If you were wager on the spread for the Patriots, they would need to win the game by 8 points or more. In the example above, the Patriots are favored by 7.5 points at home against the visiting Miami Dolphins, who are 7.5-point road underdogs. Teams are always listed with the home team on the bottom and the visiting team on top. A negative number (-) will always represent the favorite, while the positive (+) number shows which team is the underdog. This number is determined by an oddsmaker (or bookie). Every game has a favorite and an underdog of a certain amount of points. Point spreads (also known as lines, spreads or sides) are the most common type of NFL wager. NFL Odds & Betting Basics: Most Common Types of Wagers Point Spreads This article serves as a great tool to reference whenever you have a question about certain types of NFL bets. Betting on the NFL is extremely popular, but not everyone is aware of how to wager it or how many different types of bets are available to make.įor the uninitiated, all of this information can be a bit overwhelming and even a little confusing.