Point Spread Betting Maryland

What is a Point Spread in a sportsbook in Maryland?

A point spread system helps to keep betting odds on an equal playing field for both teams. As a sports betting site, you probably wouldn’t make very much money if you only offered betting one team to win against another.

This point system helps give each person betting a chance to win no matter which team they want to bet on. That means people who would like to bet for their favorite team can, even if they are the underdog.

Point Spread example

It is kind of difficult to understand how the point spread system works. Not because the betting itself is tricky, but because of how complicated it can be to explain and understand. Here is an example of point spreading to give you a clearer understanding of how to use this method to win bigger when placing a bet.

Say you are betting on a football game played by the Baltimore Ravens and the Carolina Panthers. The Ravens have been doing great all year and are the top team for the season, whereas the Panthers are currently the underdog.

In order to make the betting odds fair and ensure there are going to be even bets placed for all sides, minus points will be added to the Ravens score and plus points to the Panthers.

This chart is an example of a point spread system where the Baltimore Ravens must beat the Panthers by at least three or more points for the bettors to win because the 2.5 will be subtracted from the final score.

In the same example, the Carolina Panthers will need to win the game or, at least, can not lose to the Ravens by two or more points because they will have that 2.5 added to their final score.

Breaking it down further: The final score of the game is 21 to 20. The Ravens won the game. However, they didn’t win enough to cover the point spread because subtracting the 2.5 from their score put them at 19.5 points. The Panthers, however, got enough at the end to win with the additional 2.5, which put their final score at 22.5.

(This example is to help better explain point spread and isn’t an actual example of odds or a legit game.)

When looking at a point spreads chart, you will notice the odds sections, and the common number will be -110 but can fluctuate per bet or sportsbook. This simply means how much you would have to wager on each bet.

So, for a -110, you would pay a $110 bet to win $100. The extra $10 is the “vig” or the “juice” given to the sportsbooks as a broker fee. So, in the end, if you win, you are given back your $110 plus the $100 you won, leaving the game with $210.

There are often promotions or offers given to sportsbook customers throughout the day that waive or reduce the vig fee, meaning you can break even on a $100 bet.

What are the outcomes of a Point Spread?

There are only three possible outcomes of a point spread the underdog covers the spread, the favorite covers the spread, or it’s a push.

The underdog: If the underdog covers the spread, that means the underdog team either wins the game or only loses within the set margin on the point spread. Those betting for the underdog win.

The favorite: If the favorite team covers the spread, meaning the team wins by gaining points over their margin. Those betting for the favorite team wins. A push: If the favorite team wins the game by the exact margin on the spread, the bettors will have their wagers returned to them.

What is a hook in a Point Spread?

A hook is the extra .5 points in a point spread when you are betting on two teams and their final score. Because there is no way for any team to earn a half-point, that .5 works in favor of the team that needs to win by a whole number.

For example, Basketball team A is the underdog and has a 2.5 margin, and team B is the favorite and has a -2.5 margin. The final score is 4-2, with team B winning.

Because of the hook, team B actually needs to win by 3 for the bettors to win. However, because team A only lost by two and had a 2.5 margin, those betting on team A will win.