You see the Packers are -10.5, while Carolina is +10.5. So the Packers are home at Lambeau playing the Panthers. Let’s look at an example.įirst of all, the home team is always listed last anytime a game is listed. It’s about who will win and by how many points. The bet is not a wager on who will win the game. One team gets them, the other gives them. It’s a way to even things out and make the bet equally appealing on both sides. That’s where the point-spread comes into play. But if one team is better than its opponent, it isn’t a fair bet. Betting on either side wins you the same amount of money. Straight football betting against the spread is a heads-or-tails equation. One is almost always better or has superior conditions for a win. Rarely are two teams ever evenly-matched. It is the guiding principle in football betting. The term “spread” is short for point-spread.

It’s a word you hear all over the place in the world of football betting. People new to football wagering will wonder what all this “spread” talk is about. Football Betting: What is a Point Spread?īy Loot, NFL Football Handicapper.

Nfl point spread betting explained