Point spread betting is the most popular form of sports betting. The vast majority of sports wagers use a point spread thanks to the popularity of football and basketball. Even though this type of betting is so popular, it may take awhile to understand.

Get the latest NFL odds, spreads and betting lines from this week's games, as well as full coverage of the National Football League from USA TODAY. Odds Shark aims to become the global authority for online sports betting odds, whether it be in sports betting, poker, casino games or horse racing. To that end, it continues to add new football betting lines for NFL fans and new college football odds on all games for players who bet more on Saturdays than Sundays.

The point spread is sometimes known as an equalizer for sportsbook operators. All teams aren’t created equally, so sportsbooks can create a point spread for a game so that each team playing has an almost even chance of winning the game. In a way, the point spread will even the field for both teams.

The point spread gives a reason for bettors to risk money on both teams. The better team playing in the game is considered favorite. They have to win by the point spread offered by the sportsbook. The favorite in a game is listed as being minus (-) the point spread.

The worse of the teams playing in the game is called the underdog. The bettor wins if this team wins the game outright or loses by an amount smaller than the point spread. The underdog in a game is listed as being plus (+) the point spread.

Let’s use the upcoming Super Bowl between the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an example.

Using this example, the Chiefs opened as 3-point favorites over the Buccaneers (currently Chiefs ). The Chiefs need to win by 4 or more points to cover the spread.

Likewise, the Buccaneers opened as 3-point underdogs. That means the Buccaneers would need to win the game outright or not lose the contest by 4 points or more. If the line is Chiefs -3 and they win by exactly 3 points, the betting result is a “push” and bettors for both sides would get their wagers refunded.

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Point spread betting odds

Point spreads are usually set with -110 odds, but pricing often fluctuates at online sportsbooks. This is the sportsbook operators’ house edge. The odds guarantee the sportsbook operator will see a little money over time. When the odds are set at -110, the bettor must wager $110 to win $100 (or $11 to win $10).

The odds on a point spread are most commonly known as the vigorish or “vig” for the sportsbook. You might hear this small profit margin for the sportsbook called the “juice” by some sports bettors.

Point spread FAQs

What does ‘pick em’ or ‘pick’ mean in NFL betting?

A “pick em” (sometimes seen as “pick”) is when the teams have a point spread of zero, meaning neither team is favored. In this instance, you’re essentially picking moneyline and your bet will be determined on the winner alone.

What does -7 and +7 mean in NFL betting?

A spread of minus-seven (-7) means that a is favored to win the game by a touchdown (technically, a touchdown and the extra point). A team favored by -7 must win the game by eight or more points to win the bet. If the team wins by seven, the result is a “push” and the bet is refunded.

A spread of +7 means the team must win the game or lose by fewer than seven points to win the bet. A loss by seven would result in a push.

What does -3 and +3 mean in NFL betting?

A -3 spread means that the favorite must win by more than a field goal to win the wager. A three-point win would result in a push and the sportsbook would refund the wager.

A spread of +3 means the team listed as the underdog must win the game or lose by fewer than three points to cash the bet. A three-point loss would be graded as a push by the sportsbook and the bet would be refunded.

Why are point spreads in the NFL so much lower than in college?

In 2019, the Baltimore Ravens led the NFL in point differential per game at +13.7 points; the Miami Dolphins ranked last in the NFL in point differential per game at -11.7. Even Kansas City– known for their explosive offense– had an average point differential in 2019 of just 9.7 points. The net point differential in the NFL is -14.1, or -0.9 points per game. Basically, the talent differential in the NFL is so minute that even mismatched teams often draw games within a score of each other.

NFL spreads are most commonly between one point and four, with six being a heavy favorite and extremes coming out around 15-20 point favors. (For those wondering, the 1941 Chicago Bears hold the NFL record of point differential at +15.7 points per game. Conversely, Ohio State had a +33.1 average point differential in 2019.)

Point spread and odds movement

Sportsbook operators often aim to have equal money on both sides of a point spread. When the money is exactly split the sportsbook operator will see the exact vigorish as their profit margin. If all things are equal over time this will maximize how much money the sportsbook operator can make.

In an effort to have equal money on both sides of a wager, the sportsbook operator will move the point spread to attract money on the side that customers aren’t betting on. The odds for a point spread might change before the actual point spread. There are certain point spread numbers, like 3 and 7 in football, the sportsbook operators would like to avoid moving away from since the final score margin falls on these two numbers most often.

For example, if a lot more money is wagered on the New England Patriots -3, the vig may shift from -112 to -115 and -120 before the line moves to -3.5.

Run and puck lines

Football and basketball games are mostly bet using a point spread. The less popular major sports, baseball and hockey, are mostly bet using a moneyline. In an effort to make baseball and hockey more appealing to point spread bettors, the sportsbook operators offer run and puck lines, respectively.

Sports Spreadsheets

These alternative lines give point spread bettors a chance to wager on other sports using a more familiar method of betting. Since points (runs and goals) aren’t as easy to come by in baseball and hockey, the odds with the lines may have a wider spread than a football or basketball game.

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Looking for our latest lines? Here are all the best ways to check out our betting menu and odds!

Circa Sports Nevada App

The most reliable, real-time, and easy-access way to view our odds is on the Circa Sports app for Nevada. Browse our complete menu and live odds from anywhere, even outside Nevada. Registration is quick and easy, no funding required. If you want to start wagering on our Nevada app, visit one of our Las Vegas sportsbooks to activate a mobile wagering account.

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Circa Sports Colorado App

Sports Spreads And Odds

If you live in or visit Colorado, you should definitely add us to the sports betting apps on your mobile device and compare lines across sportsbooks to get the best odds on every bet. In Colorado, you can fund your account and get started betting on our app from anywhere in the state, no casino visit required.

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Circa Sports Colorado Website

The best free desktop experience for viewing our live odds is on our Colorado website. The Circa Sports Colorado menu doesn't always include everything we offer in Nevada, but it's got all the most popular markets and we're working toward mirroring our Nevada menu completely.

Sportsbook Odds Boards & Betting Sheets

The next best way to get our odds is in our Las Vegas sportsbooks on the odds boards and betting sheets. Many would say this is actually the best way to see our odds since you'll be standing in Las Vegas, in an awesome sportsbook, and in the best sportsbook in the world if you're at our flagship location at Circa Resort & Casino.

The odds boards don't fit our entire menu, but they're real-time. The odds on our betting sheets aren't real-time, but they typically have our complete menu. The betting sheets are also available online in PDF format in our Media Resources Dropbox folder.

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Don Best

Sports Spreadsheet Templates

Don Best's paid subscription odds services offer our odds alongside those of other sportsbooks for convenient, real-time comparison. This includes daily and weekly games and matchups in many major sports. It does not include odds for any markets with non-standardized betting IDs/rotation numbers, for example NASCAR race odds to win, PGA tournament odds to win, and props. Sportsbooks each define their own rotation numbers for many markets so you'll have to check with each sportsbook to get those odds. Our Nevada app (links above) is the easiest to access real-time source for our complete menu and live odds including non-standardized markets.

ODDS AGGREGATOR WEBSITES

There are many third party websites out there that aim to compile odds data from multiple sportsbooks and offer them side by side for comparison, similar to Don Best. Real-time accuracy of the odds on these sites can vary, and markets with non-standardized rotation numbers are often unavailable, but some sites do have reliable odds data and the side-by-side comparisons can be convenient depending on the market. Here are some of our favorites:

VSiN
Las Vegas Advisor
Vegas Insider

Circa Sports Twitter

Sports Spreads Explained

Several times a week we tweet assorted notable odds and offerings from our menu including our Sunday 11am College Football opening lines, weekly PGA tournament odds, primetime games and playoff games in the major sports, fight night odds, and more. Follow us on Twitter to add some live lines, Circa Sports announcements, football contest info, and sportsbook odds board flavor to your feed.