Betting on sports is a heart racing, emotional rollercoaster that delivers a thrill very few things in life can. It’s a fickle beast that is hard to tame, but for those who have experienced the excitement of wagering on a game and winning, there are few feelings more satisfying.
Imagine now that you could amplify that feeling, not necessarily by out laying more cash, but by betting in a whole new exciting way. Welcome to PointsBetting!
What is PointsBetting? A form of spread betting brought to the US by the PointsBet Sportsbook. Instead of the payout being based on a fixed odds win-lose scenario, it is determined by the accuracy of the bet. For example, a bettor wagers on a 3 point favorite in the NFL and the team wins by 7 points. The bettor will receive a greater payout as their bet was ‘more right’.
How Does PointsBetting Actually Work?
PointsBetting is based on a betting style called spread betting. Spread betting takes place on binary markets (50/50 outcomes) such as points totals, points handicaps and individual player performances (eg total yards). Pointsbet offers countless PointsBetting markets across the major US sports. This includes the NBA, NFL, MLB and the NHL. Often there are upward of 100 PointsBetting markets to choose from in any one game.
So What is The Spread?
The ‘spread’ in the spread betting name, is fundamental to the whole betting style. It refers to the difference between the ‘over’ and ‘under’ or as the investing world calls it the ‘Bid and Ask’. It’s a two-way price quotation which represents a different threshold for both the over and under line on a particular betting market.
Let’s look at an example from the NFL seen in the below image:
Focussing on the Match Line, the Arizona Cardinals are the underdog and are being offered 8.5 points (+8.5). This means, for that bet to pay, the cardinals must either win the game outright or not lose by 9 or more points.
On the flipside the San Francisco 49ers are laying 10.5 points (-10.5) meaning they must win the game outright by 11 or more points for this bet to pay.
The difference between the upper and lower limits of the Match Line is two points (ie 10.5 – 8.5 = 2). This 2 points is the spread!
The spread represents the numerical gap between the lower and upper spread limits. These limits are the threshold that bettors need to ‘beat’ either under or over to win their bet.
The size of the spread will differ depending on the volatility of the market but at the end of the day the size of the spread should not be the focus for any bettor.
The only question a bettor needs to answer is ‘can their wager beat the threshold number? If the answer is yes, then the next step is simple. Get on!
How is PointsBetting Different to the Traditional Point Spread?
In traditional point spread betting (fixed odds) the handicap line is identical for both sides of the market but the fixed price odds will be somewhere in the vicinity of -110 meaning a bettor does not quite double their money. In the above example the traditional point spread was set at +/- 10 points.
In PointsBetting, the spread accounts for the bookmakers juice or vig, but the bettor will receive +100 odds (double their money) should they beat the spread (ie no bookmaker vig on odds). This is quite enticing for a gambler as its is much better than the -110 on the traditional points handicap.
As can be seen in the above example various spreads are evident for other featured markets. The spread on Kyla Murray’s passing yards is set between 207 and 217 yards (difference of 10 yards). This is higher than the 2 point spread on the Match Line because quite obviously passing yards markets see much more volatility. While the larger spread gives some more leeway for the PointsBet sportsbook, the 10 yard spread is still very generous for the bettor.
How Much Can You Win PointsBetting?
What makes Poinstbetting so enticing for the bettor is that the payout is not set, nor is the loss. Unlike fixed price betting, where a set amount is won or lost regardless of how easily the bet won, in PointsBetting the degree of win or loss dictates the amount paid out or forfeited. Heaven for a bettor with a solid tolerance for risk!
How can an open ended win/loss figure be a thing? Well it’s quite simple.
If you bet on a PointsBetting market, your payout will be the amount by which you beat the line multiplied by your stake.
Therefore if you bet $100 on a QB Passing Yards market and your player beats the yardage figure by 5 yards you will receive 5 times your stake. That is $500. Nice little return!
The opposite to this however, is if your player underperforms and misses the yardage line. In this case, your loss is not just the amount you bet, but that amount multiplied by the point value of the beat. If you bet $100 dollars and miss the yardage by 9 yards, your down $900.
The following example explains this further. Imagine you are betting on the Match Line on the following NBA game:
In this game the Match Line number has the 76ers laying 9 points and the Timberwolves getting 7 points. The following wager was placed:
| $20 – Philadelphia 76ers PointsBetting Match Line (-9) |
Some of the possible scenarios that may play out are as follows:
| 76ers Win By: | Match Line Payout Calculation(Points Line + Winning Margin) x Stake = Payout | Profit |
| 7 | (-9 + 7) x $20 | -$60 |
| 8 | (-9 + 8) x $20 | -$40 |
| 9 | (-9 + 9) x $20 | -$20 |
| 10 | (-9 + 10) x $20 | $20 |
| 11 | (-9 + 11) x $20 | $40 |
| 12 | (-9 + 12) x $20 | $60 |
| 20 | (-9 + 20) x $20 | $220 |
As can be seen above, things get very interesting very quickly! A junk time three pointer that takes the 76ers winning margin from 8 points to 11 changes the outcome for the bettor from a $20 loss to a $40 win. A huge swing when the initial bet size was just $20!
Likewise the opposite can occur. The payout is simply not set until the final buzzer. If that is not going to keep you on the edge of your seat, then I don’t know what is.
What Happened to the Half Point?
Interestingly when PointsBetting, the half point of ‘hook’ is not offered as often as other forms of handicap/line betting. The reason being it has less relevance. In traditional handicap betting there is actually no spread but instead a line. The hook serves to ensure that the final result will fall either side of the line. There is no need for this in PointsBetting since the ‘over’ and ‘under’ thresholds are not the same, there is no chance of a ‘tie’. You either finish above or below the respective threshold or you don’t.
Risk v Reward – Its Changes Depending on the Market!
It is clear that PointsBetting is a higher risk form of betting and as such the potential for a larger reward is always evident. So too is the risk of a painful loss. The simple fact is, the risk/reward ratio is NOT the same for every PointsBetting market!
The fluctuation in the level of risk a bettor is taking on is based on the sport and the market they choose within that sport. The reason for this is the amount of variance that can occur within each sport’s measurable statistics.
For instance, take scoring in the NFL compared to the NBA. The recent average points per game in the NFL is 48 points (it varies constantly) and for the NBA its roughly 220 points. Clearly they are not comparable and therefore the manner in which they are viewed when PointsBetting is also different.
The stark difference in scoring rate means that just in the Total Match Points markets alone, the NBA is a far more volatile and therefore more risky proposition than the NFL. In fact the max win/loss multiple on the NBA Total Match Points market is x50 compared to x40 on the NFL. Clearly you can win more and lose more betting on that specific market in the NBA. The Risk V Reward ratio changes, for better or worse, depending on your point of view.
Essentially the PointsBetting market you choose defines the level of risk you take on. The table below compares various risk levels for common betting markets. The risk is based on the maximum win/loss multiple per market.
| Sport | Market | Minimum Win/Loss Multiple | Maximum Win/Loss Multiple | Stop Loss Available? |
| NFL | ||||
| Match Line | x10 | x50 | YES | |
| First Half Lines | x35 | x35 | NO | |
| Total Match Points | x10 | x40 | YES | |
| Team Match Points | x30* | x30* | NO | |
| Total Touchdowns | x8 | x8 | NO | |
| Match Touchdown Minutes | x181 | x300 | NO | |
| Match Rushing Yards | x200 | x200 | NO | |
| NBA | ||||
| Match Line | x10 | x50 | YES | |
| First Half Line | x10 | x30 | YES | |
| Total Match Points | x10 | x50 | YES | |
| Individual Team Points | x10 | x35 | YES | |
| Individual Player Points | x25 | x25 | NO | |
| Individual Player Pts X Ass | x166 | x400 | NO | |
| NHL | ||||
| Match Line | x10 | x10 | NO | |
| Total Match Goals | x10 | x10 | NO | |
| Individual Team Goals | x10 | x10 | NO |
MULTIPLIERS VARY TO SUIT INDIVIDUAL CIRCUMSTANCE. ALWAYS REVIEW THE PARAMETERS OF YOUR BET AND WEIGH UP THE RISK EXPOSURE BEFORE WAGERING.
*Note: In the case of the Team Points market (and markets like that) if a team is offered an over line of say, 23 points, the maximum loss multiplier will be set at 23 because it’s clearly impossible for the team to score below zero. The bet can only lose by a maximum of 23 points. The upper side multiplier may still be set at a maximum of x30 as strictly speaking there is no real ceiling to the amount of points they may score.
Likewise the opposite is true for the bettor taking an under total (eg 21). The maximum multiplier is set by the total as a team cannot go under that total by any more than 21 points. The maximum loss may still be set at x30.
So If You Can Lose More Than You Bet What Happens to Your Bankroll?
This is a great question! Whenever a PointsBetting wager is placed PointsBet will withhold an amount of money from your account to help cover potential losses. Funnily enough this is officially referred to as the ‘withheld amount’. The withheld amount is a percentage of the total potential loss and this percentage varies depending on the volatility of the market the bet was placed on.
For instance a bettor may have decided on taking a Match Line Bet on an NFL game. Typically the withheld amount on this bet type will be somewhere in the vicinity of 50% of total potential losses. That is for a $10 bet and a risk multiplier of x50, the bettor could potentially lose $500 (unlikely but strictly speaking possible). The withheld amount would therefore be 50% of the $500 which is $250.
The withheld amount must be present in the bettor’s account at the time of placing the bet or the bet will not be accepted. After the bet is placed the withheld amount is unavailable to be used on any other market until the bet is settled.
Let’s imagine for a minute the worst case scenario played out and the bettor in the above example was crushed by the full x50 loss. If this were to occur the withheld amount will be forfeited. As that is only half of the loss, the remainder of the owed amount will be debited from the bettors account. If the bettor does not have the required amount available, unresulted pending bets held by that account may be used to make up the difference.
Do not be fearful of the potential for losses greater than your original stake. Just be aware of your exposure and go with a stake that fits your risk profile.
For more detail on this process check out the PointsBetting Terms and Conditions.
Why You Should Try PointsBetting? – Three Ways To Win
1. An Entry Point for All Bettors
The large variation that exists in the PointsBetting ‘max win’ and ‘max loss’ multipliers provides an entry point for all bettors. Those who are more risk averse, that is, prefer less risk, can access markets with smaller max loss thresholds. For example the NHL Match Line where the max loss is x10 the stake.
Those bettors who seek out greater risk can sink their teeth into more volatile markets such as the Match Rushing Yards in the NFL where the maximum exposure can be as high as x200. A max loss would be total wipeout for anyone betting 0.5% of their bankroll but the incentive to win big is ever enticing.
The Take Home: There is a PointsBetting market to suit every type of sports bettor. Start by staking much smaller than you standard fixed price bet size. This will decrease your exposure and give you time to better learn some of the intricacies of PointsBetting.
2. The Stop Loss: Manage the Risk!
There is no doubt about it, the PointsBetting style involves more risk than traditional sports betting. That being said, just like all other forms of sports betting, those who succeed long term are masters at managing their exposure to risk. Thankfully the good folk at Pointsbet have created a mechanism where bettors can reduce their exposure to a particular market if they feel the need. It’s called the Stop Loss.
The theory behind the stop loss has its foundations in traditional stock market investing. A stop loss is essentially a safety net set up to automatically cash out a stock position when a particular negative price is hit. The purpose is to prevent the investor taking a massive hit if the stock price was to dive dramatically. It’s all about managing risk!
The PointsBetting stop loss follows the same principal in that a bettor can reduce the potential losses by putting a limit on the multiplier. For example if the max win/loss threshold for a particular market was x50 a bettor could use the stop loss to reduce that figure to as small as x10. Clearly this reduces risk exposure and can be suited to match the appetite of the bettor.
The stop loss is not available on all markets.
The Take Home: The big advantage of the stop loss is the peace of mind that comes from managing risk and knowing what your overall liability will be, but be wary.The stop loss limits potential winnings as well. The price of peace of mind could be forgoing a bumper profit. Think it through and do what feels right for you.
3. The Narrow Focus
One of the great joys of betting on sports happens when analysis and intuition come together to uncover a winner at long odds and deliver a big cash windfall. In traditional betting this often leads to the parlay. PointsBetting offers an alternative to a multi-leg parlay where the bettor can narrow their focus to just one market without forgoing the chance of a large payout.
Being able to focus on one market gives the bettor more time to delve deep into their analysis and truly get to know the bet they are about to place. The narrowed focus can ultimately pay off big time as with PointsBetting the more right you are, the more you win.
The Take Home: If you enjoy Parlay betting, consider a PointsBetting investment as an alternative. Often when betting parlays, bettors will throw an extra leg into the mix, without due diligence, simply to boost the return. PointsBetting rewards due diligence by paying bettors for being right.
A Bettor’s Approach To PointsBetting:
| The Steps | Get it Done! |
| Pick a Bet | Use research and follow your personal betting rules. Include the concept of value when making betting decisions. The fundamentals that work in traditional betting will work here. |
| Set Targets | Set the upside and downside targets based on your stop loss. If no stop loss is available be clear on the volatility of the market and the max win/loss level. |
| Calculate Your Risk v Reward | Be clear on how much you could win and how much you could lose. Compare the potential loss to your bankroll to ensure it suits your risk appetite. |
| Choose Stake | Based on Step 3 make a decision about your stake. Ensure you have the bankroll to meet ‘withheld amount’ requirements. Assess opportunity cost if funds are tied up waiting for this bet to be settled. |
| Place the Bet | Buckle up and hang on! |
The Game Starts Now!
PointsBetting is innovative and exciting. It brings a new dimension to mobile and online sports betting that is sure to captivate new and experienced bettors alike. Do yourself a favor and check out PointsBetting from the PointsBet Sportsbook.
