Anatomy of the Point Spread

Football's back. By now, you've brushed up on all the player moves and noted which teams are ready to break out, and which could be crushed by cockiness.

You've got pick pools to enter and fantasy drafts to attend. You've kept a keen eye on the preseason and now that you've scoped out the lines for Week 1, you're ready to get back to betting on games that count. We at Bodog want this to be your best season yet and that's why the first topic of the "Bodog Guide to Sports Betting" is the Anatomy of the Point Spread.

First thing to understand is where the point spread comes from and what it means:

• Linesmakers, as you probably know, set the point spread - the number by which one team is favored to win over another - for each game. And linesmakers are divided into two categories: oddsmakers and bookmakers.
Oddsmakers don't take bets on the lines they publish. Instead, they make money selling their lines to sportsbooks, wire services and other media outlets.


• The bookmaker is the person who takes your bet. Bookmakers shift lines during the week because they hope to balance the action. Their thinking is that somewhere out there is a person analyzing the same game as you but coming up with an opposing view about the potential outcome.
  
  
• Lines also shift because of player movement, injuries, the weather and other factors.
It's important to note that the point spread is not a predicted margin of victory. Rather, it's the number that the linesmaker hopes will generate an even split in the wagered money.


• Another important point to remember is that if the point spread on a game is three and the margin of victory is three points, the game is a "push", meaning no action has taken place and your wagered money is returned to you.

Now that you know how lines are generated and why they move, let's show you what you need to do to beat them.

• The key advantage you have over a bookmaker is you do not have to wager on every game, you can pick and choose your opportunities.
  
  
• The bookmaker puts up a number on hundreds of events each week. In a typical NFL week, 14 to 16 games are played and multiple betting opportunities are available on each game.
  
  
• You may not have a good feel for all the games, but you most likely see several where you are confident that one team will cover. This is what handicappers refer to as an "overlay" or "getting value". If you find enough of these situations, you can make a profit betting on sports.

Sports wagering is a challenge and requires some wits. At Bodog.com, we're committed to giving our players the tools to succeed. Make sure you keep reading the "Bodog Guide to Sports Betting" and we're certain you'll find the key to consistently cashing in.