Sports Betting - Buying Half Points
Nearly every sportsbook gives bettors the opportunity to buy half points on any game, which should tell you something right there. If it was so advantageous for bettors, the sportsbooks would not allow it.
In exchange for moving the point spread by half a point, bettors are forced to risk $12 to win $10, instead of the usual $11 to win $10. This will sometimes increase to $13 to win $10 if it is a football game and the half-point change affects the number three, by changing a spread of 2.5 or 3.5 to three or by taking a point spread of three and changing it to 2.5 or 3.5, depending if a person is betting on the underdog or the favorite.
Is Buying a Half Point a Smart Move?
The normal answer to the question is a resounding "no." It's difficult enough to win when laying 11-to-10 on a routine bet. By laying 12-to-10 a bettor must now win 54.55 percent of their games just to break even, as opposed to 52.38 percent when laying 11-to-10.
The only times a bettor should even consider buying a half point are when they like a 6.5-point underdog or when they like a 7.5-point favorite. There is an advantage to moving the point spread to seven points, provided you are only laying 12-to-10. Some sportsbooks are now charging extra when the move affects the number seven, just as they do with three.
The same would apply to a bettor liking a 2.5-point underdog or a 3.5-point favorite, but only if they can lay 12-to-10 and not the 13-to-10 odds some sportsbooks charge. Bettors laying 13-to-10 must win 56.52 percent of their wagers to break even. Most professional sports bettors would be happy to win 56.52 percent of their games.
One mistake many bettors make is to buy off of three or seven points, so that they can win instead of getting a push. In the long run, the extra juice bettors are forced to lay will erode any profits gained on those occasions where a team does win by three or seven, and then some. Buying half points should only be done to save potential losers, not create potential winners from ties.
