works by assigning a projected margin of victory to balance the odds between two teams. The favorite gets a negative number (e.g., -3), meaning they must win by more than that amount, while the underdog gets a positive number (e.g., +3) and can lose by less and still “cover.” This demonstrates how point spreads, or “how point” values, are used to determine betting outcomes.
Does overtime count in point spread?
Yes, overtime counts in point spread bets for most sports, including the NFL, NBA, and college football. Unless otherwise specified, the final score after overtime determines whether the favorite covers the spread or the underdog does.
What’s the difference between a point spread and a moneyline?
The difference is that a point spread requires a team to win by a certain number of points, while a moneyline bet only requires picking the outright winner, regardless of the final score.
Point Spread Odds Explained
Spread odds show how much you stand to win on a point spread bet. In most major markets like the NFL and college basketball, spreads are typically priced at -110, meaning you risk $110 to win $100. The extra $10 is the sportsbook’s commission, commonly called the juice or vig.
While the vig may seem minor on a single wager, it adds up over time and is a key reason sportsbooks remain profitable. Some books reduce the juice to -105 or offer even-money spread odds to attract action, which is why line shopping matters. Over a full season, consistently getting better prices can meaningfully impact results.
Spread odds can also vary by side. For example, one team may be listed at -105 while the other sits at -115, reflecting how money is flowing and how the sportsbook is managing risk. Odds and spreads may also move in response to injuries, lineup changes, or heavy betting activity.
Understanding how spread odds work and how juice and line movement affect payouts helps bettors better evaluate risk and avoid guessing when placing point spread wagers.
How Is the Point Spread Made?
Many bettors underestimate how factors like juice and line movement affect long-term results. The point spread is not necessarily designed to be a true representation of how much better one team is than the other, though that is sometimes the case. In other cases, it is designed to attract an equal amount of money wagered on both teams. If betting action is even on both sides, sportsbooks are guaranteed a profit regardless of which team covers against the spread. For more on this check out our in-depth look at how sports betting odds work.
You may hear that the point spread is designed to create a case where half the gamblers bet on one team and the other half bet on the other. That’s close, but it’s not entirely correct, as not all sports bettors wager the same amount on each game. If a sportsbook receives 50 bets on the Buccaneers for $110 each but receives 50 bets on the Panthers for $330 each, the oddsmaker (the person who sets the spread) hasn’t done a very good job, even though the same number of gamblers are betting on each team.
The sportsbooks are aware that the sharp bettors wager more money than a typical gambler, so the spread is created with these players in mind. This is particularly true in basketball, which doesn’t generate the same amount of money in betting handle as football. In basketball, when the sportsbooks have the sharper bettors on one team and the general public betting on the other side, we could see line movement to account for the difference in gross dollars wagered on one side. Line movement can sometimes come from the volume of wagers, but it is far more often that point spreads move due to the volume of dollars wagered.
One of the most famous stories involving the point spread involves Super Bowl III when Joe Namath and the New York Jets, who were 18-point underdogs, upset the Baltimore Colts. A reporter asked oddsmaker Bob Martin if he was embarrassed about setting that spread. Martin replied that it was one of the best numbers he ever came up with because it split the betting money right down the middle.
Point spread betting generally comes with -110 odds attached to it. This means bettors risk $11 to win $10 with the same proportion no matter the amount of the wager. This is the reason for the sportsbooks aim to split the betting handle on each team evenly. For example, if a sportsbook receives $33,000 in bets on Team A and $33,000 on Team B, they stand to make $3,000 regardless of which team covers the spread.
Why Do Point Spreads Move?
If one team is receiving a large majority of the dollars bet on a particular game, a sportsbook like BetMGM will move the point spread to try and attract bets on the other team. For example, if the Miami Heat are favored against the spread by 7 points in a game and the vast majority of the money is coming in on Miami, the spread will move upwards, a half point at a time. If moving to Miami -7.5 and then -8 doesn’t stop the bets from coming in on Miami, the spread could move to Miami -9 or higher.
In more rare occurrences, a bettor will be required to risk $115, $120, or possibly more to win $100 when betting with the point spread. This will occur most often in football games when the spread is on one of what are known as the “key numbers.” In football, these are typically thought of as 3, 4, 6, 7, and 10, as teams are much more likely to win by one of those margins than they are by, say, 5 or 9 points. This is due to the nature of football scoring coming most frequently in denominations of 3 points and 7 points.
If the Miami Dolphins are favored by 3 points over the New York Jets and a large percentage of the wagers is coming in on the Dolphins, the sportsbook may be hesitant to move the odds to Miami -3.5 or Miami -4 for fear of receiving too many bets on the Jets. Even if the point spread moved only a half-point, to Miami -3.5, and the bulk of the bets transitioned to the Jets, the worst thing that could happen from the sportsbook’s point of view would be for the Dolphins to win by exactly three points. If they did, the many bettors who had already taken Miami -3 would push their bets, while those who’d taken the Jets +3.5 would win their bets. This would cause the sportsbook to lose a fair amount of money on the game. This is an example of why the odds required on a spread would move before the point spread.
It’s important to note that while odds are based on $100 wagers, there is certainly no requirement to wager that much. Odds of -110 mean risking $110 to win $100. Following suit, -120 means risking $120 to win $100. Just the same, you can risk $11 to win $10 or any denomination you wish, understanding the proportion of risk versus payout will remain the same.
Point spreads can also move due to issues such as injuries, suspensions, and weather. A football team without its starting quarterback or a basketball team without its leading scorer won’t be expected to perform as well without the player as they would otherwise. Severe weather like a driving snowstorm can slow down a high-powered offensive team. These are just a few of countless factors that can create one-sided action and ultimately alter a point spread.
Where To Bet on Point Spreads
There are several legal sportsbooks in the United States to use to bet on point spreads. Popular options like DraftKings Sportsbook, BetMGM, and Bet365 are all worth having in your repertoire, as each of them offers unique advantages to spread bettors. Many sportsbooks also offer parlay bets, which allow you to combine multiple wagers—such as point spreads, totals, or money lines—for a higher payout if all selections win. Bettors can place parlay point spread bets by combining point spread bets from different games, but typically cannot parlay the point spread and money line from the same game. Restrictions often apply to combining correlated bets from the same game in a parlay to prevent compounding outcomes. It is also important to enroll at as many sportsbooks as possible in your state, as this allows you to shop around at each site for the best possible betting lines, maximizing your chances of winning.
Here is a list of the best US sportsbooks for point spread betting. Each comes with its own unique signup bonus, as these sites offer the best sportsbook promos in the business today to start you off with spread betting the right way.
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