If you pick a team that is listed at +5.5 points, it must lose by five points or less or win the game outright for it to produce a winning bet. It happens all the time where a team might lose the game, but produce a winning bet because it covered the spread. The reason there are point spreads is to make the two teams equal in terms of which one may produce the winning payout. It's called laying the points when you pick the favorite and taking the points when you bet on the underdog.

If neither team is favored, the points spread will be listed as even or a pick.īetting against the spread is one of the most popular ways of betting on football games.

If you see a plus sign, that team is the underdog. When you see a minus sign next to a team it is considered the favorite to win the game. When you see an NFL game in which the +5.5 appears next to the name of a team, it is referring to the points spread and the team that is considered the underdog in a game.