Points well taken: What is a NFL point spread bet and how you can make one this season

The start of the NFL regular season is almost here !!

And with a host of sportsbooks apps now available at your fingertips, including at Fan Duel, you can also make (live) in-game bets, when betting on NFL game(s). 

But in this blog post, we're going to summarize how to bet the point spread, when betting on any pro football game.

BETTING THE POINT SPREAD

Betting the point spread, not only one of the easiest bets to understand when betting on pro football, but very popular among all bettors, is also known as betting 'against the spread' (ATS). 

A way of encouraging equal betting on both teams, a point spread (bet) provides sportsbooks a way of balancing their action -- after oddsmakers set point spreads for all NFL games.

(Note: Plenty of NFL lines come with an additional half-point, otherwise known as a 'hook'. The 'hook' is intended to avoid any chance of a push (or tie); example like given scores of 7-6 (+1.5), 27-24 (+3.5), 20-14 (+6.5), 31-24 (+7.5), etc.)

In a point spread bet, the final score matters - whether a bettor has the favorite (-) or the underdog (+). For example, let's say the Houston Texans are favored by 5 points against the Miami Dolphins. 

In order for any bettor to win a point spread bet, the 'favored' team (look for a minus next to a team's name) not only has to win the game, but do so by the given point spread for you to cash a bet on the favorite laying points.

On the flip side, if you bet the underdog, which is the team receiving points, they don't have to win the game straight up for you to win your bet - given they don't lose the game by more than the amount of points you took when making the 'spread' bet.

Using Dolphins @ Texans (-5) as an example for this exercise, the team with the negative sign (-5) is the favorite; in this case, it's Houston. If you bet on the Texans against the spread, they have to win the game by at least six points for you to win your bet. So, if the final score is 20-14, or any other score that denotes the Texans winning by at least six points, you cash your bet.

If you bet on the Dolphins, the road underdog with a plus sign (+5), you win your bet if Miami loses by four or fewer points (20-16, 17-13, etc). You also cash your bet, if the Dolphins win the game straight up. 

(Note: It's always a good idea for NFL bettors to monitor the point spreads throughout the week of the games as sportsbooks, who obviously prefer the money be evenly split, are likely to adjust the lines depending on what team is being bet on the most.)

           

Betting the NFL point spread: In order for bettors to cash an NFL point spread bet, the team bet on - whether it's the favorite or underdog - has to win the game by a given margin (*see above).