Football Betting Line

The football betting line

Sure, Pittsburgh won the Super Bowl –
but did they cover?

And what exactly does it mean to
“take the points, baby!”

FOOTBALL BETTING LINE

“line” 101

If you know this part, just skip on down to the next paragraph! The “line” is the strictly hypothetical designation of the number of points the oddsmakers think a team will win by. Most Vegas odds-meisters put that designation at 4 points for the Steelers. So, if you were to pick Pittsburgh – they’d have to win by MORE than 4 points for you to win the bet. The key here is “MORE than”. If they’d won by 4 points exactly, that’s called a “Push” and you would not win, but you wouldn’t lose as much as you would if they won by LESS than 4 points. Fortunately for most of the Picks gurus on this site: they won by 11 points and we were able to gloat disgustingly at the office the next day! Got it?

The “line” and where to find it.

Any sports wagering forum will publish what is usually called “the Daily Line”. But be careful: LINES CAN VARY from place to place. Check around until you’ve learned to trust your source. Your local newspaper and sports news services will all post lines. If you’re shopping around and you have a hunch – you can frequently fine a line that favors your bet by .5 or 1 points. That’s a big advantage. Don’t expect more than that – the oddsmakers aren’t stupid! If you have a piece of hot new info – chances are they do to. Don’t try to scoop the “line” – just use it as another piece of information that goes into your decision-making.

And remember to play by the rules – and federal, state and local laws!