Lesson 2 of 12 · 4 min read
The point spread
Favorites give points, underdogs get them. Covering, pushes and the hook.
Most football bets are on the Glossary Point spread A handicap to even out a game. The favorite gives points (−6.5), the underdog gets them (+6.5). Your side has to beat the spread, not just win. Full glossary . It exists because “will the better team win?” is usually an easy question. The spread asks a harder one: by how much?
Favorites give points, underdogs get them
The Glossary Favorite The team the market expects to win. It has the minus sign: −6.5 on a spread, or a minus price on a moneyline. Full glossary has a minus number and must win by more than that many points. The Glossary Underdog The team the market expects to lose. It gets points on a spread (+6.5) or a plus price on a moneyline. Full glossary has a plus number: it can lose by fewer points than that, or win outright.
Hawks −6.5 needs the Hawks to win by 7 or more. Owls +6.5 wins if the Owls lose by 6 or fewer, or win the game.
Three possible finals:
Hawks −6.5 wins · Owls +6.5 losesOwls L
Hawks −6.5 loses · Owls +6.5 winsOwls W
Hawks −6.5 loses · Owls +6.5 winsOwls W
When a team beats the spread, it Glossary Cover Beating the spread. A −6.5 favorite covers by winning by 7 or more; a +6.5 underdog covers by losing by 6 or fewer, or winning. Full glossary . A team’s record against the spread is its Glossary ATS “Against the spread.” A team that’s 4–2 ATS covered 4 times and failed to cover twice, no matter who won the games. Full glossary record, which can look very different from its win-loss record.
Pushes and the hook
If the spread is a whole number, the game can land right on it. Hawks −7 and the Hawks win by exactly 7? That’s a push. Both sides get their stake back.
The half point in −6.5 is called the Glossary Hook The half point, as in −6.5 or +3.5. It makes a push impossible, and on key numbers it can be worth a lot. Full glossary . It makes a push impossible. Whether you get a number with or without the hook can decide a bet, especially around the most common margins (more on that in the key numbers lesson).
Final: Hawks 27, Owls 20 (Hawks by 7).
One half point either way turned a win into a push into a loss.
A spread of zero is a Glossary Pick’em (PK) A spread of zero. Whoever wins the game wins the bet. Full glossary : whoever wins the game wins the bet.
What the spread is, and isn’t
The spread isn’t a promise about the final score. It’s the market’s estimate of the margin, shaped by everything bettors and bookmakers know, and it changes as news and money come in. That’s why the same game can be −6.5 on Tuesday and −4 on Sunday.
Quick checkYou bet Owls +3.5. The Owls lose 24–21. Win, loss or push?Tap to see the answer
Win. The Owls lost by 3, and you had 3.5 points. Add your 3.5 to their score (21 + 3.5 = 24.5) and they “beat” 24.
Key takeaways
- The favorite must win by more than the spread; the underdog can lose by less, or win.
- Covering the spread is what counts, not winning the game.
- Whole-number spreads can push (stake returned). The hook (.5) rules out a push.
- Half a point can flip a result, so the exact number you get matters.
Info, not advice. Examples use made-up teams and lines. 21+ | Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.