Sticking with the above Dolphins/Ravens example, the Ravens would be -2.5. On the other side, the “-” before the number indicates the favorite. However, if they lose 23 to 21, you would win, as the added 2.5 points would result in a score of 23.5 to 23 through the prism of the wager.

You’ll lose that spread bet if the Dolphins lose 23 to 20. Of course, the game’s score will be 0 to 0, but in the eyes of the spread, the Dolphins either need to win outright or lose by no more than two points. With that +2.5, you could view the game starting with a score of the Dolphins up 2.5 to 0. The Dolphins are +2.5 on the spread, and the betting line is -110. These are important as these not only indicate what the spread is but also illustrate which team is favored and which is the underdog.įor example, you look in the spread column of the upcoming Baltimore Ravens and Miami Dolphins game. When you first arrive at your favorite online sportsbook and look at the available bets for the upcoming games, you may notice two notations in the spread column-a “-” and “+.” To better understand spread betting, there are four main terms to know and understand: underdog, favorite, push, hook and juice. Here is a list of our partners who offer products that we have affiliate links for. While we work hard to provide accurate and up to date information that we think you will find relevant, Forbes Advisor does not and cannot guarantee that any information provided is complete and makes no representations or warranties in connection thereto, nor to the accuracy or applicability thereof. The compensation we receive from advertisers does not influence the recommendations or advice our editorial team provides in our articles or otherwise impact any of the editorial content on Forbes Advisor. Second, we also include links to advertisers’ offers in some of our articles these “affiliate links” may generate income for our site when you click on them. This site does not include all companies or products available within the market. The compensation we receive for those placements affects how and where advertisers’ offers appear on the site. First, we provide paid placements to advertisers to present their offers.

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