How To Bet Point Spreads

The most popular wager in sports betting hands down is betting the point spread. Learning how a point spread works and how to read a point spread line is simple, so even if you’re new to betting you’ll be able to place your first bet in no time.

A point spread is a number determined by the oddsmaker to make both sides in a game an option to bettors. That way even if the best team in a league is playing the worst the addition of the point spread makes both teams fair game for bettors.

Here an example using a CFL game to show you have it works. If the Alouettes were playing the Argonauts in Montreal it would be written like this:

Toronto +10.5 (-115)
Montreal -10.5 (-105)

When a point spread is written out the favored team is always given the minus value (-). In the example the Alouettes are -10.5 which means they are favored by 10.5 points. The underdog receivers a plus value (+) and in the example the Argonauts are a 10.5-point underdog.

If you believe the Alouettes can win by at least 11 points then you would bet on them. If you think the Argos can at least finish the game within 10.5 points of the Alouettes you would be on Toronto.

Let’s say the final score end up Montreal 35 – Toronto 14. The Alouettes won by 21 points and have covered the 10.5-point spread. In this result a wager on the Aloutettes would be a winning bet.

What of the final score ended up Montreal 35 – Toronto 28? With this result the Alouettes have only won by seven points and have failed to cover the 10.5-point spread. A bet on Montreal would be a loser. But, a wager on the Argos would be a winning bet. If you bet on the underdog they do not have to win for you to win your bet. They only have to lose by less than the spread, which in the example was 10.5 points.

There’s one final part to point spread betting. If you look at the example above you’ll see another number in brackets next to the spread. There is a -105 next to Montreal and a -115 next to Toronto. This is the commission the sportsbook charges for your wager, also known as the juice or the vig. On the -105 value you must wager $105 to win $100, while on the -115 value you must wager $115 to win $100.

To maximize your profits when betting the point spread you should look for books that offer lower commission or reduced juice. At reduced juice you might be able to get the Alouettes at -101 instead of -105, but still get the same -10.5 spread. This would give you an increased payout because you would only have to wager $101 to win $100. By wagering with reduced juice you will increase the profits on your winning bets over time.