Spread betting - less effort and more fun!

Spread betting is a system of betting that has gained wide popularity in the U.K. The basic proposition of this type of betting is that one can still win (or lose) even if the team that he has bet on wins (or loses) if the outcome of the game falls within (or without) an offered range (or spread). Another version of the proposition of spread betting is that one can win if he can predict the result of a particular team’s score from a minimum or maximum perspective.

A simple example of spread betting is when, during a basketball game, a bet is made on a spread of 5 points on a team that is predicted to lose. If the predicted loser’s score plus the spread of 5 points is greater than the predicted winner’s score, the bettor of the predicted loser will win the bet. On the other hand, one who bets on the predicted winner and accepts the spread (or give the points) will need to beat the predicted winner by more than 5 points to actually win the bet.

In the example above, the bookmaker (the person or organization that acts like the “bank” in a betting situation, i.e., he or it collects and guarantees all bets made through him or it.) collects all bets made in spread betting in case the two teams tie (i.e., the score of the predicted loser plus the spread is equal to a the score of the predicted winner, resulting to neither the bettor of the predicted loser nor the bettor of the predicted winner winning anything).

The chances of this event happening, however, are inequitably lower than that of either bettor from the perspective of the bookmaker. To increase his chances of getting all the money placed in the spread betting, the bookmaker will offer a range within which no one wins. For example, in the game of cricket, a bookmaker may offer a spread of 300 to 320, representing the minimum to maximum runs that a particular team can score during an inning.

Those who think that the team will score below the minimum number of innings (i.e., 300) will be in what is known as a Sell situation, while those who think that the team will score more than the maximum will be in a Buy situation. If the score falls within the spread, then only the bookmaker will be happy since both Buy and Sell bettors will lose. This is the most common type of spread betting that bookmakers offer.

Once a bettor has decided whether to take a spread betting Buy or Sell position on a particular game, then the next thing to do is determine how much to bet per point. Using the cricket example above, if the bettor takes a Buy position (i.e., he is betting that the team will not be able to score more than 300 runs in an inning) and bets £2 per run, then he will win £2 per run below 300. In case, however, the team scores more than 300 runs in one inning, the bettor will lose £2 for every run above it. Why don’t try out Bwin.com online betting?