When you bet with the spread it means you are taking the favorite to win and cover the spread. There are two types of against the spread betting, the first is betting with the spread and the second is betting against the spread. A bettor wins his bet on the “Favorite” if the team wins the game by more points than the “spread or line”, the opposite is true for the “Underdog” where the bettor wins if the team loses by less than the spread or wins the game outright. The betting Favorite is considered the better team and listed with a Minus (-) sign while the Underdog is listed with a Plus (+) sign. The point spread is a number aka the “betting line” set by bookmakers at the sportsbook which is intended to even the playing field between two teams and give a reason for bettors to bet on either side of the game. One of the most popular types of sports betting is betting against the spread also known as ATS. On the other hand, for underdogs, it means they must either win the game outright or lose by fewer points than the spread to win the bet. It refers to a type of wager where you are not simply betting on a team to win or lose a game but rather on their performance concerning a point spread set by the sportsbook.įor favorites, ‘against the spread’ means they must win by a margin greater than the spread for your bet to be successful. “‘Against the spread,’ often abbreviated as ATS, is a popular term in sports betting.