If you watch sports on TV, chances are you’ve heard of the PointsBet Online Sportsbook.
PointsBet has been flooding the airwaves with television ads, as well as in-arena and stadium billboards, in an effort to get its name to the masses. PointsBet, which started in Australia, is legal in eight states, a number that is sure to grow in the next decade.
PointsBet may seem like your average sportsbook to the lay observer, but it’s hallmark is its unique PointsBetting-style of wagering that punishes bettors for being wrong and rewards them for being right.
If you’re curious about PointsBetting but are a little intimidated by what it entails, rest assured you’re not alone. But with this guide to PointsBetting, we’ll seek to cut through the confusion and help make PointsBetting seem a little less confusing.
What Is PointsBetting?
PointsBetting the custom style betting available online at the PointsBet Sportsbook. PointsBetting is described by PointsBet as “the more you’re right, the more you win. The more you’re wrong, the more you lose," and the sportsbook explains it by saying “every single point matters," which is true.
Unlike fixed-odds betting, which gives gamblers a fixed payout if the bet is successful, PointsBetting will reward users who are right by paying them a multiplied stake based on how correct they are. But be careful because if you lose, you’ll be docked a multiplied stake based on how wrong you are.
For instance, if you placed a $1 wager on an over in a basketball game. and there were 10 more points than the number listed, you’d win $10 extra when PointsBetting. However, if there were eight fewer points than the number listed, you’d be docked $8.
How Does PointsBetting Work?
PointsBet offers a large assortment of wagers available to be PointsBet. Totals may be the most easily digestible option, but there are other available markets like spreads, props, multipliers and much more.
For example, if a bettor is interested in placing an NFL wager on an upcoming Green Bay Packers vs. Minnesota Vikings game, you could wager on there to be over 48 points. If the game ended 31-24, you as a bettor, would win 7x times your initial stake, since the final total would be seven points more than the number listed. However, if the game ended 24-21, you’d lose 3x your initial stake, because the final ended up three points lower.
However, if you bet under 48 points, and the total ended up 24-21, you’d win 3x your initial stake. But if the game ended 31-24, then you’d lose 7x.
When PointsBetting, you can set limits of a maximum payout or maximum loss to mitigate the prospect of losing 30x your stake — PointsBet caps losses at a certain threshold — if you were completely wrong, and PointsBet will take out a percentage of your potential max loss ahead of time as a sort-of down payment when you place a PointsBet.
When PointsBetting, you’re at the mercy of the game. Hope you enjoy the ride.
What Are the Advantages of PointsBetting?
You can win huge, which is the goal. If you’re uber-confident about a game or specific wager, it’s a terrific way to put your money where your mouth is and max out your profit when you’re correct.
Plus, if you’re up for the ride but don’t want to lose all of your valuable playing funds, you can preset a maximum win and loss limit — through the sportsbook’s stop-loss slider — to mitigate some of the damage. That way, you can still win big without necessarily losing huge too.
What Are the Disadvantages of PointsBetting?
Clearly, if you can win big, you also have the potential to lose big, even if you set a max-win and loss limit. Injuries can also be a huge hinderance when PointsBetting a player prop and cause an enormous loss if a player suits up but leaves the game early.
When PointsBetting, you’re especially susceptible to bad beats, since every point is crucial. If you are betting a spread, and there’s a garbage-time score, that could not only cost you your bet but also go from winning 3x your stake to losing 4x.
NFL PointsBetting
Out of all the sports to wager on, betting on the NFL is the most popular in the United States, and PointsBet creates a weekly assortment of game and player props for for prospective gamblers to wager on in the PointsBetting style.
For instance, if you’re interested in betting on a Miami Dolphins vs. New England Patriots game, you could wager on New England to surpass a certain number of points. Or you could bet on Miami to score more than the number of points listed. You could, as referenced above, wager on over or under a certain number of points or even an over/under on the largest lead of the game.
So for instance, if you believe the Dolphins will build at least a two-touchdown advantage against the Patriots, and the largest lead listed is 13, you can wager on that and cash in if it hits. Or if you are confident that the winning margin squared — multiplied by itself — will be greater than 200 then you can bet on that and win if it is.
NBA PointsBetting
When it comes to NBA wagering, PointsBetting is comparable to that of football, with totals, spreads and multipliers on every game. Bettors can PointsBet on the first-half line or the game total, each team’s point total, the first-quarter or first-half line and much more.
For instance, if you believe the New York Knicks are going to pull ahead of the Chicago Bulls in a game, you can take the Knicks to cover the first-half points spread of +3.5. If the Knicks are ahead, or trailing by three points or fewer, you’ll win huge.
Or if two extremely offensively potent teams are playing, and PointsBet has the PointsBetting , you can take the over at 219 and win a huge payout if there’s 220-plus points — or if there is OT in the game.
MLB PointsBetting
PointsBetting for MLB bets is arguably the best since the sportsbook provides an enormous number of options that include player props, multipliers along with the regular assortment of team totals and game totals that PointsBetting is known for.
PointsBet created the hitter performance prop, which scores 50 for a home run, 30 for a triple, 20 for a double and 10 each for a walk and single, and gives bettors the option to wager on individuals to surpass a pre-determined number for each game. Or you can bet on an individual team’s single-inning performance.
Or you can try to figure out if the team’s or full game’s runs multiplied by hits will reach a certain threshold.
For example, if the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Angels are playing, you can wager on Mike Trout to surpass 43 in his hitter-performance score. If Trout’s game total surpasses that — meaning he’d need a home run or two doubles and a walk — then you’d win 7x your stake if he achieved 50. Max winnings or losses in game-total scores is 150x your stake, unless it is previously capped.
NHL PointsBetting
Hockey might seem like the most unpredictable sport to consider for PointsBetting, but the sportsbook still offers that type of wager on NHL games each night. Bettors can wager on the total number of goals, each team’s individual goal total and the margin of victory or the largest lead in the game.
For example, if betting on an Anaheim Ducks vs. Los Angeles Kings game, bettors could gamble on the Kings to surpass three goals or the Ducks to score more than two and win 1x or 2x their initial stake if either is right. Or they can wager on there to be more than six goals, or fewer than five, and win a certain amount if the total is higher or lower.
Soccer PointsBetting
PointsBet creates that style of wager for MLS and EPL matches, while also creating fixed-odds lines to consider for soccer games around the globe. But when betting on high-profile soccer matches, users could wager on an individual player to score and do so before or after a specific minute. Or they could bet on the total number of match goals, first-half goals or goals from each team.
PointsBet also created a team performance score, similar to that of the baseball performance score referenced above.
For instance, if betting the Manchester derby between United and City, gamblers could wager on Cristiano Ronaldo to score in a certain number of goal minutes for a PointsBet-style wager. If the number listed was 50 then Ronaldo’s wager would win if he scored once past the 50th minute or two goals in minutes that surpass 50 — meaning a goal in the 25th and another in the 30th.
If Ronaldo didn’t score, his total would be 0, meaning an over bettor would lose 50x his stake if he didn’t tally in the game.
There are other game-style props, like the total game’s goal score, which is usually listed at about 200 for games between marquee teams.
PointsBetting Strategy
The key to PointsBetting is to be extremely confident in your bet and have your research affirm what your gut is telling you. PointsBetting sure isn’t for the faint of heart — or for the uncertain gambler — since there is a possibility you’ll lose a multiplied stake even if logic and homework tells you you should be good.
If you’re a beginner, definitely take advantage of the stop-loss slider. There are varying caps in terms of winning and losing — some as low as 30x and others as large as 150x — but even if you’re betting only $10, a 150x loss is $1,500.
Steer clear if it feels like too much, and keep your stakes small, especially as you learn the landscape of PointsBetting. It can be an extreme experience that isn’t for everyone.
