When it comes to football, there is a lot of lingo that gets thrown around. One term you may have heard is “shaving points.” But what does shaving points in football mean? In short, shaving points means intentionally playing to lose by less than the point spread. Here’s a more detailed explanation.
In gambling, the point spread is the predicted scoring difference between two opponents, as quoted by a sports book. For example, let’s say that Team A is playing Team B and the point spread is 7 points. This means that Team A is expected to lose by 7 points.
If you picked Team A, you would win your wager if Team A won or suffered a loss by fewer than 7 points. It’s a push (you don’t win or lose your wager) if Team A loses by precisely 7 points. You will forfeit your wager if Team A loses by more than 7 points.
Let’s imagine that you choose to wager on Team B rather than Team A. If Team B wins or loses by fewer than seven points in this situation, you win your bet. However, it’s a push if Team B loses by precisely 7 points. You will forfeit your wager if Team B loses by more than 7 points.
Point shaving in football occurs when a team that is favored to win intentionally plays to lose by less than the point spread. For example, let’s say that Team C is playing Team D and the point spread is 14 points. This means that oddsmakers expect Team C to win by 14 points.
Now, let’s say that you bet on Team C, and they only win by 10 points. In this case, you would still win your bet because they covered the point spread (meaning they won by more than 14). However, if the final score were 13-12 (with team C winning), then it would be a push, and you would get your money back. And finally, if Team D won outright or lost by less than 13, then you would lose your bet no matter what.
How do shaving points affect gamblers?
Point shaving affects gamblers in two ways. First, if you bet on the team that is favored to win, then point shaving increases your chances of losing your bet. Second, if you bet on the team that is the underdog, then point shaving decreases your chances of winning your bet.
Consider the following scenario: Team E is playing Team F, and the point spread is 3. If you wager on Team E, you anticipate them to win by a margin more than three points. However, if team E only wins by 2 points (or worse, if they lose outright), then you will lose your bet because they failed to cover the point spread.
Conclusion:
Shaving points in football occurs when the favored team intentionally plays to lose by less than point spread in order influence gamblers’ predictions. It’s important to know how this works so that you can make informed bets!
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