The Pointspread - also called the line, or spread - is used as a margin to handicap the favorite team. The oddsmaker or handicapper "gives" points (or goals) to the underdog. The bettor must take either the favorite or the underdog.

The favorite is always indicated by a minus sign (e.g. -7.0) and the underdog by a plus sign (e.g.+7.0). The betting outcome of the game is determined by taking the actual game score and finding the point (or goal) difference between each of the two teams playing. If the spread is offered with a half-point (e.g. -7.0 for the favorite Green Bay) by the handicappers, then there can be no "push" and therefore you will either win or lose the bet.

Spreads may be specified in half-point fractions to avoid ties, or pushes. The winner of a North American spread bet wins the amount that he has bet, while a losing bettor loses the amount wagered plus the bookmaker's commission, which is commonly known as the vigorish or vig, and is usually 10 per cent of the original wager; in the United Kingdom both sides are held at picks of 9-10. In North American betting a push is treated as if no bet at all had been made, while in the United Kingdom "dead heat" rules apply, resulting in a net loss of �5 on a �100 wager due to the 9-10 odds of the proposition.

If a key player on a side is marginally injured and may or may not play, the "sports book" � or establishment that handles the bets � may declare the game off-limits to bettors (by not quoting any spread at all on it), or may "circle" the game; in the latter scenario, lower maximum amounts for each bet are enforced (typically $5,000 instead of the $25,000 limit observed at most Las Vegas sports books) and certain specialty wagers, such as "teasers," are banned on either side in the game.

In the United Kingdom spread betting has come to resemble the futures market. The bets are usually on the outcome of sporting events or indeed on financial instruments, but the firms often offer bets on more arbitrary events - such as the number of corners during a football match or the total shirt numbers of the goal scorers.

In North American sports betting many of these wagers would be classified as over-under (or, more commonly today, total) bets rather than spread bets. However, these are for one side or another of a total only, and do not increase the amount won or lost as the actual moves away from the bookmaker's prediction. Instead, over-under or total bets are handled much like point-spread bets on a team, with the usual 10% commission applied. Many Nevada sports books will allow these bets to be used in parlays, just like team point-spread bets, making it possible to bet, for instance, "the Packers and the over," and be paid if both the Packers "cover" the point spread and the total score is higher than the book's prediction. (Such parlays usually pay off at picks of 13:5 with no "vig," just as a standard two-team parlay would.)

Football is one of the sports that commonly uses spread bets. The Raiders are playing the Jets. The Raiders are expected to win the game and the spread is 6. So, you see the Raiders listed as -6 and the Jets listed as +6. You place a bet on the Raiders. If the Raiders win by more than 6 points, you win the bet. If the Raiders only win by 6 points, then the game is considered "no action" and all money is returned. If the Raiders win by less than 6 points, you lose the bet.

Sports Betting Strategy

How to win at sports betting online:

The challenge of sports betting is to collect and analyze information and then make a sound judgement on what to bet on, what type of bet to place and how much.

This is important:

1. The odds offer (Price)
2. The value of the odds (overpriced or underpriced)
3. The type of bet