Staff Reporter
When it comes to betting on NFL games, one of the most important things to understand is the point spread.
They are the number of points that are given to the underdog team in order to level the playing field. In other words, NFL Point Spreads are used to make betting on either team a more even proposition.
The key thing to remember is that they can change quickly, so they might be different at kickoff than at halftime, or even at the end of the game.
How do NFL point spreads work?
The point spread is the number of points by which the favored team is expected to win. The favorite is always indicated by a minus sign (e.g. -7), while the underdog is indicated by a plus sign (e.g. +7).
If you bet on the favorite, you win if they win by more than the point spread. If you bet on the underdog, you win if they either win outright or lose by less than the point spread.
How do public bettors impact NFL point spreads?
The vast majority of NFL bettors are types of bettors that generally don’t have any real edge over the sportsbooks they bet with. This makes their betting patterns easy to track and exploit by professional bettors.
One way that public bettors impact NFL point spreads is by skewing the lines in their favor. When too many recreational bettors pile onto one side of a particular betting line, it causes the sportsbook to adjust the line to encourage more betting on the other side.
Another way is by influencing how oddsmakers set lines in the first place. Oddsmakers will often set lines based on what they think the public will be betting on. So if they think that the public will be heavily betting on one team, they may set the line in such a way that it favors that team.
How to use point spreads to your advantage
A game with a point spread will always have a favorite and an underdog.
The favorite is the team that is expected to win the game by the point spread. The underdog is the team that is expected to lose the game by the point spread.
If you are betting on sports, it can be beneficial to use point spreads to your advantage.
When making a bet, it’s important to pay attention to both line movements and injuries.
