NFL Odds Explained: Points Spread, Over/Under, Moneyline, and More! (2024)

FAQs

What does a +7 point spread mean? ›

A +7 spread is very commonly seen in the NFL due to the scoring of a touchdown and a successful extra point. If the spread is set at +7, the underdog must either win the game outright or lose by fewer than seven points in order to cover. For the favorite to cover, they must win by more than seven points.

Moneyline and point spread wagers differ in one significant way: moneyline bets are decided by the outright winner while point spread wagers consider the final margin of victory. With the moneyline, you're betting on a team or person to emerge victorious. If that team or person wins, you win your bet — simple as that.

In sports betting, the point spread is a number set by oddsmakers to level the playing field between two teams and drive betting action on both sides. The spread relates directly to the margin of victory in any given game, as the favorite must win by that amount to “cover the spread.”

Essentially, with the +3.5 spread, you're holding onto hope that the team you've backed can keep the deficit to a small margin or upset the favorite and snatch an outright victory. The favorite winning can still mean your bet is successful if the underdog can somewhat hold their own.

We're ignoring the total here, but it's worth including because this is what you will see when looking for bets. The spread here shows the Bucks as 8-point favorites. The minus sign before the eight indicates the Bucks are the favorites. The plus sign before the 76ers' spread number indicates they are the underdogs.

These point spreads provide a benchmark for how many points a team is expected to win or lose the game by. In the example above, the favorite would have to win by 11 or more points to “cover” the spread of 10.5 points. The underdog must win the game outright or lose by less than 11 points to cover the spread.

A +200 money line would mean that if you placed a $100 bet, you would win $200. It also tells you that the team is not expected to win, as it is the underdog in the game.

If you are betting on a sizable favorite, betting on the spread will offer a higher payout. But if you are betting on an underdog, betting on the moneyline will offer a higher payout.

For example, a moneyline of +200 means a $100 stake could yield a $200 profit. Conversely, a negative moneyline is prefixed with a minus sign (-) and represents the amount needed to stake to win $100. For instance, a moneyline of -150 means you need to bet $150 to win $100.

The number that follows the negative symbol (the odds) reveals how much to bet for every $100 you want to win. For example, if the team you're betting on has -110 odds, you need to wager $110 to win $100. If your team has -150 odds, you must risk $150 to win $100.

How accurate are NFL point spreads? ›

Point spreads are chosen to be maximally difficult to beat, so even a success rate of 5% above a baseline would be considered a success. It has been said by certain professional sports bettors that one should not expect more than approximately 60% accuracy in betting, so this is the figure that we will strive towards.

If the favorite is expected to win a game by six points, they will get a -6 spread, while the underdog receives +6. For the favorite to cover, they must win the game by more than six points. A push occurs if the final score sees the favorite win by exactly six points.

A spread of -1.5 means that the team must win the game by 2 points/goals/runs or more for the spread bet to win. A spread bet is a bet on the margin of victory with a handicap (or line) attached to it, in this case the handicap is -1.5.

Whoever is taking the bet determines the spread. If you bet on Seattle -13 you are betting that they will win by more than 13. If you bet on Carolina +13 you are betting that they won't lose by more than 13. You add or subtract that number to the score of the game.

For the underdog to cover +2.5, he must win at least one set. Similarly, for a favorite to win -1.5 sets, he must win the match in four sets or better, 3-1 or 3-0. For the underdog to cover +1.5 sets, he must win at least two sets in a match. Game spread.

A +7 point spread means there's a 7 point underdog in the matchup and that another team is favored to win by seven according to the sportsbook.

Plus and Minus Odds

In terms of the spread, the " - " always refers to the favorite and the " + " always refers to the underdog. For example, you can bet the Dallas Cowboys as a -7 point favorite to beat the Green Bay Packers or the Packers as a +7 point underdog.

At a +6 spread, that means that the underdog has to lose within 6 points to "cover" the bet.

Updated Super Bowl odds have the San Francisco 49ers as the favorites at +550. The defending champion Chiefs (+600) and the Baltimore Ravens (+950) are also in the mix atop NFL futures boards. Super Bowl 59 will be played on February 9, 2025 at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana.