NFL Picks Week 9: Pick 3 Against the Spread

November 5, 2010   ·   GB Bongiovanni   ·   Jump to comments

Understanding what you are betting and knowing your limitations are the keys to being a successful gambler.
I thought I would take it back to basics this week and explain what a point spread is for those who don’t understand.
Looking at a sports line you will see that there is an underdog and a favorite. Generally the point spread is next to the favored team and is thus a negative number.
For instance the Atlanta Falcons are favorite this week by eight and a half points (-8.5) and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are the underdog receiving three points (+8.5).
There are two point spread bets available on this game.
The Atlanta Falcons win by 8.5 or more points or if the Buccaneers win or lose by 8.5 or fewer points.
One of the easiest ways to understand the odds are to take the final score of the game, say Atlanta 20 and Tampa 7. If you were to bet on the Falcons -8.5 you would need them to win by nine or more, which in this case means you won.
I...

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