Alternative spread in betting: how adjusted lines work and when to use them

Learn How to Use the Alternative Spread in Betting: A Guide to the Adjusted Lines. There are few features of online sportsbooks as widely recognized and as poorly understood as the alternative spread in betting. A lot of people understand the concept of alternate lines of a point spread but very few understand how the alternative spread in betting is generated. In this feature we will explain the buying and selling of points on the alternative spread in betting, discuss the rules of the alternative spread in betting by sport and then move on to advanced usage of the alternative lines. We will be discussing how to use the spread in betting to achieve a balance of risk and return and how the player can seek out expected value by using the lines of the alternative spread in betting.

A simple explanation of alternative spreads

An alternative spread in betting, also known as an alternate line or points, is a sports bet that is placed using an altered point spread. The point spread is the amount by which one team is expected to win a game. The standard point spread is typically set by the sportsbook and is also referred to as the lines for a game. Alternate lines or points allow bettors to bet on the same game but with a spread that is different from the standard lines for the game. By betting an alternate line, a bettor can purchase points (make the spread more in their favour) or sell points (make the spread less in their favour).

How adjusted spreads work in sports betting

A simple example of a standard spread would be a Kansas City Chiefs vs Los Angeles Chargers football match with a point spread of 7, with both sides having odds of -110. When an alternative spread is created for a football match, the cost for moving the line up or down by half-points is not linear. Some numbers are “key” and historically there have been far more games that end up on these numbers than others. For example, historically there have been far more games that have ended with a score of 3-0 than 4-0, so crossing from 3 to 7 would be much more expensive than crossing from 4 to 7. As you move the spread up or down to buy points, you are giving the sportsbook more margin for error. Also, the additional alternate lines will have increased odds; alternate lines are not created equally, and as you move up or down in half-points, the increased juice will typically increase the sportsbook’s house edge.

Below, we explain how alternative spreads work in practice, with a detailed example for a fictional match-up between two National Football League sides.

Here’s an example of a point spread bet on an upcoming football game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Buffalo Bills along with some alternative point spreads:

As you can see, you are making this bet safer by requiring the Chiefs to win by more than 3.5 points as opposed to more than 7 points in the initial spread. In order to win this bet, the Chiefs would have to win a game such as 22-19. Your $100 bet would then earn you a $50 profit on your initial investment.

This type of wager is referred to as selling points. In the given example, a -10.5 spread for the favourite with odds of +180 for a $100 bet would rise to a $180 win.

When it makes sense to adjust the spread

If you have put your money on a losing bet or you feel that you are winning by too little, then buying points on an alternate spread will make your bet safer. Your returns will be less than if you had put your money on the original spread but you can avoid a losing bet. Conversely, an alternate spread can also increase returns on a bet that you believe is winning by too much. If you believe your model has given you the right edge on a game, then alternate lines can increase your returns.

Protecting a bet with safer lines

It also can be used to protect a bet that you like in a game. For example, let’s say you like the San Francisco 49ers in a game against the Seattle Seahawks. You think the 49ers are a good bet at +3. To protect the bet, you could buy points up to +6.5. This would make the 49ers an underdog in the game, but you believe that they will win the game handily. Buying points usually lowers your expected value as you are paying a high premium for the safety of points.

Increasing value with riskier margins

For those who believe a team is going to win by a large margin, they can try to sell points to receive a higher return on their investment. However, in order to have a successful bet with point spreads, one must have a large enough bankroll to absorb the increased risk that comes with betting. You must determine the score of the game, and that edge must be further from the standard.

Using alternate lines in parlays

An alternate lines feature can also be a great feature when creating parlays. If, for example, you are looking to play a parlay and the standard lines for the spread do not provide enough value for you to consider placing a bet, you can look to shop for alternate lines for individual legs of the parlay to attempt to increase value. As an example, an alternate lines feature for an NFL game could include the ability to purchase points on the spread or sell points on the spread in order to increase value on a proposed bet. A word of caution in using the alternate lines feature is to be careful when creating a Same Game Parlay (SGP) because sportsbooks use correlation-aware pricing models. This means that even if you purchase points on the alternate spread for a game, for example, the sportsbook will still correlate that with player props for the same game, thus decreasing the payout for the parlay more than expected.

See also: What does Spread mean in Betting? Understanding point spreads and how to bet them

Alternative spread vs standard spread: key differences

How alternative lines are used in different sports

The ways in which lines are altered in order to generate scores in various markets across a multitude of sports can vary greatly from sport to sport, often depending upon official rules of governing bodies as well as game-specific rules. You can utilise the information above in order to gain a better edge in a number of different sports.

Football (NFL and college football)

An alternative spread in a football match is different from an Asian handicap line in soccer, because football is a sport with fixed score differentials between two teams. Therefore, most scores in football are on so-called “key numbers” such as 3, 6, 7 or 10 points. The probability that a team crosses from a 3-point deficit to a 7-point deficit for example, is huge. For this reason points over 3 or 7 are very aggressively priced and the alternative spread is very often offered in football at most online sportsbooks. Scores in football are usually included with overtime in the final score.

Basketball (NBA)

The points for basketball will typically have a poor expected value but the amount of times you can expect to win in any number of wagers will have some degree of influence as it does in football. As in football, there will be points for basketball where the expected value is higher than others. Alternate lines for basketball are typically available at lines shops within United States sportsbooks. Some of the lines shops will include overtime in their offering of the spread for basketball. The amount of overtime included varies from sportsbook to sportsbook, as a general rule it’s best to confirm with the sportsbook prior to placing a wager.

Soccer and low-scoring sports

Soccer: Asian handicaps, large swings in push/wins due to large margins of handicap (e.g. -0.5, -1.5) which are typically counted in alternate lines, unless sportsbook states otherwise. Also note that in low-scoring soccer, the 0 in alternate lines is typically counted. Extra time and penalty shootouts typically are only included in alternate lines for most sports as stated by major US-regulated sportsbooks.

Strategy tips for using adjusted spreads

• Line Shop: When purchasing an alternate spread always buy the line at the lowest juice from all of the sportsbooks offering the spread that you wish to bet.
• Respect Key Numbers in football: Don’t overpay to hit a number that’s generally considered a “dead number” in football. Numbers like 8 or 9 rarely end up being the margin of victory.
• Understand Expected Value: The act of buying points will lower your expected value. However, if you have a tangible edge, then selling points can increase your return on investment.

FAQs

What is an alternative spread in betting?

An alternative spread in betting, also known as an alternate line, is a sports bet that is placed using an altered point spread compared to the standard line.

How do alternative spreads work?

Buying points on an alternate line reduces the payout of your bet. Selling points on an alternate line increases the payout of your bet.

Are alternative spreads better than standard spreads?

No, the lines that include alternate spreads are typically offered at lower payout odds (i.e. worse) than the ‘best’ line for a given point spread that does not include alternate spreads.

Can you use alternative spreads in parlays?

Alternate lines can be used to create parlays including Same Game Parlays (SGPs). As lines for an SGP are calculated using correlation algorithms to generate the highest payout for a player, alternate lines will typically result in lower overall payouts for an SGP than standard lines.

Do all sportsbooks offer alternative lines?

In the majority of regulated sportsbooks, alternate lines will be offered; however, the depth of the alternate lines menu offered by a particular sportsbook, along with the points that can be ‘bought’ or ‘sold’ can vary greatly from book to book.

See also: What does over/under mean in betting? A complete guide to totals betting