Point Spread Wisdom

You have heard the term. Most likely you have thrown it around a few times yourself. You may have even won or lost a few point spread wagers. Yet, have you ever taken a minute to consider the point spread bet in more detail?

Let’s begin with a good definition so everyone is on the same page here. A point spread is nothing more than the the number of points that are either added to or are subtracted from a team’s actual score for the purpose of making a sports bet.

Here is how it shows up. The favorite is typically identified by a plus (+) sign. On the other side, the underdog is identified with the minus (-) sign. Now, to make the sports bet, you simply add the point spread to the final score of the team you wish to be on.

Are there point spread bet rules? Yes, there are specific rules that are a key part of making a point spread bet. It goes without saying but we had better go ahead and say it anyway: to win the bet, the team you are betting on must win by the amount of the point spread.

Another rule to keep in mind with point spread bets concerns what happens in a tie. Easy answer, its as if you never placed your point spread bet after all. This is referred to as “no action”. What happens is you are promptly refunded your money and you can start all over again. You didn’t win but then again you didn’t lose either.

Yet another rule that trips up some newcomers to point spread bets concerns attempts at double action. You are not allowed to place a point spread bet on opposing teams, for obvious reasons.

Additionally it is important to understand that the actual point spread may change from the time the bet was placed and the real time that the event begins. If this happens to you, understand that your point spread is based on the point spread at the time you placed your bet. Your point spread bet doesn’t adjust up or down if the point spread changes as the game time draws closer. Caveat: at some events you can adjust the point spread by buying more points.

As you can see, point spread betting has a few fine points that need to be understood if you want to be smart about your sports bets.

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