1North American A forecast of the number of points by which a stronger team is expected to defeat a weaker one, used for betting purposes.
‘Straight betting means wagering on a team winning or losing-bucking the odds in baseball or betting against the point spread in football and basketball.’
‘Bet against any pro football team that is attempting to cover the point spread for the second straight game as a road favorite.’
‘In the second experiment they were also asked to estimate the probability that a specific NBA team beat the point spread in an earlier game.’
‘But how can you bet on football without the point spread?’
‘What I am pointing out is that people who study the game can prefigure and hypothesize, with a fair degree of accuracy, who will win (and more importantly, cover the point spread, as in football) on a somewhat regular basis.’
‘We have won every game with a massive point spread.’
‘You are thinking of covering the point spread and they have their minds on scoring titles, parties, and big cars.’
‘The only time that the basketball bettor is very vulnerable to luck is the last 30 seconds of the game - and only if the contest is hanging around the point spread at the time.’
‘But the bottom-line truth is professional football wouldn't be nearly as popular as it is without a point spread.’
‘Upsets are in the eye of the beholder and signify only that the bookies had the wrong point spread.’
‘We have consultants that provide us with what they feel the point spread should be.’
‘A few upsets aside it had to be a simpler matter than ever before, analyzing whether one team would beat the other by the Las Vegas driven point spread.’
‘So… we need to win the game tomorrow and just hope that the point spread goes in our favor.’
‘As for beating the point spread, Steven is right to note this example of selection bias in journalists, who tend to frame everything as a horse race where relative standings matter more than finishing times.’
‘If you follow skating closely, I am sure you have seen examples where a skater in the last warm-up has fallen out of the top ten, in which case there would be a larger point spread to keep track of.’
‘Maybe we should ask her the point spread of the Super Bowl.’
‘The point spread is still tight and it will be a good battle between these two in the final two World Cups.’
‘This went on for a few years, with me just rooting for the point spread and some extra cash.’
‘How everything else becomes closed off to the gambler and they see only the spinning numbers or tumbling dice or point spread.’
‘Football point spreads are easier for the masses to understand.’
2Physics Physiology The spread of energy from a point source, especially with respect to light coming into an optical instrument or eye.
Are You Learning English? Here Are Our Top English Tips