A point spread bet (as they call it in football and basketball – in baseball it’s called a runline and a puckline in hockey) is a bet where you bet a on team to either win by more than a set number of points, or not lose by more than that set number of points. The ‘favorite’ will always have a negative amount of points (-1.5, -3.0, -13.5, etc) and the ‘underdog’ will always have a positive amount of points (+1.5, +3.0, +13.5, etc.).
Example 1: Jacksonville is the favorite – it must win by more than two points for your bet to win. If Jacksonville wins by two points exactly, the bet is a ‘push’ and your stake is returned.
- Example 2: Cincinnati the underdog – it must either win the game or not lose by more than two points for your bet to win. If Cincinnati loses by two points exactly the bet is a ‘push’ and your stake is returned.
