Buying points
What does "buying points" mean in sports betting?
Buying points means paying extra juice to move a spread or total in your favor, like turning -3 into -2.5.
You get a better number, but you pay a worse price, so your breakeven goes up. A half point is often priced at about 10 cents of extra juice, and many books charge more for half points around key NFL numbers like 3 and 7.
Buying points only helps if the extra cover chance is worth more than the extra cost. It matters most when the move crosses a key number.
Example
Moving -3 at -110 to -2.5 at -135 raises your breakeven from 52.38% to 57.45%, about 5.07 percentage points. The half point has to add more than that to your cover chance to be worth it.
Related terms
Alt line
An alt line (alternate line) is a spread, total or player prop set at a different number than the main line, with the price adjusted to match.
Point spread
The point spread is a handicap that evens out a matchup: the favorite has to win by more than the spread, and the underdog covers by losing by less than it or winning outright.
Hook
The hook is the half point on a spread or total, like the .5 in -3.5. It removes the chance of a push.
Teaser
A teaser is a parlay where you move the spread or total in your favor on every leg in exchange for a smaller payout.
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