Video Summary

Point spreads are a popular way to bet on sports, second only to the money line. Many successful sports bettors use point spreads as part of their strategy, and it's a key concept for those new to sports betting. So, what is a point spread? Simply put, it's the bookmaker's estimated margin of victory between two teams. Let's use an example to illustrate this. Imagine the Pittsburgh Steelers playing the New York Giants in an NFL game. Sports books predict the outcome and the number of points by which one team will win. In this case, they think Pittsburgh will win by 3-4 points. Since sports books can't write a bet that says “win by 3 or 4 points,” they instead think Pittsburgh will win by 3.5 points. This means they think New York will lose by 3.5 points. With this in mind, the point spread looks like this. The team with a minus sign is the favorite (Pittsburgh), while the team with a plus sign is the underdog (New York). A team “covers the spread” when they win after taking into account the point spread. For instance, if you bet on Pittsburgh to cover the spread, they must win by 4 points or more. If they win by 3 points or fewer, you lose the bet. Similarly, if you bet on New York to cover the spread, they must either win or lose by fewer than 4 points to win the bet. The point spread is a crucial part of sports betting, and understanding it can increase your chances of success.