Sportsbook pointspread/side wagering is the most popular way to bet on most sports at an offshore sportsbook. Pointspread betting is when a gambler either lays points with the favorite or takes points with the dog when wagering at the sportsbook.
Sportsbook pointspreads are very easy to understand. For example, if you bet on the NFL at the sportsbook and see a line that has New England at -6 and the New York Jets at +6 it means that if you bet on the Jets you will win the wager if they lose by less than six points or win the game outright. If you choose the Patriots they would have to win the game by more than six points. If the Patriots win the game by exactly six points, the game would be a “push” and all gamblers would get their stake money back. It is just like the Jets begin the game up 6-0.
When you bet on pointspread sides at an offshore sportsbook there will be a ten-percent extra charge that you must put up in stake money above and beyond the amount that you are trying to win. For example, if you take the Jets at +6 for $500, you must outlay $550 at the sportsbook. If the Jets cover the spread you get back the $550 in stake money and the $500 in winnings at the sportsbook. If the Jets lose the bet you forfeit the $550 in stake money at the offshore sportsbook. You can wager an amount from the minimum which is usually $2 or $5 to whatever the maximum is, normally in the thousands of dollars. This extra ten-percent is know as “juice” or “vig” and is the sportsbook fee for covering all of the wagering action. As long as there is equal action on both sides of the game the sportsbook will be guaranteed a ten percent profit.
This leads to the ultimate meaning of the pointspreads that you see when you bet at the sportsbook. Ultimately, at the end of the day, the lines that you see at the sportsbook are based on public perception from gamblers. What the oddsmakers are attempting to do is set a line in which both teams have equal appeal to the gambling public, so that the sportsbook will get equal money wagered on both teams. This is where the concept of value becomes so important and comes into play when you bet on sports at an offshore sportsbook.
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