Watlantahawks Football Betting News

<< Cleveland Browns 2010 Training Camp Preview
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - REPORT DATE: July 23rd (Rookies), July 30th (Veterans) SITE: Cleveland Browns Training Facility, Berea, OH CAMP OBJECTIVES: Eric Mangini's second training camp as head coach of the Browns should go much more smoothly

<< San Diego Chargers 2010 Training Camp Preview
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - REPORT DATE: July 25th (Rookies), July 30th (Veterans) SITE: Chargers Park, San Diego, CA CAMP OBJECTIVES: With No. 1 wideout Vincent Jackson and left tackle Marcus McNeill both looking like long-term holdouts, and wi

<< Kansas City Chiefs 2010 Training Camp Preview
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - REPORT DATE: July 29th SITE: Missouri Western State University, St. Joseph, MO CAMP OBJECTIVES: With a pair of esteemed new coordinators in Charlie Weis (offense) and Romeo Crennel (defense) now in the fold, Chiefs su

<< Indianapolis Colts 2010 Training Camp Preview
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - REPORT DATE: Aug. 1st SITE: Anderson University, Anderson, IN CAMP OBJECTIVES: Colts fans who know they're going to see a lot of backup quarterback play in the preseason will at least receive a unique twist on that s

New England Patriots 2010 Training Camp Preview >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - REPORT DATES: July 25th (Rookies), July 28th (Veterans) SITE: Gillette Stadium, Foxboro, MA CAMP OBJECTIVES: Apart from Randy Moss, the men Tom Brady will be throwing to on Week 1 are unknown. Wes Welker is unlikely t

Blanc suspends French World Cup squad >>
Paris, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New France manager Laurent Blanc has decided to suspend the entire 23-man team that took part in this summer's World Cup for their friendly match against Norway next month. Under the direction of former

Browns make it official with McCoy >>
Berea, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Browns made it official on Friday and signed quarterback Colt McCoy to a multi-year contract. Terms of the deal for the former University of Texas star were not disclosed, but the Cleveland Plai

Canucks D Sami Salo tears Achilles' tendon >>
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) -Vancouver Canucks defenseman Sami Salo has torn his Achilles' tendon and is out indefinitely.The team said Friday that Salo was hurt ``while training'' and would not comment further. But a report in his native Finla

What Is the Point Spread?

What are Sports Betting Point Spreads?

In any football or basketball game (the main sports that use point spreads) there are two teams playing against each other.

Those teams, though, are rarely exactly evenly matched – meaning that typically one team has a better chance than the other to win the game. If bettors were allowed to bet on who was simply going to win the game, smart ones would obviously bet on the better team (likely winning more than 50% of the time in the process).

If winning were that easy the Las Vegas and online sportsbooks would stop taking any bets! This is where the point spread comes in: the basic function of the point spread is to balance the likelihood of each team “winning” by adjusting the final score by the point spread. After this adjustment is made you get the Against The Spread result (ATS result for short).

Let’s look at Super Bowl XXXIX, New England Patriots vs. Philadelphia Eagles. Most people believed the defending champ Patriots to be the better team – so if betting were simply based upon which team would win the game, an uneven majority of people would have wagered on New England. But, by using the point spread, the bookmakers adjusted the terms of the bet, evening the proposition so about half the people believed the Pats to be the smart bet, while the other half considered Philly to be the smart bet.

How to Read Point Spreads

New England Patriots -7 vs. Philadelphia Eagles

The better team, called the Favorite, is expected to win the game and must “give” or “lay” points to the weaker team. The favorite is listed with a minus sign and the number of points they are favored by (e.g., New England -7)

In the case of our example, New England must not only win the game, but they must win by more than 7 points for Pats bettors to have a winning ATS result. An Eagles bettor wins his bet either if:

• Philly wins the actual game by any amount of points
  OR
  
• Philly loses the game by less than 7 points.

• There was also the possibility that the final score could land exactly on the spread number (for example, the Pats winning 28-21 when -7), which is called a “push” or “no action” and a refund is then issued to bettors of both teams.

  The same game with the same point spread can be considered from the weaker team’s perspective: The Underdog (Philly in the case of our example) is not expected to win the game and online football betting thus receives or “gets” points given by the stronger team. When a game is stated from the underdog’s perspective the team is listed with a plus sign and the number of points they are underdogs by:

  Philadelphia Eagles +7 vs. New England Patriots

  Keep in mind that Philadelphia +7 and New England -7 is the same point spread on the same game, simply stated differently. The first is from the underdog’s perspective; the later is from the favorite’s.

  For Those Who Like to Consider Things Mathematically

  Not a must, but for some a mathematical approach is insightful. You can determine the ATS winner by either:

• Subtracting the point spread from the favorite’s score (thus the minus sign before the number) and then compare to the underdog’s score
  OR
  
• Adding the point spread to the underdog’s score (thus the plus sign before the number) and then compare to the favorite’s score

  Who Really “Won” the Super Bowl odds ?

  Let’s look at the actual result of Super Bowl XXXIX: New England 24 Philadelphia 21

  The favorite, New England, won the game but not by more than the point spread they were favored by (7), so the ATS result was a LOSS for Pats bettors.

  Looking at it from the underdog’s perspective, Philly did not win the game, but they lost by less than the point spread (7), so the ATS result was a WIN for Eagle bettors.

  Mathematically considered, 24 for the favorite Pats minus 7 equals 17, which is less than the 20 the Eagles scored, so the underdog Eagles win the ATS result (or you could figure 20 plus 7 equals 27 for the Eagles, which is more than 24 for the Pats).

  Emily’s boyfriend understood the point spread and wagered $100 on the Eagles at +7. The Eagles may not have gotten a Super Bowl ring, but since they won the ATS result Emily’s boyfriend cashed his bet – giving him money to take her out to a nice dinner.

  And now hopefully you understand how to read point spreads, putting you one step closer to joining the fun of sports betting.

To visit this internet sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting and World Series odds.

MySportsbook features easy-to-use online betting software that’s the most reliable in the industry. If you’re looking to bet underdogs, then this Sportsbook is the place - we have the best betting lines in the business. MySportsbook is your one-stop shop for all your betting needs - sports betting, poker, casino, and horse racing . MySportsbook offers every bet type with lightning fast settlement of wagers. Take advantage of free statistical analysis - including against-the-spread and straight-up trends - in MySportsbook’s game previews section. With MySportsbook there are unlimited free deposits and payouts - and no transaction fees!

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