What is Point Spread?
A handicap a sportsbook adds to the underdog (or subtracts from the favorite) to make a moneyline mismatch into a roughly 50/50 market.
Also known as: ATS, against the spread
The point spread levels the playing field. The favorite gives away points; the underdog gets them. Both sides are typically priced near −110, which contains the vig. Betting the spread is a bet on margin of victory, not just who wins. A −7 favorite has to win by 8 or more to cover.
Example
Lakers −6.5 vs. Nuggets +6.5. If the Lakers win by 7 or more, Lakers backers win. If they win by 6 or fewer, or lose, Nuggets +6.5 wins.
Related terms
A straight bet on which team wins, with no point spread — priced via American odds where favorites are negative and underdogs are positive.
A bet on whether the combined score of both teams will go over or under a sportsbook-set number.
The most common margins of victory in a sport — crossing them with a spread or hook adds disproportionate value.
See point spread applied to a real slate
NotaSportsGuru runs the math behind every published leg — Parlay of the Day, player props, match lines — with the model’s expected value and edge on every line.