The overall popularity of sports betting is on the rise. This industry generates billions and billions of dollars in revenue in just the US alone. As more and more sports fans look for ways to add a little action to the games they watch, understanding the basics of sports betting is the best way to make the most of this exciting and fun online activity.
When you bet on any sport or sporting event, your main goal is to win that bet.
Understanding Point Spreads
The pointspread and total line are the two most common ways to bet on football and basketball. When it comes to betting on baseball and hockey, the moneyline bet attracts the most interest. Regardless of how you bet on any game, you should first assess the possible outcomes.
Certain betting lines create the possibility of a tie at the end of a game. A common sports betting term for ties is PUSH. Using online sportsbook terminology, a PUSH implies that there is ‘no action’ on that particular bet. No action means that no money will exchange hands.
Push = A Tie
The easiest way that a bet on a football game can end as a PUSH is if the exact margin of victory is the same as the closing spread.
Pointspreads for football games tend to mirror the way points can be scored. Many times there will be a three point (field goal) or seven point ( touchdown plus an extra point) spread between the favorite and the underdog. If the favorite does go on to win that game by three points or seven points, the game will end as a PUSH.
What Is a Push in Betting?
The easiest way to avoid a PUSH on a football game spread is to add a half point to the actual spread. That is why you will often see a spread set at 3 ½ or 7 ½ points. In this case, it becomes impossible for any game to end as a PUSH. The added half point will determine the winner.
Totals and a Push
The total line in any sport can also end up as a PUSH.
For example, if the total for a baseball game is set at 10 and one team scores six runs and the other team scores just four, the total for that game would end as a PUSH. This is why you will often see total lines with the added half point. If the total for that baseball game was 10 ½, the game would have stayed UNDER.Related> Learn to Bet on Sports: What is a Pick’em?
Moneylines Will Never Result in a Push
The one bet that cannot end up as a PUSH is the moneyline bet.
This is used to designate the favorite and the underdog in a straight-up head-to-head matchup. You have to wager more to bet the favorite and you can win more than your wager betting on the underdog. The actual winner of the game determines the outcome of a moneyline bet.
The possibility that a game will end as a PUSH can be seen as a positive thing when betting on certain games. It can actually act as a hedge. If the spread in a football game is five points, the chances of it ending as a PUSH become harder since that is not a natural scoring difference in a game. If that spread would move to six points, the chances of a PUSH increase. While everyone wants to win their bet, a PUSH is a much more favorable outcome then a loss.
