What is a Point Spread?

The point spread (known as called runline in baseball) is the handicap, (or head start), that the oddsmaker gives to the underdog. Betting against the spread can make a lopsided event more interesting - rather than just winning outright, the favourite must win by more than the point spread (called ‘covering the spread’) for bets on the favourite to win. The point spread’s purpose is to make betting on either side equally attractive. Click here for a further introduction to point spread betting. Let’s look at an example using the matchup below:

Suppose the Atlanta Hawks are at home against the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA. All signs point to the Lakers being the favourite and the Hawks the underdog. The oddsmaker might decide to give the Hawks a five and a half point head start, which is expressed as Hawks +5.5, and Lakers -5.5.

If you bet on the Lakers, you'll win your bet if they win the game by 6 points or more. If you bet on the Hawks; however, you'll win your bet if they lose by less than 6 points (i.e., if their score is higher after you add 6 points to it).
In cases where the final score difference lands exactly on the point spread (e.g., if the Lakers win by exactly 6 points with a spread of -6), the outcome is called a "Push." When a Push occurs, all point spread bets are refunded to players, as the game results in a draw for betting purposes.

The juice or price attached to the point spread will determine your payout. A negative number (e.g., -110) shows how much money you must wager to win $100 while a positive number (e.g., +110) shows how much money you will win on a $100 wager. The standard odds of -110 may or may not be listed. NOTE: If one side is receiving a lot of action, the odds may be adjusted in an effort to balance the action.

You can place a point spread bet on the whole game or on a part of it (when first half, second half, quarter, or 5th inning lines are offered). The point adjustment during the specified period of the game determines the betting outcome.