BET ON FOOTBALL

Betting Football Point Spreads

Point spread betting is the most common form of NFL football betting. The spread or lines are set by the bookmakers and are intended to even the wagering between 2 teams. There are two terms that express odds, either the point spread or the moneyline.

Looking at a point spread you will find that a certain team will have a negative number and the opposing team a positive number. Points are subtracted from the favored team's final score for sports gambling purposes. Points are added to the underdog's final score to balance the spread.

For example if the Pittsburgh Steelers are favored to win against the Baltimore Ravens by 3 points then the point spread would be Steelers -3 Ravens +3. This means that the Pittsburgh Steeler must win by more than 4 or more points in order for the bettor who took Pittsburgh to win the sports bet.

The Ravens could actually loose by 2 points and the bettor who selected the "underdog" would still win his football wager. There are several variables that can move the NFL point spread. If a key player is injured in practice this can affect the line. Another factor that can affect line changes is if the weather changes dramatically.

The biggest factor that changes line movement is the betting action that comes in on the game. If one team is receiving a substantial amount of wagering action then the point spread must be adjusted to attract more betting action on the opposing team. This line movement is done so that the sportsbooks have as close to even action as they can get on any given sports event.