Betting Against The Spread

  1. 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. The point spread is sometimes known as an equalizer for sportsbook operators.
  2. Get the latest NFL Week 1 picks from CBS Sports. Experts weigh in with analysis and provide premium picks for upcoming NFL games.
  3. When you bet against the public, it is called “fading” the public. Let’s imagine that the NFL consensus says that the majority of bettors are wagering on New England to cover the spread in its game against.

What is Against the Spread (ATS)?

One of the most popular types of sports betting is betting against the point spread also known as ATS. The point spread is a number aka the “betting line” set by bookmakers at the sportsbook which is intended to even the playing field between two teams and give a reason for bettors to bet on either side of the game. The betting Favorite is considered the better team and listed with a Minus (-) sign while the Underdog is listed with a Plus (+) sign. A bettor wins his bet on the “Favorite” if the team wins the game by more points then the “spread or line”, the opposite is true for the “Underdog” where the bettor wins if the team loses by less then the spread or wins the game outright! There are two types of spread betting, the first is betting with the spread and the second is betting against the spread.

Betting With The Spread

When you bet with the spread it means you are taking the favorite to win and cover the spread. For example in the NFL the Dallas Cowboys are Favored at -3 over the Philadelphia Eagles. Taking the Dallas Cowboys -3 means you are betting with the spread and want the Cowboys to win by MORE then 3 points.

When it comes to point spread betting, and you bet against the spread, it won’t be enough for the favorite to win the game outright. The favorite would have to win by more than a specified amount of points or goals (the spread) in order for that team to cover the point spread.

Betting against the spread means you are taking the Underdog and the points in a game. To win you want the “underdog” to either win the game outright OR lose by less then the “Point Spread” you are given. A example of this we will use the following. The New England Patriots -7 vs NY Jets +7. In this example we are taking the underdog the NY Jets and +7 points. In order for us to win our bet one of two things must happen. First the Jets win the game OR the Jets lose the game but the final score has the Jets losing by LESS then 7 points. Should the final score be exactly 7 points this is a push and your bet is refunded.

Against

Betting Against The Spread College Football

What is ATS in Betting?

ATS is short for Against The Spread! Its a term used to track how well one team does against the spread meaning their won/loss record based on the spread rather then their regular wins and losses.

Betting Against The Spread Nfl

You get your original bet back plus your winnings. For example if you bet $110 to win $100 you would receive $210 back.

What if the result of the point spread bet is a loss?

Betting Spreads Explained

You lose your entire original bet. For example if you bet $110 to win $100 you would lose $110.

This is considered a “push” and you are refunded your original bet back. For example if you bet $110 to win $100 you would get the $110 back.

How do you bet against the spread?

This is called a straight bet. A straight bet is the most common type of bet for betting on the NFL, NBA, College Football & Basketball. It uses the the point spread: When betting a straight bet you are betting on the team to “cover the spread the point spread”. Referring to our examples above you are either Betting with the spread or Betting against the spread.

This is same as betting against the spread however it may be used in NFL Pickem type pools rather the placing a straight bet.

Here are some wagering examples of bets Against the Spread

NFL – Football:

Team: NY Giants -7

Team: Dallas Cowboys +7

Final Score: NY Giants 28 – Dallas Cowboys 20

If you took the NY Giants as your pick at the sportsbook against the spread you would have won your bet! 28-7=21 Final score against the Spread is 21-20 Giants win!

NBA – Basketball

Team: Golden State Warriors -10

Team: Denver Nuggets +10

Final Score: Golden State 99 – Denver 90

Spread

If you took the Golden State Warriors as your pick at the sportsbook against the spread you would have lost your bet! 99-10=891 Final score against the Spread is 89-90 Denver Wins and covers against the spread, you would have needed to take the Nuggets +10 to win this bet ATS at a Vegas Sportsbook.

Other Information:

ATS in sports betting means – Against the Spread. Most sports bettors and handicappers use the acronym when referring to a teams won loss record against the spread AKA ATS.

Related Topics In Our Sports Betting Guide:

Understanding the different types of betting options is crucial when you’re getting a start as a first-time sports bettor.

Against

The Point Spread: Betting the spread

For those new to sports betting, the point spread is the simplest, most straightforward approach to placing wagers.

Sports books set a predetermined margin of points on a game and a team must win – or not lose – by that set number. That’s why you’ll often hear people say the team won, but they “didn’t cover the spread” so their bet still came up short.

It’s not a matter of a team winning or losing like in a moneyline bet.

For a favorite: The favorite must win by more than the point spread.For an underdog: The underdog must outright win OR lose by fewer than the point spread.

Sports books aren’t in the business of predicting who will win or lose games. Their goal is setting a pre-game point spread with the intention to generate an equal amount of betting action/volume on both sides of the ledger – as much total money being bet on the favorite as on the underdog.

The vast majority of point spread wagers are made on football and basketball because of the proliferation of points that are scored in comparison to sports like baseball and hockey, where 1-0 or 2-1 games aren’t that out of the question or out of the norm. There’s one every night.

For example, the New England Patriots are playing the New York Jets and New England is a 9½-point favorite. Bettors typically have to spend $110 or so to win $100 with sports books, known as “the house edge/advantage.” With a point spread bet, simply having a team win the game isn’t the key. The critical factor to betting a point spread is how much a team wins or loses by. If a wager is placed on New England – “laying” the 9½ points – the Patriots need to win the game by 10 or more points for that bet to pay off. If New England wins 28-20, those betting on the Jets plus 9½ points (points added to their final total) win the bet.

Betting Against The Spread Tips

The same general rules apply for basketball and are quite easy to follow because of the inherent simplicity of the bet. When it comes to betting sports like baseball and hockey, the standard bets are made on the “money line” – an established number for both teams to win the game outright.

What makes point spread bets attractive are the fluid nature of each game – it’s a reality show that, when done right, is inexplicable. Games change on one play and momentum is a thing. But, when it comes to point spread betting, you know where you stand at every moment.

Sports Betting Winners

For those just starting out, the simplest form of gambling is betting the spread because it’s the easiest to explain and understand, which explains why it is the most popular form of sports wagering.