ATS betting is a popular sports betting method where you bet on whether a team will cover the points spread,… Continue reading ATS Betting – Understanding How to Bet Against the Spread
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ATS betting is a popular sports betting method where you bet on whether a team will cover the points spread, not just win or lose. It’s about predicting if a team will do better or worse than the points set by the sportsbook.
On this page, we’ll explain what ATS sports betting is, how to bet against the spread, as well as offer a few ATS betting tips that will help you get the hang of it quickly.
Let’s start with the basics – what is ATS in sports betting and how can you make it work for you? ATS, short for ‘against the spread’, is a method used by online sportsbooks in the US to make things between teams of different strengths fair. The sportsbooks set a number called the ‘spread’, which predicts how much the favorite (the ‘stronger’ team) should win by or the underdog (the ‘weaker’ team) should lose by.
This means that if you want to bet on the top pick, they have to win the game by a margin greater than the spread for you to win. Conversely, if you’re rooting for the weaker team, they either need to win outright or lose by fewer points than the spread. This betting method gives you more options to play with. Once you’ve gotten the hang of the ATS gambling strategy, you can dive into team stats and historical performance to make better betting decisions.
Are you curious how ATS betting can give you an edge? Instead of simply picking a winner, ATS involves wagering on whether a team will cover the point spread. The examples below offer a clear view of ATS betting in practice.
The first example is the Super Bowl XLIX, where the New England Patriots clashed with the Seattle Seahawks. The point spread set by the sportsbooks was:
The final score of the game was 28-24 for the Patriots. In this scenario, players who bet against the spread on the Patriots won, since the team covered the spread by winning by more than 2.5 points.
To break this down even further, let’s imagine there’s an NBA game between the LA Lakers and the Boston Celtics. The bookmakers offer the spread as follows:
This means that if you bet against the spread on the Lakers, they must win by more than 5.5 points, and if you back the Celtics ATS, they can either win outright or lose by 5 points or fewer. Let’s say you want to place a $200 bet on the Lakers ATS at odds of -120. The -120 odds mean you’re risking $120 to potentially win $100. If the Lakers cover the spread by winning by 6 or more points, your $200 bet yields a payout of $360 – $160 in winnings and your initial stake of $200.
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In ATS betting, the term ‘negative spread’ refers to the point spread set by the sportsbooks where the favorite team is expected to win by a certain number of points. A negative spread is represented by a minus (-) sign before the number.
The number itself indicates that the favorite team must win the game by more than that number for a bet to succeed.
For example, if a team has a spread of -5.5, they need to win by at least 6 points for bets on them to win. A negative spread is a way to balance the odds between two teams of different strengths, making bets on either of the teams equally attractive.
Both ATS (against the spread) and negative spread betting are common terms in sports betting. However, they stand for different aspects of the betting process. Let’s take a look at some of the major differences:
Betting against the spread is a popular way to make sports betting exciting and fair. The basic idea is the same across different sports, yet each of them has its own quirks and terminology. Getting familiar with these can help you play smarter and win more.
Let’s explore how ATS betting works in different sports:
What does ATS mean in football? Well, to start off, NFL betting is extremely popular due to the sport’s fame and scoring structure. The spread in football represents the expected difference in points between two teams.
For example, if the New England Patriots are favored by -7.5 points against the Miami Dolphins, a bet on them would win if the Patriots win by at least 8 points. Betting on the Miami Dolphins would mean that they either have to win or lose by 7 points or fewer.
In baseball, ATS is commonly referred to as ‘run line’ betting. The standard run line is set at 1.5, meaning the favorite must win by 2 or more runs, while the underdog must either win or lose by just 1 run. For instance, if the spread for the New York Yankees is -1.5 against the Boston Red Sox, the Yankees must win by 2 or more runs for a bet to succeed.
ATS betting in hockey is known as ‘puck line’ betting. Similar to baseball, the puck line is set at 1.5. In a real-life example, if a game is played between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Detroit Red Wings, and the spread on the Blackhawks is -1.5, they have to win by 2 or more goals for a bet to be successful.
ATS betting in basketball is similar to ATS in football because spreads change a lot since the game includes a high number of points. If the spread is set at -5.5 for the Los Angeles Lakers against the Boston Celtics, the Lakers must win by 6 points or more for the bet to pay off. On the other hand, the Celtics can either win outright or lose by 5 or fewer points.
Soccer’s ATS betting, commonly known as ‘goal line’ betting is not as common as the other types, but it follows a similar way. The spread might be 0.5, 1.5, or even 2.5 goals, depending on the teams involved.
Let’s take an example from the Premiere League – Manchester United plays against Nottingham Forest, and the spread is set at -2.5. A bet would succeed if Manchester United would win by 3 or more goals, while a bet on Nottingham Forest would pay off if they won or lost by 2 or fewer goals.
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Before placing a bet, it’s important to understand how ATS betting works. Below you’ll find a few tips that can help you become successful at betting against the spread.
ATS betting can be risky, so make sure you always bet responsibly. Only bet what you can afford to lose, and if you’re unsure how much to put down, check out tips or various betting systems that can help you stay on track.
If you ever feel overwhelmed or think that betting is affecting your life, seek help or reach out to groups such as:
You can get immediate help by calling 1-800-GAMBLER.
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