How Does Points Betting Work?
As I mentioned, points determine how much you win or lose in the points bets system. If your prediction wins by ten points, then your payout will be 10X your stake. Conversely, if the final result is 10 points less than your predicted outcome, your loss will also be 10X your wager.
So, let’s consider an example. Let’s say you’re betting $10 on the Los Angeles Lakers as the favorite to win a basketball game at a line of -10. This means the Lakers must win by 10 points. If the team wins by day 13 points, that’s three points more than the predicted outcome. In this case, you would win $30 ($10 × 3). However, if they win by day 6 points, that’s four less than predicted, and you’d lose $40 ($10 × 4).
To wager on betting points, start by first determining your stake point. It could be 0.5, 1, 2, 5, etc., The next step is to choose a betting market. There are over 200 markets where you can use the point system. These cut across totals, handicaps, prop bets, etc. Once you know what you’re betting on, you then determine your wager amount, and you’ll have the option to set the maximum win or loss, where the bet closes.
Below is a table that better illustrates the points system:
| Stake point |
$5 wager |
$10 wager |
$20 wager |
|
0.5 point
|
$2.5
|
$5
|
$10
|
|
1 point
|
$5
|
$10
|
$20
|
|
2 points
|
$10
|
$20
|
$40
|
|
2.5 points
|
$12.5
|
$25
|
$100
|
To explain this process better, let’s consider an example of points in hockey betting. Let’s say we place a $10 prop bet on Andrei Vasilevskiy to make over 20 saves for the Tampa Bay Lightning. If Vasilevskiy makes 25 saves, it means the actual result is 5 points more than what we predicted. If our chosen stake point is 0.5, then the total payout for this bet will be $25 (5×0.5×$10). Similarly, the total payout will be $50 (1×5×$10) when you use one stake point, $100 for two stake points, and $125 when the stake point is 2.5.
What Is a Betting Bank?
An essential factor you must consider before placing wagers on point spreads is your betting bank. This is the money that you have earmarked for betting. Having a predetermined betting bank is important in sports betting because it helps guide your spending. It is even more vital when you consider the risky nature of point wagers.
Ordinarily, betting on points requires you to have more funds in your betting account than in the traditional odds betting system. This is because your potential win or loss is not fixed but fluctuates based on how the game progresses. PointsBet, with the point system, will usually require a higher balance in your account to ensure you can cover any significant loss. So, although you may be placing a $1 bet, the sportsbook may hold $50 if that’s the equivalent of the maximum loss of your wager. It is also safe to assume that all top sports betting sites that adopt this betting type will follow the same route.
For example, if you bet $10 per point on a team to win by 10 points, and they lose by 10 points, you’d lose $200 (20 points × $10). This means you must have had a minimum of $200 in your betting account. To limit outrageous losses, it is, therefore, advisable to only stake a small portion of your betting bank and use a low stake point so that large fluctuations don’t wipe out your bank.
How Much Are Points Worth?
To know what points in betting are worth, you must first determine your betting bank. You then split this value down to 100 points. For example, if your betting bank is $1000, then each point will be worth $10 (1000÷100). This means you should always stake a maximum of $10 (1 point) on each bet. This one–point strategy is advisable because it helps limit significant losses.
The Stop Loss Adjuster
PointsBet provides a stop-loss feature on its points betting system to help bettors limit the losses on each wager they place. This feature also automatically limits your winnings, but it’s advisable to use it as it is safer.
For example, if you place two bet points ($20 with a $1000 betting bank) on the total (over/under) option for a Lakers vs Celtics game to end with over 200 points, you can set the stop loss at 5X. If this game ends with just 190 points, you won’t naturally lose $200 ($20×10). With the stop loss, your loss will be $100 ($20×5). Conversely, if the game had ended with 210 points, you wouldn’t also get the original $200 ($20×10) winning. Instead, you’ll get $100 ($20×5).
