Against the spread
Against the Spread is a betting term used to describe a wager placed on a point spread. It can also be used to refer to an individual team's record throughout the season when factoring their respective spread for each game. The term against the spread is often abbreviated as ATS.
Betting against the spread
Placing a bet against the spread implies wagering on a team's point spread. Oddsmakers set spreads in order to counter the perceived skill difference between competing teams. This provides bettors with balanced odds that will yield closer to an even return on their money. Betting against the spread is popular in American football and basketball but is normally available for all team sports.
Favorite
The team that is perceived to be better is known as the favorite. Oddsmakers assign this team a negative point spread. In order to win a bet against the spread the favorite needs to win by more points than the set number.
In the NFL match below the San Francisco 49ers are favored to win. Their point spread is set at -10 (with -110 American odds). In order to win a bet on the 49ers against the spread they would need to beat their opponent by 11 or more points. Winning by exactly 10 points would result in a push, and the bet is refunded to the customer.
| Team | Spread | Total | Moneyline | |
|
Atlanta Falcons | +10 (-110) | Over 49.0 (-110) | +380 |
|
San Francisco 49ers | -10 (-110) | Under 49.0 (-110) | -475 |
Underdog
The team that is perceived to be worse is referred to as the underdog. Their point spread will be the same number as that of the favorite except positive. In order to win a bet against the spread the underdog needs to either win straight-up, or lose by a margin that is smaller than the set number.
Using the same example as before the Atlanta Falcons are underdogs with +10 (with -110 odds). To win a bet on the Falcons against the spread they need to win the game straight-up or lose by 1-9 points. Losing by exactly 10 points would result in a push and the bet refunded.
| Team | Spread | Total | Moneyline | |
|
|
Atlanta Falcons | +10 (-110) | Over 49.0 (-110) | +380 |
|
|
San Francisco 49ers | -10 (-110) | Under 49.0 (-110) | -475 |
Against the spread records
The term against the spread can also refer to a team's record when factoring their point spread for each respective game. Through Week 11 of the 2019-20 NFL season the Arizona Cardinals had a 3-7-1 straight-up record (SU). However they managed a more impressive 7-3-1 record against the spread (ATS).
| Home | Away | Spread | Final | SU Record | ATS Record | ||
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Arizona Cardinals | 
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Detroit Lions | +2.5 | 27-27 Tie | 0-0-1 | 1-0-0 |
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Baltimore Ravens |
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Arizona Cardinals | +13 | 23-17 Baltimore | 0-1-1 | 2-0-0 |
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Arizona Cardinals | 
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Carolina Panthers | -2 | 38-20 Carolina | 0-2-1 | 2-1-0 |
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Arizona Cardinals | 
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Seattle Seahawks | +5.5 | 27-10 Seattle | 0-3-1 | 2-2-0 |
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Cincinnati Bengals |
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Arizona Cardinals | +3 | 26-23 Arizona | 1-3-1 | 3-2-0 |
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Arizona Cardinals |
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Atlanta Falcons | +3 | 34-33 Arizona | 2-3-1 | 4-2-0 |
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New York Giants |
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Arizona Cardinals | +3.5 | 27-21 Arizona | 3-3-1 | 5-2-0 |
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New Orleans Saints |
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Arizona Cardinals | +12.5 | 31-9 New Orleans | 3-4-1 | 5-3-0 |
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Arizona Cardinals |
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San Francisco 49ers | +10 | 28-25 San Francisco | 3-5-1 | 6-3-0 |
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
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Arizona Cardinals | +5.5 | 30-27 Tampa Bay | 3-6-1 | 7-3-0 |
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San Francisco 49ers |
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Arizona Cardinals | +10 | 36-26 San Francisco | 3-7-1 | 7-3-1 |