OP
OP
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- Jan 22, 2000
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I don't gamble either. But the spread is a formula used by oddsmakers to 'level the playing field' as it were. The team that is considered to be superior in a matchup would ordinarily be picked every time by those who want to bet on that game. So the oddsmakers give points to the underdog in an effort to try and make an equal number of bets go to each team. If the bettors begin favoring one team over another, the point spread (the number of points given to the underdog) will be adjusted higher or lower until the bets even out on both teams.
Sometimes things happen during the week (such as injuries in practice to key players) that can make a drastic change to the point spread. But generally the point spread moves very little during the week before the start of a game. In rare cases the favored team & the underdog can swap if the bets are all going to one team.
The underdog will have a '+' number (example: +4.5). The favored team will show the same number with a '-' (example: -4.5). This means that if you pick/bet on the favored team, they would have to win the game by 5 points or more for you to have made the correct pick. If the favored team wins by a field goal, then they didn't cover the spread of 4.5 points, and that pick would be a loser.
Sometimes the spread is a whole number. For example, yesterday afternoon the Seahawks were a 6 point favorite (-6) to beat the Broncos. The Seahawks won 26-20; the exact number as the point spread. When that happens it's called a PUSH and the bettor loses. In our Yahoo Pick'em game (since there is no money involved) it simple gives no points to anyone no matter which team you may have picked. This is the reason why you see many betting lines using 'half points'. It ensures that the favored team will either cover or not.
A simple way of making picks is to try and imagine what YOU personally believe the final score will be. If you feel that your predicted winner will win by more points than the oddsmakers are expecting, make that team your selection. If not, select the other team. Frankly, it's very hard to pick winners in this league with or without point spreads. The Saints were a 4.5 point favorite (-4.5) going into the Panthers game on Sunday. The Saints would have been a great pick because they won by waaaaaay more than the spread. But if the saints had only won by a field goal, the Panthers would have been the correct team to pick.
As many have found out here over the years, sometimes your guess is as good as a coin flip. In most cases the difference in making a winning or losing pick is just that close.
