Point spread

What a point spread is

A point spread is a handicap. Instead of asking who wins, it asks whether the favorite wins by more than a set number of points. The favorite is listed with a minus number, such as -6.5, and must win by seven or more to cover. The underdog is listed at +6.5 and covers by losing by six or fewer or by winning outright. Because the spread evens the teams out, both sides are usually priced near the same odds, commonly -110.

Spreads are set in half points to avoid a tie, called a push. When a spread lands on a whole number and the margin matches it exactly, the wager is refunded. Books move the spread through the week as money and news come in, and many bettors pay close attention to key numbers like three and seven, the most common margins in NFL games.

An example

The home team is -3.5 against a visiting team at +3.5, both at -110. The home team wins 24 to 20. It won by four, more than 3.5, so home bettors cover and visiting bettors lose. Had the score been 23 to 20, the visitors would have covered despite losing the game. Compare the moneyline, where only the winner matters.

How Speed Survivor is different

Speed Survivor has no spreads and no handicaps. Its questions are about what happens next in the live game, asked one about every five minutes of game clock, and answered yes or no. Whether the favorite covers never enters into it. What counts is whether you read the next drive or play correctly, and how quickly you commit.

There is also no book pricing anything. Speed Labs sets the question and takes no position; entrants compete against each other, cuts remove the bottom of the field at set points, and the survivors split a pool funded by the entries. How it works covers a full game.