What is Sports Spread Betting? - Betting Tips
What is Sports Spread Betting? - Spread Betting on Stake Sportsbook Explained
Spread betting offers a unique way to bet on sports, where, rather than using fixed odds, how much you win or lose is affected by the outcome. You buy or sell specific totals of points or goals, and you will make higher profits or larger losses depending on the number of points or goals scored.
Discover more about the betting outcomes associated with spread betting in different sports and find out how to make the most of your spread betting experience at Stake Sportsbook.
What is Sports Spread Betting & How Does it Work?
In spread betting, a “spread” is a prediction on what will happen in a specific market for a certain game. For example, the total goals market in a soccer match. A typical total goals spread might be 2.5 - 3.0. And you can choose to either buy or sell based on whether you think the total will be higher or lower.
If you think that the total goals in the match will be higher than the 2.8-3.0 range, you’d buy. However, if you think it will be lower, you’d sell.
Based on the outcome, you can win or lose multiples of your stake, depending on how accurate your prediction was.
Sports Spread Bet Example
For example, let’s imagine the total goals spread is offered at 2.5 - 3.0, and you buy 3 goals for $10. The match ends 2-1, meaning 3 goals were scored. Calculate your profit using the formula: (buy total - game total) x stake. Which in this case would be (3 - 3) x 10 = 0. In this scenario, you would break even. However, if the match ended 3-3, with 6 goals scored, it would be (6 - 3) x 10 = $30 profit.
Using the same example, we can also see that lower goals scored will result in a bigger loss, sometimes bigger than your stake. For example, if the match ended 0-0: (0-3) x $10 = -$30.
If you sell the spread, you use the formula: (game total - sell total) x stake instead.
Spread betting is different from the point spread, which is the American term for a handicap bet. With point spread betting, the favourite team is given a point or goal handicap, while the underdog has an equal point advantage. This is also known as the puck line in hockey or the run line in baseball.
How to Place a Spread Bet on Sports?
NFL & Football Spread Betting
Spread betting on the NFL usually refers to the point spread. However, some sites may also offer spread betting on American football matches. In these cases, the spread will be on the total points scored in the match. For example, you can buy or sell the total spread 41 - 44 between the Denver Broncos and the Las Vegas Raiders.
If you think the match will be low-scoring, you might choose to sell $10 at 41. If the match then ends 13-3, you’d make a profit of $250 ((41 - 16) x $10).
Other forms of NFL and college football spread bets include point supremacy, which is the margin by which one team will beat another and total touchdowns, which is a bet on the total number of touchdowns scored in a match.
Soccer Spread Betting
A popular soccer betting option is total goals. The soccer total goals spread bet could be priced at 2.5 - 3.0. Assuming you place a buy bet, the maximum loss you can incur is 3x your wager. This is because the lowest-scoring scenario in a soccer match is a 0-0 draw. Therefore, using the above formula, if you place a $10 buy wager on total goals and the match ends goalless, you would lose $30.
But what if one of the teams won 5-1, resulting in six goals scored? The spread bet would be settled at six, returning a $30 profit.
Another popular spread betting option in soccer is the soccer supremacy bet, which lets you predict the margin of victory of a certain team. There are also corner betting spread bets, and spread bets for bookings during a match.
Cricket Spread Betting
Spread betting on cricket matches is also popular. Let’s take the example of an ICC match between England and Pakistan; the number of sixes scored in a day is priced at 4-5. We know that the maximum loss is five times our stake, as the lowest price that can be settled is zero sixes. Therefore, if you had placed a $10 bet, the most you could lose would be $50.
However, if England has a brilliant day and hits ten sixes, you would land a profit of $50.
Other ways of spread betting on cricket include the cricket supremacy bets, batsmen runs bets and bowler performance bets.
Formula 1 Spread Betting
When betting on F1, there are lots of spread betting options to choose from, including the number of classified finishers of a race and long-term spread bets such as the Drivers’ Championship index. Like outright bets, these let you predict the final outcome of the season, betting on the spread of the final points a driver wins.
Let's say you bet on the spread for the number of classified finishers, set at 16.6-17.1 for that race. You decide that more than 17.1 drivers will finish the race and bet $10. If 18 drivers finish the race, you’ll profit $9.
Horse Racing Spread Betting
Another sport where spread betting is popular is horse racing. You can, for example, place a spread bet on the aggregate total of the winning margins of each race. As some distances are less than a length, you need to be aware of the following:
Nose: 0.05
Short head: 0.10
Head: 0.20
Short neck: 0.25
Neck: 0.30
Half a length: 0.50
Three-quarters of a length: 0.75
Another popular spread betting option for horse racing is the number of favourites to win their races over the course of action on a specific race day. You can find more information on horse racing betting with our tailored guide.
Sports Spread Betting vs Fixed Odds Betting?
Fixed odds betting on sports is the most common way to bet and presents a standard win-or-lose scenario. The odds you take will affect how much you win, and if you lose, you only ever lose your stake. Common bets include the likes of moneyline bets, handicap betting, prop bets, totals, over/under, and outright betson various sports, including tennis, Esports, and others.
If you back an outcome at fixed odds and it occurs, you will earn the respective payout based on the odds at which you placed your bet. However, if the outcome doesn’t happen, you lose your stake. Use our guide to learn how to read fixed odds.
Spread betting is different, as how much you win and lose is dependent on the accuracy of your wager. What’s more, there are more than just one or two outcomes in a spread bet, and it’s possible to win much more than with standard fixed odds betting. That said, there are also greater risks, as you can always lose more than your stake.
What are the Benefits of Sports Spread Betting?
Spread betting gives you more options when putting together your betting slip than a mere win-or-lose scenario.
You can increase the amount you win by spread betting when compared to the fixed betting odds offered.
Spread betting can increase enjoyment levels by making your bets last longer. For instance, a horse racing spread bet could involve every race in a festival instead of just one race.
When making your spread bets, you’ll also be able to choose from a wide range of markets, including totals, winning margins, championship points and much more.
Risks of Spread Betting?
Depending on your predictions, spread bettors can lose more than the initial stake.
For sports betting beginners , spread betting is relatively complex, particularly compared to fixed odds sports betting.
Sports Spread Betting Tips & Strategies
If you’re keen to get started with spread betting at Stake.com, here are some betting strategies that will help you make your selections:
It’s always a good idea to start small as far as spread betting is concerned. You need to be mindful that you can lose more than your initial stake when spread betting.
You should always bet on spread markets you understand, so bet on sports you’re comfortable with. If you’re not sure how the sport or the bet in question works, it’s best not to place it!
Be sure to keep up to date with the latest predictions, as well as consider factors such as weather conditions, injuries, home-field advantage, and team statistics. These can all impact the final outcome.
Work out the worst-case scenario before you bet. In spread betting, you can potentially lose more than your wager. As a result, it’s important to work out the maximum amount you can lose before placing your bet, so you can understand and manage the risk.
Refer to our online sports betting guide for more tips and tricks to help you make winning selections when spread betting.
There is no shortage of unique bet types on Stake Sportsbook. If you're looking for new betting options, read our guides to teaser betting and round robin betting.
Deposit & Withdrawal Methods for Sports Betting on Stake
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Enter the amount you want to withdraw before confirming your payment.
Stake Sportsbook Promotions, VIP Club & Responsible Gambling
Always make the most of online sportsbook promotions when spread betting for the best value odds. You can also find out more about the rewards available as a member of the Stake.com VIP Club. As you place bets and level up your account, you can unlock regular rakeback, reload bonuses and even your own VIP host. More details are provided on the VIP FAQ page.
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