NFL Betting – Buying Points
Buying points when betting on the NFL is purchasing half-points in a football game. It is something that is often highly debated among sports betting circles.
However, buying points can be an excellent NFL betting strategy, especially when bettors line shop appropriately.
Many sportsbooks offer bettors the option to buy points on point spread bets. Buying points allows you to give away fewer points on the favorite or receive more points on the underdog.
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Buying Points NFL Betting Strategy Basics
What do we mean by buying points betting strategy? Well, let’s say you want bet on the Pittsburgh Steelers at -5.5 (-110) who are facing Cleveland Browns +5.5 (-110).
You’re not a fan of Pittsburgh -5.5 and want a better price, but you have line shopped and there is no better price available.
If you wanted to buy a half-point on Pittsburgh and move the line to -5.0, a typical price on a half-point on this point spread would be 10 cents. Meaning, the line would move to -120.
Buying A Full Point
If we want to buy a full point and move the line to -4.5, the standard price at most sportsbooks would -130. We can also buy points from the underdog with no change in pricing.
If we wanted to move the line favor of the Browns +5.5, the price for each half-point would be 10 cents.
A +6.0 line move would be priced at -120 and a +6.5 move would be -130. If you want to learn more about pro football betting you should read our NFL Betting Guide.
Key Numbers In Buying Points Strategy
The standard 10 cent pricing, however, changes on key numbers such as three and seven. Why are these numbers so important? Well, since 2003, more than 30% of games have been decided by three or seven points.
It’s almost never worth considering buying points on any numbers besides three and seven unless the sportsbook has mispriced the market.
The highest margin of victory is 3 points and for that reason, buying off the 3 is going to cost more than 10 cents. When you move from 2.5 to 3.0, 3.0 to 2.5, 3.5 to 3.0 or 3.0 to 2.5, this is going to cost 25 cents per half-point at most shops.
Buying off the 7 is almost always going to cost more as well. Most sportsbooks charge 15 cents when buying off the 7. This includes line moves of 7.0 to 7.5, 6.5 to 7.0, 7.0 to 6.5 and 7.5 to 7.0.
Compared to the 3, bettors may find some sportsbooks that don’t charge extra for moves on the 7, but this is rare.
Evaluating Buying Half-Points
One of our favorite sites to link to is the Wizard of Odds. The site is based around casino gambling but offers some of the best insight and information into sports betting markets as well.
For buying points at NFL, the data they have available is fantastic. Feel free to use their chart for buying points off the spread each time you’re looking to figure out if your bet is +EV or not.
The major conclusions drawn from this data is that +3 wager at even money (+100) is equally as valuable +3.5 bet at -120. It also reveals that paying 10 cents (if available) for moves on the 7 is a +EV strategy.
That price may be harder to find, but might be available for those who line shop. The math here can be done using implied probability, but there are several other tools online available as well.
Buying and Selling Points off of the Spread
| SPREAD | SELL 1.5 | SELL 1.0 | SELL 0.5 | BUY 0.5 | BUY 1.0 | BUY 1.5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -10 | 122 | 116 | 109 | -109 | -111 | -113 |
| -9.5 | 126 | 118 | 109 | -102 | -104 | -108 |
| -9 | 120 | 111 | 102 | -102 | -106 | -111 |
| -8.5 | 113 | 104 | 102 | -104 | -109 | -122 |
| -8 | 108 | 106 | 104 | -104 | -116 | -128 |
| -7.5 | 111 | 109 | 104 | -111 | -123 | -133 |
| -7 | 121 | 116 | 111 | -111 | -119 | -127 |
| -6.5 | 129 | 123 | 111 | -107 | -114 | -118 |
| -6 | 131 | 120 | 107 | -107 | -110 | -113 |
| -5.5 | 128 | 114 | 107 | -103 | -106 | -114 |
| -5 | 117 | 110 | 103 | -103 | -110 | -117 |
| -4.5 | 114 | 106 | 103 | -107 | -114 | -141 |
| -4 | 113 | 110 | 107 | -107 | -131 | -154 |
| -3.5 | 118 | 114 | 107 | -122 | -144 | -151 |
| -3 | 137 | 129 | 120 | -120 | -125 | -130 |
| -2.5 | 156 | 144 | 122 | -104 | -108 | -114 |
| -2 | 150 | 127 | 104 | -104 | -109 | -114 |
| -1.5 | 133 | 108 | 104 | -105 | -109 | -110 |
| -1 | 113 | 109 | 105 | -105 | -105 | -105 |
| 0 | 110 | 105 | EV | EV | -105 | -110 |
| 1 | 105 | 105 | 105 | -105 | -109 | -113 |
| 1.5 | 110 | 109 | 105 | -104 | -108 | -133 |
| 2 | 114 | 109 | 104 | -104 | -127 | -150 |
| 2.5 | 114 | 108 | 104 | -122 | -144 | -156 |
| 3 | 130 | 125 | 120 | -120 | -129 | -137 |
| 3.5 | 151 | 144 | 122 | -107 | -114 | -118 |
| 4 | 154 | 131 | 107 | -107 | -110 | -113 |
| 4.5 | 141 | 114 | 107 | -103 | -106 | -114 |
| 5 | 117 | 110 | 103 | -103 | -110 | -117 |
| 5.5 | 114 | 106 | 103 | -107 | -114 | -128 |
| 6 | 113 | 110 | 107 | -107 | -120 | -131 |
| 6.5 | 118 | 114 | 107 | -111 | -123 | -129 |
| 7 | 127 | 119 | 111 | -111 | -116 | -121 |
| 7.5 | 133 | 123 | 111 | -104 | -109 | -111 |
| 8 | 128 | 116 | 104 | -104 | -106 | -108 |
| 8.5 | 122 | 109 | 104 | -102 | -104 | -113 |
| 9 | 111 | 106 | 102 | -102 | -111 | -120 |
| 9.5 | 108 | 104 | 102 | -109 | -118 | -126 |
| 10 | 113 | 111 | 109 | -109 | -116 | -122 |
Top NFL Betting Sites For Buying Points
The standard pricing for half-points is listed at the top of the article. For the US market, bettors have plenty of options when it comes buying half-points.
Many of these betting sites are top-rated sportsbooks at SafestBettingSites.com. You can read in-depth official reviews by visiting our Sportsbook Review Hub.
| Rank | Betting Site | Bonus | Bet Now |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | 
MyBookie.ag
|
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| #2 | 
Sportsbetting.ag
|
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| #3 | 
BetOnline.ag
|
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| #4 | 
Bovada.lv
|
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| #5 | 
GTBets
|
100% Up To $500 | Bet Now |