The point spread: When betting on football, the team you bet on must "cover thespread." This means the team must win or not lose by a predetermined margin of points. ... The listed point spread at the time you make your bet may be different from the point spread when the game starts.

For example, a negative value (-10.5) next to a team indicates that they are favored by that many points. So you must deduct 11.5 points from their score to determine if they won the game or not. On the other hand, a positive value on the same game (+10.5) means the underdog starts with an 11.5-point lead before the game even begins. In NFL betting, the favorite must win by 12 points or more to cover the NFL spread. The underdog is able to lose by 11 points and still cover the spread.

When you see a moneyline value associated with the point spread, it is the percentage amount you must pay in order to book the bet. Also known as the juice or vig, if you see -10.5 (-105), it means you have to bet $105 to win $100 — a 15 percent commission for the sportsbook. The underdog may see a value such as +11.5 (+105), which means you’ll have to bet $100 to win $105 if your team successfully covers the spread.

If you see the point spread move, let’s say from -8 on Tuesday to -9.5 on Friday, this is known as a line move. It occurs when there is a surplus of bettors wagering on the same side of the game and sportsbooks move the line to balance the action. That means encouraging more people to bet the other way by making the line more appealing. This reduces risk for the sportsbook, who wants to have an equal handle on each team.  



For example, if you want to bet that -130 favorite, you’ll need to risk $130 in order to win $100. To bet on the +110 underdog we mentioned above, you’ll need to bet $100 to win $110 if the dog wins outright. In many cases, betting moneylines offers better value and can provide a bigger profit for less risk.


TOTALS Also known as  OVER/UNDER betting, the total is the number set by sportsbooks that estimates the total number of points scored by both teams combined. Bettors then must predict whether there will be more or fewer points than the NFL “total.” If you bet the 38.5 UNDER, you are hoping for a defensive battle and predicting the offenses to struggle. If you bet the 38.5 OVER, you are hoping this will be a high-scoring game.

TOTALS betting has become fairly popular in many football games, especially where the point spread is very tight. It also becomes more popular if the matchup points to a certain style of game. The weather can play a huge factor, and rain, wind and cold temperatures can sway the total, and make betting the spread a little less reliable.  


The puckline is a hybrid form of NHL betting that merges the moneyline and a point spread. It means a team has to win by two or more goals to win the wager, much like a runline in baseball. Negative values such as -2.5 indicate that team is favored by 2.5 goals. Positive values like +2.5 indicate that team is the underdog by 2.5 goals. Betting on the puckline means the team must win by at least two goals to cover the puckline spread. The dog can lose by one goal and still cover the puckline. That’s right – a team can lose 3-2, but still win on the puckline if it is +2.5 goals.

You may also see a -145 or +190 value associated with the puckline. This is the moneyline component and shows how much you need to risk and how much you will profit.

For example, if a team is -2.5, +190 and you wagered $100, that means you would profit $190 (+190) if the team wins by two goals or more. On the other side of the NHL betting window, for a team that is +2.5, -145, you would have to risk $145 (-145) to back the team. If they win the game or only lose by just one goal, you have a winning wager of $100.


Identical to a puckline in hockey betting, this serves as a hybrid of baseball moneyline and point spread. A team has to win by two or more runs in order to win the wager in a runline bet. The negative value of -2.5, for example, would represent a team favored by 2.5 runs. The positive value +2.5 indicates a team is the underdog by 2.5 runs. Picking the favorite to beat the runline means the team has to win 5-3 or some other final like that. A 4-2 victory is a loss on the runline.

The underdog team, on the other hand, can lose by one run and still cover the runline spread. You may see -115 or +120 value connected to the runline. This is the moneyline part and indicates how much you need to risk and how much you will profit. Example: if a team is -2.5, +115 and you wagered $100, that means you would profit $115 (+115) if the team wins by two runs or more. On the other side, for a team that is +2.5, -180, you would have to risk $180 (-180) to back the team. If that team wins, or loses by just a single run, you have a winning baseball wager of $100.


The betting odds comes from bookmakers across the industry. Different bookmakers offer different odds narrowly ranging from few points to sometimes larger number of difference. Here, odds from different bookmakers are shown as per available data.


Odds trend are nothing but the movement of odds from it's original offers by various bookmakers. Wide odds trend indicates there is some substantial changes in the final match line-up or weather conditions on some sports. Odds trend can be measured from starting odds to the last minute offer. For eg. Team A had a starting odd @ -110 a day before the match, but just when line-up list is declared, the offer wildly moved @ +100 . It shows that it's chance of winning the match is significantly decreased due to various factors. For eg. key players are missing in the final line-up, maybe due to injury or some other reasons.  

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