Beat the Spread

If you’re an avid gambler or sports better, you’re already aware of point spreads. The spread is that foreign-looking number beside a team’s name. For example, if the Indianapolis Colts were playing the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl and the Colts had a -7 next to their name, that simply means that anyone betting on the Colts would have to win by 8 points; -7, in this instance, is the spread.

But there’s still a little more to the spread than that little jewel of knowledge. Betting on a spread is just doing you betting on blackjack, roulette, or any other game of chance. At the end of the day, there’s no system involved; it’s purely up to chance. This is why you’ll never meet a sports gambler whose salary actually rivals the athletes he bets on. However, properly reading and understanding the spread will increase your odds of winning exponentially.

Here’s the first thing to remember about spreads: They’re only in place to balance the action. Using the aforementioned Super Bowl example, we’ll notice that “experts” aren’t picking the Colts to win by more than a touchdown; they’re simply deciding that a touchdown spread is the right number to induce action from both sides of the aisle.

The better team—although relative—is always referred to as the favorite, thus they are expected to win the game and must give away points to the weaker team (the opposite of our example would read: Eagles +7).  What happens if the score ends up 17-10 and the 7 points is met exactly? That’s when you have something called a push. You will receive a refund of your bet.

It’s true that the spreads are relatively easy to understand, however, this doesn’t mean that they’re not misleading. Many gamblers out there have a bad habit of always picking the favored team. A general rule of thumb is to never think you have a “lock.” A lock would be, for example, the Patriots and Tom Brady at home taking on the Browns. If the Pats are favored by 17 points, many people will jump on this. This is where you have to proceed with caution.

Sport’s betting is a tricky business. You always have to remember to do your research on bets. Using the Patriots and Browns game, you want to check out the weather. Is it raining or muddy? If so, the teams will be running the ball, thus driving the final score down. How about key injuries; is Brady or some other star sitting out due to injury? These are factors that need to be examined. Doing so is definitely the difference in winning and losing.

On a final note, always remember that not every spread is for you. When the so-called experts can’t seem to come up with a team that’s actually favored over the other, they give 3 points to the away team; i.e. the Giants at the Redskins, ‘Skins -3. These lines are tricky and can go either way. But whoever you do decide to bet with, always bet responsibly.