A team with a (-) in front of their odds are considered the favorite in that matchup. If you are betting on a team with a (+) in front of their odds, they are viewed as the underdog in a particular matchup. There can be spreads of all different lengths, and it just depends on the sport, as you can see below. The Miami Heat can actually lose the game but must keep the final score within 1.5 total points.Įven though we are using +1.5 for this exercise, spreads are usually more spread out than this. In this case, the Chicago Bulls would have to win the game by at least two points to be declared a winner of the bet. This is what is called a “spread” bet, or “ betting against the spread.” This is a very common bet in basketball and football games, but it is seen in other sports as well. Setting the line at just 1.5 does mean that these two teams are extremely close. This means that sportsbooks believe that the Chicago Bulls have a higher probability of winning the game over the Miami Heat.
