Spreads are synonymous with sports betting.
If you hear about a spread, you know that there is going to be some money exchanging hands. Sportsbooks, like Unibet, create spreads in order to inspire betting activity.
But if spread betting seems confusing, we are here to help. Here’s a look at how to wager on spreads with Unibet.
How to Bet Spreads on Unibet
Betting on spreads can seem overwhelming to start, but it’s really quite easy if your follow these steps:
Step 1: Create an Account or Sign In
If you don’t have an account with Unibet, you’ll need to create one. The sportsbook is available in six states and Ontario, which means if you’re in a state where online sports betting is legal you probably are in a state where Unibet operates.
Remember that any sensitive info is secure and used only to affirm your identity.
Step 2: Deposit
Insert funds. Remember that credit card deposits almost always carry a cash-advance fee, and withdrawing via credit card isn’t allowed. It’s better to deposit using an ACH or e-wallet service such as PayPal.
Before signing up and making a deposit, for those in Arizona, get the bet $50, get $200 Unibet promo. Unibet will match 100% of your bet, up to $50, with four free bets of equal value.
Step 3: Peruse Betting Markets
Find the spread bet you wish to place. You’ll have dozens of options to choose from since Unibet gives odds and spreads for just about every team sporting event happening around the globe each day.
Step 4: Place Your Bet
Tap the wager you wish to make. Enter the amount you wish to wager. Press place bet and root for your bet to hit!
What Is Spread Betting on Unibet?
Spread betting is when a sportsbook assigns a number of points for a team to win by, or cover, in an effort to entice bettors to play.
The goal of a sportsbook is to produce a number that is low and high enough to inspire betting on both sides of the handle, though sportsbooks generally win when a favorite wins by less than the spread offered.
Because odds of moneyline wagers can be fickle, especially in sports like football or basketball where there appear to be many lopsided games on paper, sportsbooks assign spreads for a favorite to cover, or an underdog to lose by fewer than, and assign -110 odds to that.
The -110 odds are generally the sportsbook’s version of a coin flip, and spreads can vary wildly depending on the game’s perceived likely outcome.
For instance, if the Green Bay Packers are a heavy favorite, like -300, in their game against the Detroit Lions at Lambeau Field, Unibet may assign the Packers a spread of 7 points they have to cover.
If Green Bay wins by more than seven, it covers, and bettors who took the Packers -7 win. If the Lions lose the game by fewer than seven, or win outright, then they cover and bettors who wagered on them +7 would cash in.
Betting on the Packers -7 would come with extra risk, but given the fact that a -300 moneyline wager pays out at $0.33 per $1 bet and a -110 bet is $0.91 for every dollar wagered, taking Green Bay to cover would usually be worth the gamble.
If Green Bay won by exactly seven, the bet would push on both sides, and bettors would receive their initial stakes back.
How Do Unibet Spreads Work?
Bettors are empowered to wager on a team to either cover or beat the spread. The underdog will need to beat the spread, or lose by fewer than the number listed pre-game. The favorite needs to win by at least that much.
Unibet offers live, or in-game, spread betting too. Those numbers can change extremely quickly since momentum and game trends can pivot drastically.
One of the best ways to cash in as a spread bettor is to wait and see how the game is trending then either bet a favorite to win by a lower number of points or an underdog to cover a larger number of points.
Unibet Spread Rules
Unibet has some rules about spread betting. For instance:
- Pushes: If a favorite wins by exactly the same amount as the spread, the wager is a push and the sportsbook returns the bettor’s initial stake back.
Spread vs Moneyline
Betting on a favorite/underdog to cover the spread vs. win a moneyline wager can be a significant difference.
For instance, if a favorite is assigned a 14-point spread, it is significantly more difficult for the bettor to win than to wager it to win by at least one point.
However, moneyline odds in a 14-point-spread game might be -900, or $0.11 profit for every $1 wagered, and the spread bet might be -110, or as previously stated, $0.91 for each dollar bet.
Underdog vs Favorite
Favorites are the teams with the minus point spread assigned, and the underdog is the team that gets the plus point spread.
For instance, in the game referenced above, the Miami Dolphins would be listed at -7, and the Jacksonville Jaguars would be +7.
Underdogs are typically assigned plus-money moneyline odds (+100, +150, +240, etc.,) and receive the plus-point spread number.
There are times when an underdog will be assigned minus moneyline odds, usually, the underdog will be -105 and -110 spread odds at +1, but an easy way to distinguish which team is favored is which has the minus number.
What is an Alternate Spread on Unibet?
Unibet, like most online sportsbooks, offers alternate spreads for bettors who don’t quite feel comfortable with the line presented by oddsmakers.
However, the odds will also fluctuate to correspond with the likelihood of the favorite either covering or the underdog beating the spread.
Wagering on alternate spreads is sometimes referred to as teasing, since the practice is similar to that of betting teasers in a parlay setting.
Like teaser parlays, betting alternate spreads is usually preferred as a parlay leg, since odds are not lucrative enough to justify wagering an alternate spread straight up, and teasing spreads makes parlay betting, a difficult practice, easier.
For example, if the New England Patriots are a 9.5-point favorite at -110 odds in their game against the New York Jets but you don’t trust New England to cover, you could wager on the Pats to win by at least 6.5 points.
The odds of -6.5 would likely be -170 or shorter, since trusting a heavy favorite to win by at least a touchdown would be more likely than winning by at least 10.
However, in a three-or-more-leg parlay, having a -170 leg would be a great option, since it is likely to hit but also has long enough odds to make the parlay profitable.
My personal favorite experience of betting an alternate spread came in 2020 when wagering on Boston College vs. Notre Dame football. I took BC to cover 14.5 points as a parlay leg when the Fighting Irish were a 13-point favorite.
The Eagles lost 41-27, but I was a winner thanks to a late BC touchdown and two-point conversion that helped my four-leg parlay payout.
Unibet NFL Point Spreads
Spread betting on the NFL works as well as peanut butter and jelly on a sandwich. The oddsmakers and online sportsbooks have the practice down to a science, and Unibet is no different.
If all things are equal, the home team will traditionally be a three-point favorite. Given the fact that not all NFL home games are the same — thanks to lopsided-appearing games, injuries and international games — NFL spreads can vary quite drastically from week to week.
Road teams will periodically be a touchdown favorite or more. Home teams might lay up to three touchdowns in matchups against bottom-feeders.
Unibet will always provide competitive spreads and odds in NFL games, plus it will sometimes boost the odds on parlays or spreads for NFL games.
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the Super Bowl of sports-betting events, and Unibet offers exceptional odds and markets for all your big-game betting needs.
Unibet will offer the spread as well as a host of alternate spreads designed for single-game parlay wagering.
If you’re not a spread bettor, Unibet also still has great odds on futures bets like Super Bowl champions, NFC, and AFC champions, plus props and totals for every game from the preseason to the Super Bowl.
Spread Bet Strategies
Steer clear of large ones.
Some teams will cover 12 points or more, but given the any-given-Sunday nature of the NFL, trusting a team to win by at least two touchdowns is a tall order — particularly given the prospect of the catastrophic back-door cover that dooms football bettors week-in and week-out during the fall.
The best betting strategy is to target value. Does a spread seem too low? Mash the favorite. Does a spread seem too high? Take the underdog.
Also keep in mind that if you’re willing to wager on a team to win outright at -140 that club would be extremely likely to cover two points at -110, which would lead to a more lucrative payout.
As always, do your homework. You don’t want to take a favorite to cover seven points with its backup quarterback. You don’t want to bet a road underdog who is missing a marquee player.
Spread Betting for Beginners
Start with a bet you love. Scared money rarely wins. Take a home favorite to cover a touchdown in what seems like a lopsided game. Or trust your gut and take an underdog to cover a large spread.
Take the most lucrative outcome that seems plausible.
If you want to wager on an underdog to lose by fewer than 1.5 points, take it to win at plus-money odds.
If you want to bet on a team to win outright, and it’s only a 2-point favorite, take it to cover that.
There are times when you’ll get hosed by a one-point win or a frustrating push, but generally, if a favorite wins it’ll win by at least three points.
Although we love Unibet, smart bettors will shop for the best odds across the sports-betting landscape, especially if you’re in a state where there are a dozen or more options for online sports betting. Unibet will sometimes have the best options.
But have fun and be responsible. Trial and error are your friends. You’ll make mistakes — we’ve all done it. You’ll win too. Have fun and enjoy the ride.
How to Calculate Spread Odds?
Spread odds in basketball and football are generally set at -110, or $0.91 profit for every $1 bet.
Hockey or baseball spread odds may be longer or shorter, depending on the likelihood of a team to cover and which side you intend to wager, since those spreads are almost always -1.5.
Hockey spread bets of -1.5 sometimes will carry odds as long as +200, or $2 profit for every $1 bet, since hotly contested regular-season and playoff games are almost always decided by one goal.
Baseball spread odds are usually between +100 and -120, though favorites can sometimes carry shorter odds if the game and pitching matchup appear lopsided.
Fortunately, Unibet, like every other sportsbook, will give bettors the exact odds and payout of their bets ahead of time, so they’ll know exactly what they’ll gain if they win.
Why Are Spreads a Good Bet?
If you believe a favorite will win you should think it will win by at least one score, which makes spread betting in football and basketball a more lucrative option.
Betting a favorite to win at -190, or $0.53 for every dollar wagered, delivers a far-less ROI than wagering on it to cover 5 points at -110, or $0.91 for every $1 bet.
Can Spreads Be a Bad Bet?
Gambling requires taking on inherent risks. Coaches coach their teams to win the game and not cover a specific point spread, and in football betting, it is almost ridiculous how perfect most spreads can be.
There’s no pain in sports betting quite like the backdoor cover against — when an underdog scores a garbage-time touchdown or goes on a late-game run in basketball to get inside the spread when the game is no longer in doubt.
I’ve seen first-hand examples of people who have lost thousands of dollars when a team wins but doesn’t cover the point spread, and the agony is palpable.
What Sports Are Available for Spreads?
All team sports where there are games will feature spreads.
Some sportsbooks will even offer spreads for playoff series matchups, like bettors could be enticed to cover 1.5 games or 2.5 games in a best-of-7 NBA or NHL series.
Is There Bet Insurance on Spreads?
Rarely. But if you use your initial second-chance bet wager on a spread bet, you’ll earn site credit back if your wager doesn’t win.
Sometimes sportsbooks will offer bet insurance if a team loses via backdoor cover — or a bad beat in the common vernacular — but that generally is not standard.
