Sports Betting Basics: Underdogs, Spread, Moneyline and Total

The market for total goals in a football match is much less volatile than the market for total runs in a cricket match. The above image shows some of the popular spread betting markets available on a football match between Man United and Southampton. Spread betting is very popular among traders in the UK, thanks to its tax-free status and other factors. While this may sound attractive, we recommend that you spend a bit of time learning how financial spread betting works before you jump in – so we put together this guide to help you do exactly that.

What is a Point Spread Wager?

Alex, a ten-year iGaming industry veteran and Managing Editor at BettingTools specializes in sports betting and betting tools. He also provides insightful reviews, ensures the accuracy of all offers, and maintains content quality helping you make informed choices. Your profit and losses are calculated by multiplying your stake by how correct or incorrect your prediction was. For example, if you buy the 2.8 – 3.0 total goal spread and bet £10 and 5 goals are scored, your profit is £20 (2 x £10). We also recommend that beginner bettors check out the BetUS Locker Room. There, you’ll find news, analysis, free picks, and point spread betting advice.

If you think you have a problem, advice and support is available for you now from BeGambleAware orGamcare. A guaranteed stop is a similar tool, the main difference being that a premium is added to the spread when placing a guaranteed stop. Unlike a stop loss order, a guaranteed stop is guaranteed to cease trading when the value falls below the value that you have chosen. With a stop loss order, it ceases trading at the value of the next available market – this could be when trading opens the next morning, for example, so there’s more volatility. To this end, especially when starting out, it is a good idea to stake lower amounts per point, depending on the market.

For example, if the point spread for an NFL game is set at -7 for the favorite team, then they must win the game by more than 7 points for a bet on them to be considered a winner. Conversely, if the point spread is +7 for the underdog, then it can lose the game by up to six points and still be considered a “winner” against the spread. To “cover the spread” means that a team has beaten the point spread listed by a sportsbook. Each line has a favourite and an underdog, and if a bettor wagers that the favourite will win by more than the point spread, and they do (thereby covering the spread), then they’ll win their bet.

• If you’re a retail account holder, you are not permitted to spread bet on cryptocurrencies.
• Head to the cashier or hit the deposit button in the top right-hand corner.
• Each line has a favourite and an underdog, and if a bettor wagers that the favourite will win by more than the point spread, and they do (thereby covering the spread), then they’ll win their bet.
• Similarly, bettors will seek to take advantage of the dividend’s ex-date.
• With this example, your wins are determined by how many goals are scored.

A bookmaker will advertise a spread of a certain value, and you’ll bet on whether a team will beat their opponents by at least that number of points. Betting can be addictive, so please take steps to remain in control of your spending, even if you’re using free bets, and never bet more than you can afford to lose. Remember that you could theoretically lose 10 or 100 times your wager, so plan accordingly and make sure you understand what you stand to lose when you make your stake.

You can build parlay bets using point spreads, but the format varies by sport. In the NHL, the equivalent of a point spread is called the puck line, typically set at -1.5 for favorites. Both are spread-style bets tied to margin of victory — not just who wins. These alternatives offer more nuanced betting options beyond the standard Moneyline. In sports spread betting, SpreadEx offer markets for football, cricket, rugby, horse racing, tennis, and golf. In spread betting, you specify a fixed bet size (or stake) that represents the amount you want to risk or gain for each point of market movement.

Whilst it is less time-consuming to use a spreadsheet created by someone else, a lot can be said for creating your own. You can select your favourite metrics from the free options out there, and combine them into your custom spreadsheet. Part of controlling your risk is having the ability to cash out in to lock-in a profit or prevent a catastrophic loss. Rather than betting on horse-racing in general, consider sticking just to the GB and IRE market. Discover how to increase your chances of trading success, with data gleaned from over 100,00 IG accounts.

This could be the number of goals in a football match, the time at which the first goal is scored or by how many lengths a horse wins. You’ll find spread betting markets for all EPL, Serie A, Championship, La Liga, and Bundesliga games. You can bet on 50+ football statistics, including total number of corners, goal times, bookings, and player performances. Many believe taking such short-term positions might not produce the same results as longer-term strategies but spread betting can help capital to go much further. This is because spread betting is a leveraged product, which means that traders can open positions that are much larger than their initial deposit.

The main reason punters are drawn to spread betting is the massive upside potential. Compared to fixed-odd betting, you have a much greater chance of hitting big wins. With a standard fixed odds over/under bet, you might only double your stake if your prediction is right. If you think the North London derby will be a tight affair with few goals, you might opt to sell the 2.8-3 total goals spread and bet £10.

This can make your betting more exciting, but it is also much higher risk – and it’s definitely not a good idea if you’ve ever had any difficulties with gambling addiction. Gambling can be addictive, always play responsibly and only bet what you can afford to lose. Gambling sites have a number of tools to assist you to stay in control, including deposit limits and time outs.

How much does trading cost?

Responsible gambling ensures that the experience remains enjoyable and limits the risks of financial loss. Bettors should only wager amounts they can afford to lose and avoid chasing losses. Explore a wide range of reputable sportsbooks and find the perfect match for your betting style at Casino.org. This means that if you wanted to place a moneyline wager on the favorite, you would need to risk $165 in order to win $100. If the favorite wins, you win $100 and get your initial $165 back. On the flip side, if you risked $100 on the underdog at +135, you would win $135 if the dog pulled off the upset, plus get your initial $100 wager back.

This is highly possible if an event doesn’t work out in your favour. It’s also possible to lose multiples of your stake in one go, making it a high-risk form of gambling. To legally spread bets on sports, you must be over the age of 18 and complete a questionnaire before opening an account. You may find that spread betting companies also offer fixed odds betting, which the Gambling Commission regulates.

When starting out, many spread betting guides advise novices to stick to just buying the spread. In this example, if you were to buy at £10, you would essentially be betting £10 on each goal above 3.1. In spread betting, you are ‘buying’ or ‘selling’ the spread set by the bookmaker. You buy when you think the spread is too low and sell when you believe it is too high.

Bookmakers set a predicted total number of points, goals, or runs that they expect to be scored in a game. Bettors then have the option to wager on whether the actual total will be higher (Over) or lower (Under) than the bookmaker’s prediction. Below, we answer common sports spread betting questions, explain how to place your first spread bet and supply some sports spread betting tips for beginners.

Although consolidating markets don’t provide the opportunity for running profits, they can create plenty of opportunities for short-term traders, such as scalpers. However, responsible gambling is key to ensuring that the experience remains 1xbetofficialwebsite.com enjoyable and rewarding. By staying informed and making use of the resources available, bettors can enhance their understanding and make more informed decisions. Before every season, oddsmakers create power ratings for each team and then update them throughout the year. Power Ratings are a numerical value given to each team based upon their relative strength and weakness compared to one another. The best teams receive the highest power rating while the worst teams receive the lowest.

View our statistics page to get a better understanding of financial spread betting. A point spread bet involves wagering on the difference between the final scores of two teams or individuals in a sports match. In tennis, the point spread bet typically involves predicting the winner of a match with a handicap. For example, if Player A is the favorite to win and has a -4.5 handicap, they must win the match by at least five games for the bet to payout. On the other hand, if Player B is the underdog and has a 4.5 handicap, they must either win the match or lose by less than five games for the bet to payout. To point spread bet in tennis, you can use online sportsbooks or visit a physical sportsbook that offers tennis betting options.

Example 1. Tottenham Vs Arsenal Total Goals 2.8-3 Sell

As a derivative, spread betting allows you to speculate on market movements without owning the underlying asset. You can go long (buy) at the market price if you anticipate the market rising, or go short (sell) if you expect declines. There are various terms which you will discover and will need to understand when it comes to spread betting, two of which include stake size and spread. This is by no means a full list of all of the trading strategies that can utilise spread bets.

In this sense, it is a form of gambling and is governed by chance. If the spread is 50 when you buy the market, it can drop a maximum of 50 points, seriously impacting the funds in your spread betting account. Points betting is when you bet on a team or athlete to win, and it is usually based on an index of 100.

Most offers run along the lines of ‘Bet £10 and get a £10 free bet’. By matching the first bet, you break even – and you’re then able to make a profit on the free bet. This is a technique that involves placing bets both for and against a certain outcome to earn free bets, which allow you to make a profit regardless of the result.