How spreads work
Suppose the Patriots are −6.5 vs the Bills at Sportsbook RI:
- Patriots −6.5 (−110): the Patriots must win by 7 or more.
- Bills +6.5 (−110): the Bills must lose by 6 or fewer, or win outright.
The Patriots could win the game and still lose your bet — a 27–24 final means the Patriots won, but the Bills "covered" the spread.
Why −110 is everywhere
Both sides of a standard spread are usually priced at −110: you risk $110 to win $100. That extra $10 is the sportsbook’s vig. To break even at −110, you need to win 52.4% of your bets. Anything above that is profit.
Key numbers in the NFL
NFL games are decided by certain margins more often than others, because of the scoring structure (3, 6, 7 points). The most important are:
- 3 — roughly 15% of NFL games end with a 3-point margin (the field goal)
- 7 — touchdown + extra point
- 10 — TD + FG
- 14 — two TDs
"Buying the hook" means moving the spread off a key number (e.g., from −3 to −2.5) by paying worse odds. Sometimes worth it; usually not.
Pushes
If a spread lands exactly on the margin (Patriots −3 win by exactly 3), the bet is a push and your stake is returned. Sportsbook RI uses the line at the time you placed the bet, not the closing line, so if you took −3 at noon and the spread moved to −3.5 by kickoff, your ticket is still graded against −3.
Half-point hooks
A spread of −3.5 is meaningfully different from −3. Half-point hooks eliminate the push possibility — but in NFL games where 3-point margins are common, you’ll pay extra juice (often −120 or worse) to get them.
Live spreads
Spreads update in real time during games. If the Celtics are favored by 7 pre-game and go down 8 at halftime, the live spread will flip — the Celtics might become +3 or +4 underdogs against the spread. Live spreads are how sharps exploit overreactions to early scoring.
Alternate spreads
Sportsbook RI also offers alternate spreads — pay more juice to take a more favorable number. For example, instead of Patriots −6.5 at −110, you can take Patriots −2.5 at −180 (better spread, worse odds) or Patriots −10.5 at +120 (worse spread, better odds).