How To Spread Bet Successfully? A Sports Betting Guide To Get Success

How does Spread betting work in sports?

Those who are not much familiar with sports betting or are new to this field may think that spread betting is only for experts or is a rather complex form of betting, but it actually isn’t. Even many professional sports punters like to stay away from this type because of its volatile nature and the high risk involved. However, if you do it right, spread betting can be one of the most profitable gambling types for you. Continue reading to know how it works in sports.

Before you get involved in spread betting, we suggest that you get good knowledge and possibly some experience in standard sports betting. It will make the things easier for you.

Spread Betting: Introduction

As the name says, this is a special type of betting in which the odds are shown in spreads rather than in standard terms by the bookmaker. The outcome of a particular event may therefore vary from the values given by the bookmaker, and the bettors are paid (win or lose) depending on that difference. Yes, it does sound complex. But once you get the concept and gets familiar with the field, it becomes quite easy.

Spread Betting and Finance Markets

Spread betting is generally preferred by those people who are involved in financial markets, such as investments and trading, since the changes in spreads also greatly affect the movements of shares and other financial markets. However, one should understand that this is a business of risk. Even though spread betting can help you increase your investments at a higher rate, the risk of loss is also higher in this. The worst thing is that you can even lose more money than you initially invested, so, tread carefully.

Spread betting on Sports

Sports are the second most popular market after finance for this kind of betting. The basic difference between standard sports betting and spread betting is that the latter involves betting on the movement of a market rather than on the actual event. Let’s understand this through an example.

When you are betting in the traditional way, you are actually making a set amount of bet on a defined outcome at a set odd. However, in spread betting, you are given a spread and you bet that the final tally (score/points/runs/goals) of your selected team will be above or below that spread. Depending on the outcome you are paid (or not) based on the margin by which your team wins or losses.

For example, you are betting $5 stake per point on a football game with a spread of 50. That means you bet that your team will score more points than the spread. For each higher point, you’ll win $5. However, if your team doesn’t score equal or higher than the spread, you’ll lose the respective amount. Check out the calculation.

Spread: 50

Stake: $5

If the team scores 57 goals, it is 7 points higher than the spread, and so you’ll be paid 7*5 = $35

If the team scored 48 goals, it is 2 lower than the spread, and so you’ll lose 2*5 = $10 on this bet.

As you can understand, the potential of winning is very high in this type of betting. If you know your team well and can predict the target score, you can win huge amounts. However, the probability of losing is also high in this. And there is no limit on the amount you will lose and it can easily cross your originally bet amount.

Stop loss in spread betting

There is a mechanism, called stop loss, which can help you put a limit on the maximum amount you can lose in a spread bet. It allows you to define a specific point in your bet where the bet will automatically be cancelled if you start taking a loss. You can’t lose more than your defined stop loss.

How to make a spread bet on football?

Football is one of the most popular sports for spread betting. The reason is simple, football is a very famous sport and most punters love to bet on something that is already popular.

The spread odds on a football match may look like this:

Favourite: 63 (sell) - 64.5 (buy)

The odds say that the team will score somewhere between 63 and 64. If you choose to back (buy) the team at $5 per point, and the team scores 72 goals, you’ll win by 7.5 (72-64.5) points. The sportsbook will have to pay you 7.5*5 = $37.5. And if your team scores say 60 points, you will incur a loss of 4.5 (64.5-60) points and $22.5.

Similarly, if you choose to sell (lay) the team at $5 per point, you are betting that they will score less than 63 points. Now, if your team scores 60 points, you will win 3 (63-60) points and $15. On the other hand, if they finish at 72, you will lose 9 (72-63) points and $45.

This is called points betting.

The another popular sports spread betting market is player goal minutes, in which bets are placed on the sum of the goal times of a player.

For example, a spread may look like this: Player name: 45-49

If you buy the spread at $5 per point, that means you are hoping for total points to be more than 49. Now, if your player scores in the 15th minute and the 45th minute in the game, the sum would be 60, which is clearly higher than 49. So, you will win by 11 points, and be paid $55.

Football spread betting tips

Here are some useful tips to help you get started in the field of football spread betting.

• Many spread betting markets allow you to stop your bets in-play. Use that option when needed.
• Use the stop loss option to prevent your losses in spread betting.
• It is usually recommended to stake an even wager. It should not be more than what you can afford.
• In spread betting, you can lose more than what you bet, so bet accordingly.
• Make sure that you are comfortable (or at least ready) for the worst case scenario.
• Do not involve in sports betting unless you are completely focused and serious about it.
• Do not start your sports betting career with spreads. It is a risky business that requires a good amount of knowledge and experience.
• Properly read the market odds, rules and conditions before making a bet.
• Do not chase losses as it usually ends in you losing more.

If you are not yet ready for spread betting, look for other easier options such as traditional sport betting (fixed odds betting) and matched betting.