Betting enthusiast's new to straight bets and point spreads, do not be alarmed as these are two of the most common wagers in all of sports. A straight bet as it sounds, is when you the bettor, pick which team will win and which team will lose. Point spreads, assist in determining a straight bet, as each betting line can be the key factor to determining a winner. Over the years, the two forms of wagering have become synonymous with one another as a point spread wager is frequently utilized in the big four sports of football and basketball and occasionally hockey.
Straight bets have are normally placed by casual bettors, just getting their feet wet in the gambling world. As a result, the bets are usually low $2 wagers as new gamblers will play it safe just to get a feel on the action. The point spread factors in on this decision, as fans choosing a team to bet to win, will almost always go with the favorite. How the point spread works, is that it essentially, is a number predetermined by the bookmaker in which they believe that the team expected to win, also known as the favorite will win by "x" amount of points. However this can be foiled by the team predetermined to lose either making the game closer or even pulling off an upset.
An example of a straight bet point spread would look like this
Cougars - 7
Bearcats- +7
Essentially, the bookie has determined that the Cougars are the favorite by seven points, which is symbolized by a minus sign in front of the seven. When placing a straight bet, you have the option of wagering upon the favorite or the underdog. If you bet the underdog, you will need the Bearcats to either lose by less than seven or win the game.
