When you are betting on sports there are no half points when it comes to the score or points in the game, but there is when it comes to betting. Why is that?
Our half point betting calculator makes the process of deciding whether or not to buy half points easier. It presents you with the fair value for half point bets on your desired sport.
What Is A Half Point Calculator And Its Purpose Of Use?
The inclusion of half a point ensures the bet will either be a winning one or a losing one. Because there is no half point scoring in an actual game, if you include the .5 to your spread, it will always be higher or lower than your selected number.
Half point spread betting is used a lot in American Football especially the NFL. It has been calculated that the most popular winning margins in the NFL is by three, four and seven points. So, adding the hook of .5 makes it trickier for the punter.
Let’s say Buffalo Bills were playing the Miami Dolphins and the Bills were favourites to win by three points. If the score ended 21-18 to the Bills then the outcome of the bet would be a push and bettors of both sides of that wager would get their money back.
That is something the bookmakers do not want to happen, so they throw in the hook of a half point, making the bettors go for -3.5 on the spread. If they did that and the above scoreline happened and you backed the Bills then your bet would lose, but if you had Dolphins -3.5 the bet would be successful by half a point.
What Does Buying Points Mean In Half Point Betting?
When you are betting on spreads you will hear the term ‘buying points’. Using the above game example with the Bills taking on the Dolphins, if you have the Bills at -7, you could still get a push if they won by a touchdown.
Buying a half point would take the margin down to -6.5 which makes it fewer points to cover on your bet. When you buy points you will end up with slightly poorer odds which basically costs you money if you win as you will not be getting a higher payout. That is why it is called ‘buying points’.
Example Of Buying Points In The NFL
Keeping with the NFL, here is an example of what happens when you buy points and how it affects your bet.
Let’s take the 2024 Super Bowl as an example:
- San Francisco 49ers: +3 (11/20)
- Kansas City Chiefs: -3 (6/4)
You fancy the Chiefs to win, but you know it is the Super Bowl and things will be very close. You want to take the push out of the equation so you buy half a point and go with -3.5 instead of -3. This is what the odds will now look like.
- San Francisco 49ers: +3.5 (1/2)
- Kansas City Chiefs: -3.5 (7/4)
How Can I Buy Points?
Some online bookmakers will give you the option for you to buy points on your spread and are usually listed as ‘Alternative Spreads’. The option will appear in the betting slip and will show you your new odds.
Not all bookmakers offer that service. If they do not offer that, you can change your odds on the alternative spreads market. It is the same, but you are not literally buying points, you are just finding the right odds for you.
Main Purpose Of A Half Point Calculator
Using our half point sports betting calculator, bettors can get a good feel for what they need to do in terms of buying points.
In spread betting, you want to avoid the chances of your bet being a push. You should only be buying points if the odds are in your favour and you genuinely feel there is a benefit to it. By selecting odds with a .5 at the end will ensure there is no draw at all and essentially there will only be a winner and a loser.
This takes a lot of time and effort away from you in terms of finding out what is best for your bet. Make sure you understand the topic completely before risking any money.
How To Use Our Half Point Calculator
Using our half point betting calculator is quite simple. Just follow this step-by step guide and you should have no problems at all:
- Open up our half point sports betting calculator
- Check out the prices at the
best UK bookmakers
- Enter your spread and moneyline figures
- Press Calculate
- The calculator will work out the best prices going up .5 from your initial spread number
Here Is Our Half Point Calculator
Take your time to thoroughly look over our half point sports betting calculator. Once you get a feel for it and had a couple of test runs with your spread and moneyline totals, then do it for real ahead of your American Football bet.
Pros And Cons Of Buying Points
Pros & Cons
- Exciting to spread bet with longer odds
- Great for MLB and NHL due to rigid line
- Complicated for new bettors
- Long odds are enticing but become difficult to win
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Half Point Calculator FAQ
🧮 What Is A Half Point Betting Calculator?
Our half point calculator has been designed to help bettors compare the value of buying half a point on their spread bets.
🏈 What Sports Am I Best Using To Benefit From Half Points?
Half point betting is very popular in America, so you could use it for the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL and NCAAF. However, our half point sports betting calculator only works with the NFL at the moment.
❓ What Does Buying Points Mean?
Buying points is changing the odds of a spread bet. If you are backing a team at -7, you can buy half a point by making it -6.5. It will cost you in the long run because the odds are not as favourable.
