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Sports betting question

Posted on 9/15/14 at 1:28 am
Posted by Hold That Tiger 10
Member since Oct 2013
21303 posts
Posted on 9/15/14 at 1:28 am
I often look at lines, but I don't bet on anything because I don't fully understand it.

I always thought if it says
- Team A - 9.5 vs Team B
That means the spread is team A winning by 10 to cover the spread.

Then I see
- Team A +9.5 vs Team B
Does this mean team B must win by 10 to cover?

If I'm correct in what I thought, why do they do - for some and + for others?

I must not be correct in my thinking, unless it maybe has something to do with a home team. Educate me please.
Posted by bamafan425
Jackson's Hole
Member since Jan 2009
25607 posts
Posted on 9/15/14 at 1:37 am to
If team A is favorite, subtract how many points the spread is from the final score of team A. If they still beat team B, then they covered. Hence the -9.5.

If team A is underdog, add how many points the spread to the final score of team A. If they beat team B with those points, then they covered. Hence the +9.5.

If either fails to do that, they don't cover.
This post was edited on 9/15/14 at 1:39 am
Posted by lsu480
Downtown Scottsdale
Member since Oct 2007
92877 posts
Posted on 9/15/14 at 1:44 am to
quote:

If I'm correct in what I thought, why do they do - for some and + for others?



Because each game has a favorite and an underdog and you can bet on either.
Posted by lsu480
Downtown Scottsdale
Member since Oct 2007
92877 posts
Posted on 9/15/14 at 2:02 am to
Also:

quote:

I always thought if it says
- Team A - 9.5 vs Team B
That means the spread is team A winning by 10 to cover the spread.



That was correct but:

quote:

Then I see
- Team A +9.5 vs Team B
Does this mean team B must win by 10 to cover?


This means team B must just lose by 9 or less to cover, they do not have to win.
This post was edited on 9/15/14 at 2:03 am
Posted by SadSouthernBuck
Las Vegas
Member since Dec 2007
748 posts
Posted on 9/15/14 at 4:00 am to
Most professional books will always list the favorite's spread (the minus) for bettors to use. If its someone's personal list then it's likely that they are listing the points spreads that they like and are indicating the team they will bet on by using the plus or minus. For example the sports books might list Detroit as -3 1/2 versus Green Bay. A bettor that thinks Green Bay will cover the spread would likely say "I like this line: Green Bay + 3 1/2 against Detroit." Another scenario might be when teams from specific conferences or divisions are being discussed. For example an article or discussion about the NFC North might talk about the Bears +16 versus the Giants and the Lions are -3 1/2 against the Seahawks. A lot of the time it's all about the context of the discussion or list.
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