What does cover the spread mean

With moneyline wagers, parlay wagers, and teaser bets, the odds are all you look at. They can vary per team and can bring in huge rewards. With point spreads, you're not getting these extreme payouts. Instead, the odds are generally close to Even though point spread odds are close to , they can vary among sportsbooks.

And some, like BetAnySports our 1-rated sportsbook , offer reduced juice. Thus, bettors can lay on a football or basketball game rather than Also, in popular moneyline sports like hockey and baseball, there's often significant differences among sportsbooks as some oddsmakers will price their odds to realize a larger vigorish -- that is, their profit.

This shows how important it is to find the right bookie. Nevertheless, let's assume odds to illustrate a payout calculation. Your betting lines could look something like this:. The Chiefs are the point spread favorite, while the Broncos are installed as the underdog. Let's assume we're convinced the Chiefs will crush the Broncos and win by more than 7 points.

That brings two possible scenarios:. When reading through this betting guide, you might notice that we don't mention any other sports besides football, basketball, hockey, and baseball. The reason is simple: sports like Nascar racing, horse racing, and the UFC don't involve incremental scoring like the four major sports. It leaves out the possibility to bet the spread. As we wrap up this article, we want to give you some advice to start your spread betting career the right way.

Against the spread ATS wagering is part of the standard big three betting options, which also includes moneylines and totals. Points spreads are a popular gambling choice in pro and college football as well as basketball. LSU That means LSU needed to not only beat Clemson, but win by more than 5. Bettors who wagered on LSU easily covered the spread because the Tigers won by If the Lakers won by exactly six points, the bet would be ruled a push and whatever money was wagered would be returned to the bettor.

What does Pic Six mean in bets? In which sports is the term Pic Six used? In American football, the term Pic Six is All information is for advisory only. By using this site, you agreeing to the Terms and to the use of cookies. Betting with high odds Join now! What is Cover the spread in betting? What does Cover the spread mean when it comes to sports betting? How to understand what the Cover the Spread means in sports betting? See all free betting tips. Articles Signals What is signals in American football?

Oddsmakers can and will move the spread based on a number of factors, including:. You also need to understand how odds work in point spread betting. This is called the vig short for vigorish or the juice.

It is a price that the sportsbooks charge to bet into this market and is similar to the rake in poker. Use our betting calculator to find out exactly how much you can win based on different odds and different wager amounts.

The biggest factor that oddsmakers look at when making a point spread is the difference in skill level between the two teams. Most oddsmakers will have their own set of power rankings that will help determine the spread for each game.

The point spread in baseball odds is often referred to as the run line. In MLB, the run line is almost always set at 1. Here, the Houston Astros The Nationals won the game outright, so they covered the run line, but it also could have lost by one run and still covered.

The point spread in hockey odds is often referred to as the puck line. In the NHL, the puck line is almost always set at 1. Above we see that the Boston Bruins