Wouldn’t it at minimum have to be 1.5 points either direction?
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You also need to understand why books move spreads as bets come in. Ideally, books want to have the same amount of money on both sides of any bet. Books make their money by taking a cut of the winnings. For instance, if you bet $100, you typically will win $190. That $10 difference is the books profit. So, if you have the exact same total amount of money on both sides of a bet, then there is no risk and pretty much a guarantee of a profit.
Which this in mind, as bets come in, the book will adjust the spread to encourage bets to balance out. For instance, if a spread comes out as team A at -3 and 80% of the money comes in on team A to win, the line might get moved to -1, and then to +1, and will keep shifting until the $ amounts balance out. That is how you can end up with odd spreads.
Bookies change and move the line according to how bets are coming in. Different books will have different line depending on how their bets are stacked, and if/how they can lay off their bets.
It’s not unusual for a line to end in a whole number, the bet is just “pushed” if the outcome ends with the score equaling that line, with no money being exchanged either way.
.5 lines and “pick em” lines are possible as well. In a Pick em there is no spread.
Books will also offer other bets, including a money line that has no point spread, and often “props” bets, which can be based on coin flips, who scores first, etc….
Not at all. Suppose the Archangels are playing the Barbarians, and the spread is A +1 to win over B. If A wins by 1 point, then it is a push and the gambler gets their money back. If A wins by 2 or more points, they win the bet. If the game is a tie, or if B wins, then the bookie keeps the bet.
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