Bet on point spreads.
Point spreads help to balance out the odds of each team winning. When people bet on point spreads, they usually talk about (+3.5), (-7.5), (+4), etc. This is how many points are added or subtracted from a team’s final score. Take, for example, the Chicago Bears (+5) and the Green Bay Packers (-5) are playing each other this Sunday. The Bears are less likely to win, so 5 points are added to their final score.
- In this example, the Packers will have to beat the Bears by at least 6 points for people who bet on them to win. If the Packers beat the Bears by 5 points or less, people who bet on the Packers to cover the spread will lose money.
- The basic premise is that you need your betting team to either cover the spread, or underperform. In the same example, if you think the Packers will win but won’t cover the spread, put money down on them to do so. If the Packers win by less than 5 points, you will win money.
- If teams wind up meeting the spread (not under or over) than you neither win or lose money. In the same example, if the Packers beat the Bears by exactly 5 points, no one wins or loses. When point spreads are (+7.5), (-4.5), (-8.5), (+1.5), etc. they are much more dangerous bets. This is because teams don’t score half points, so you will either win or lose.
Place a bet on the money spread.
This is a very simple method. You are betting on who will win the game outright. If you think the Chicago Cubs will beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, you will bet on them, and vice versa. The key here is to look at the point spread of the game. If the Chicago Cubs are given a large point spread (-5) then they are seen as more likely to win. If the spreads are pretty even (-0.5)(+0.5) then the game is largely seen as a 50/50 matchup.
- Look at the point spread first before you move onto the money spread. If the point spread seems way too high (-8.5) it is best to place your money down on the point spread.
- If the point spreads are fairly even (-1)(+1) then move on to the money spread. You will be much more likely to win covering a tight money spread.
- If there is inclement weather, that also is a heavy factor in money spreads. Snow, rain, sleet, fog, etc. can rapidly even the playing field between the two teams, and therefore even up the point spread. The worse the weather, the more random the outcome, and therefore the more money you should put down on the money spread.
Put your money down on the totals.
Totals is commonly referred to as the over/under. This is where the betting organization will give you a number (9), (4), (10), (175), etc. The number they give you represents the total number of points scored by both teams combined. You have to place a bet as to whether or not the teams combined will score below or above that number.
- Take for example the Los Angeles Lakers playing against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The total over/under will be 215. You have to bet whether the Lakers and Thunder will score combined over or under 215 points.
- Factor in different circumstances. If superstars are hurt on both teams, and the over/under seems pretty high, you might place your bets on “under.” If superstars are playing lights-out of late, and the over/under seems too low, you might place your bets on “over.”
