Make Money Picking Teams That Cover the Spread – October 27

If you can correctly predict teams that will cover the point spread in different sports, you can build a solid bankroll. As a sports bettor, you know that you’ll never win all the time. But, what if there was a way to pick the team that would cover 55 percent of the time? 60 percent of the time? Is that even possible?

If you have been betting for a while, you may know the number 52.4. This number is important as it represents the break-even point on standard odds bets. Standard odds at a sportsbook are -110. Most point spread bets offer odds of -110 on both sides of the wager. The -110 means that you must wager $110 to win $100 if your team does cover the spread. You’ll need to win 52.4 percent of the time on these bets in order to break even.

Bucs Cover on TNF

In last night’s Thursday Night Football, Buffalo was a 10-point favorite over Tampa Bay. The Bills led 24-10 late in the fourth quarter before Mike Evans caught a touchdown pass from QB Baker Mayfield. The two-point conversion made the score 24-18, which was the final score. The Bucs ended up with the cover since they lost by less than 10 points.

In every point spread bet, one team will cover unless there is a “push.” A push can only occur when the point spread is a whole number. Last night, the spread was 10 points. If the final score had ended up 24-14, the result would have been a push. Sportsbooks typically refund all bets as there is no winner. 

To avoid a push, most point spreads come in units of a half-point. You will often see point spreads like 2.5, 3.5 and 6.5 in NFL games. If the spread is 2.5 and a team wins by 3 (which is very common), the push is avoided. Bettors that wagered on the winning team to cover walk away with a win.

It’s a Sports Hub Sweep

One day after ruling the top-10, our SportsHub experts were back at it yesterday with a clean sweep of the top-5. That’s right, the top-5 handicappers on yesterday’s leaderboard were all Sports Hub exclusive cappers. It’s like deja vu all over again!

Remember when I asked about a way to pick teams that would cover? Well, Sports Hub’s experts are your answer. These guys repeatedly and consistently pick teams to cover the spread. They also correctly predict moneyline bets and totals bets too. 

Last night, our top-5 correctly predicted a number of teams to cover. Mario Deluca was second on the board yesterday and he picked the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to cover the 10-point spread. He nailed it and wound up correctly predicting four of his five picks. Mario, of course, was part of the Sports Hub sweep.

Let’s see who else was involved.

• Bill Blatt for the win: Bill went 4-1 with his picks and collected the day’s high of $305. He hit a couple of NHL totals and picked the Sixers to cover against the Bucks. 
• Mario kart: The Mario kart also went 4-1 as we mentioned earlier. In addition to the cover by the Bucs, Mario also nailed the Under on TNF last night. The wins yesterday give Mario an 8-3 record over the last three days with winnings of $535. He’s also up $1345 over the last 30 days. Hop on the Mario kart if you’re looking for wins!
• I am third: Diego Garcia is another Sports Hub expert who hit both of his picks last night and won $225. He picked the underdog Pittsburgh Penguins to beat the Colorado Avalanche. The Pens won 4-0! Diego has had a strong three days. He’s 7-1 with winnings of $525. 
• No. 4 & 5: Rounding out the top-5 were two more experts that went 2-0 and won $200. Ross Walker and Evan Lewis are names you should recognize if you’ve been a loyal reader of the Daily Report. Evan picked the Lightning to cover last night against the Sharks. Tampa Bay won 6-0! Ross hit on two moneyline picks.
• Super Mario: Just so you know, Mario Deluca is one of our top spread handicappers. Over the last 30 days, he has correctly predicted a team to cover 64.29 percent of the time. He’s up almost $1000 just on point spread picks. What if you could correctly pick teams that cover? Well, I’ll bet Mario could help you.

The Beard, Dame, USC Head Coach All Trending

It would make for a great joke. James Harden, Damian Lillard, and Lincoln Riley walk into a bar. I don’t know what the punch line would be, but all three guys are trending at the moment. One is trending for good reasons. The other two…well, let’s say they are trending in the wrong direction.

Let’s see why they are in the news.

• Hot seat?: Is Lincoln Riley on the hot seat at USC? Probably not, but it’s possible. In his first 22 games as Trojans head coach, Riley is 17-5. Guess who had the same exact record through his first 22 games? His predecessor Clay Helton who they dumped in 2021. No two-loss team – USC is 6-2 – has ever made the CFP. Just sayin’.
• It’s about Dame Time: In his Milwaukee debut, Damian Lillard showed why the Bucks wanted him so badly. Lillard didn’t shoot all that well from the floor, but he hit all 17 of his free throws and scored 39 points to lead Milwaukee to a 118-117 season-opening win over Philadelphia. The Bucks did not cover as a 6-point favorite.

• 82-0 or 81-0-1?: Through seven games of the 2023-24 NHL season, the Boston Bruins and the defending Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights remain unbeaten in regulation play. Boston is 6-0-1 with a loss in overtime to Anaheim. Vegas has yet to lose. Only two of their games have been decided by one goal. Could they go 82-0? LOL.
• The Beard: Now, the NBA is investigating whether or not Harden could have played last night. The league has new rules in place to ensure that star players are on the court for nationally televised games. Harden missed practices in the preseason and head coach Nick Nurse left him in Philly to get into game shape for when the team returns for their first home game on Sunday. 

Who Will You Pick to Cover Tonight?

Remember, Mario Deluca is a Sports Hub expert who hits over 64 percent of his point spread bets. Wondering who to pick to cover tonight? You might want to check out Mario’s picks for today. 

There’s quite a bit on the schedule, including Game 1 of the World Series. Is there value in picking a team to cover the run line? You might want to ask your favorite Sports Hub capper. We’ve got college football, NBA, NHL…it’s a great time of year!

Here’s today’s schedule.

1. The Fall Classic: Game 1 of the World Series pits Arizona’s Zac Gallen against Texas and starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi. First pitch is at 8:03 p.m. ET. Check out our database for picks. There are a handful right now with more to come throughout the day.

2. Friday Night Lights: There is one college football game on tap for tonight. Florida Atlantic plays at Charlotte. If you’re lucky, you’ll get to see Charlotte head coach Biff Poggi strut around in a shirt with no sleeves. FAU is a 3.5-point road favorite. Will they cover?
3. Hoop dreams: Hoop Dreams was a good movie. Tonight, there is no dreaming, but there is an ESPN doubleheader among the 11 games on the schedule. Miami is at Boston in a rematch of last year’s Eastern Conference finals. The other nationally televised game features Steph Curry and Golden State at Sacramento. The Kings are a 2.5-point favorite. Can the Warriors get the road cover?
4. Hockey tonight: There are six games on the NHL schedule tonight led by defending Stanley Cup champion Vegas. The Golden Knights put their 7-0 record on the line against Chicago (2-5) at home.
5. World soccer: There is one match each in the Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, French Ligue 1, and Italian Serie A. There are also matches from just about every continent in the world. Check our database for soccer picks. Yesterday’s top-5 cappers hit a couple of soccer picks.
6. Final week of the CFL: It’s Week 21 of the CFL regular season. This is it. All the playoff spots are determined. Winnipeg (13-4) is the top team in the West and will play at Calgary (6-11) tonight. The Stampeders will also be in the postseason. Winnipeg is a 2.5-point road favorite. Check our database to see who picks the Blue Bombers to cover.
7. LPGA: Second round play in the Maybank Championship is underway today at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club in Malaysia. American Rose Zhang is one of the leaders.
8. Tennis: Daniil Medvedev advanced in the quarterfinals of the Erste Bank Open. He is the top seed. The Swiss Indoors Basel quarterfinals are being played today. On the WTA Tour, the Abierto Tampico in Mexico and WTA Elite Trophy tournament in China both continue today.

That’s a wrap! TGIF. It’s a Friday full of sports and the weekend is coming with even more. Bettors can use Sports Hub to help pick teams to cover tonight and through the weekend. To access our handicappers’ picks, all you need is a Sports Hub membership. If you don’t have one, you can register for a free account HERE. 

Come back tomorrow to see how you did compared to our handicappers. See you then!