Definition of Alternate Spread

What does the term "alternate spread" mean in the world of sports betting? What is meant by an "alternate spread" when it comes to betting on the NFL?

If you know sports betting, you know that a typical spread for a NFL game might look like this:

New England, +7, -110
San Francisco, -7, -110

This means that you can either bet on New England while also receiving 7 points, or San Francisco while giving up 7 points. This is the spread.

With the "alternate spread", the spreads that you can bet on in a game change, as do the odds with each associated spread.

So, for instance, some alternate spreads for the New England vs San Francisco game might look something like this:

New England, +14, -275
San Francisco, -14, +225

New England, -7, +550
San Francisco, +7, -725

New England, -1, +325
San Francisco, +1, -425

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So, let's say that you think that New England is going to stun San Francisco on the road and win the game easily.

In this case, you might want to take the "alternate spread" of New England -7, as you would be looking at a very nice profit of $550 for every $100 wagered on the game.

On the other side of the equation, if you like the New England side but want an even better chance of winning your bet, you might want to take New England plus the 14 points at -275.

The flip side of taking more points, as you can see, is that the odds significantly worsen.

So, if you took the traditional line of New England +7, every $110 that you wagered on the game would potentially return $100.

By taking an extra 7 points, your potential return falls significantly, though the probability of winning the wager would increase dramatically.