A point spread, the line or the spread, is typically used in sports betting to even out the odds between two unevenly matched teams. It is a way to handicap the favored Team by deducting points or goals from their score while adding them to the underdog’s score. Point spreads create a more balanced betting proposition in which bettors can choose either Team to cover the spread rather than just picking the straight-up winner.

Let’s take an example of a point spread in a football game between Team A and Team B. Suppose Team A is the favored Team, and the oddsmakers set the point spread at -6 for Team A and +6 for Team B. This means that if you bet on Team A, they must win by more than 6 points for your bet to be a winner. Conversely, if you bet on Team B, they must either win the game outright or lose by less than 6 points for your bet to be successful.

To compute the outcome of a bet based on the point spread, let’s consider a scenario where Team A defeats Team B with a final score of 24-17. If you bet on Team A to cover the spread, they must win by more than 6 points. Since Team A won by 7 points (24-17), they would have covered the spread of -6. Therefore, if you had placed a bet on Team A, your bet would be a winning one.
Conversely, if you had placed a bet on Team B, they would have needed to win the game outright or lose by less than 6 points to cover the spread. As Team B lost by 7 points in this scenario, they would not have covered the spread of +6. Therefore, if you had bet on Team B, your bet would be a losing one.

Calculating the outcome of a point spread bet involves subtracting the spread value for the favored Team and adding the spread value for the underdog to the game’s final score. Based on the resulting value, you can determine whether the favored team “covered” the spread or if the underdog did.

In sports betting, understanding point spreads is crucial for making informed betting decisions and evaluating the risks and potential rewards associated with each wager. By considering the point spread, bettors can feel which Team they believe will win a game and how much – adding a layer of strategy and analysis to the betting process.