Purchasing the Half Point in NFL Betting

 

By Tom Wilkinson

 

One of the more fascinating sports betting statistical studies recently done regarding sports betting on pro football is that 60% of pro football games are decided by point margins of just 10 different numbers with three-point margins being the most common of all, (17%), with seven-point margins a distant second at 6%. At first glance a sports bettor about to make a sports betting wager on a pro football game with a sports betting line of three or seven points would seem to be inclined to purchase an extra half a point from his sportsbook or sports gambling house. But before a sports bettor surrenders an extra 10% juice to purchase that half a point on the sports betting line he should do some deeper sports betting research.

How often does that extra half a point actually help a sports bettor and is it worth a sports bettor’s extra juice purchased to have that extra half a point on the sports betting line in pro football wagering? A recent study reveals that when the closing sports betting line was six-points the favorite on the sports betting board either won by less than six points or lost outright 82 times. 93 times the six-point favorite won and covered the sports betting line. Five times the six-point favorite pushed which would have made the half-point purchase by a sports bettor worth it as a push would have become a win against the sports betting line with that extra half a point. The downside is when a sports bettor purchases that extra half a point and the 10% juice that comes with that purchase against the sports betting line. In our six-point scenario here the half point purchases produced an extra $500 for a sports bettor but that same sports betting payer would have lost $820 laying the extra juice for that half point against the sports betting line which makes for an overall loss to the sports bettor’s bankroll by purchasing the half a point every time on six-point pro football favorites against the sports betting line.

There are some sports betting line numbers, however, that have proven profitable for a sports bettor to purchase. sports bettors purchasing underdogs and an extra half a point from two ½, 3, and 9 ½ have profited against sportsbooks and online sports betting sites through the years as have sports bettors purchasing half points on favorites of 2 ½, 3, 3 ½, and 10 ½ points. Many sportsbooks in Vegas and some online sports betting sites no longer allow purchases from a 3-point sports betting line.