While on your sports betting journey, you might see the acronym “ATS” listed on sports betting stats sites. What does it mean? It’s talking about against the spread. Let’s break it down.
More: Check out our sports betting guides for more terms and explanations
ATS Stands for Against the Spread
ATS stands for against the spread. This is talking about a team’s record in terms of covering the spread. For example, you might see the Miami Heat are 14-10 ATS this season. That means they have covered 14 games and did not cover 10 games.
What Does it Mean to Cover the Spread?
Covering the spread means the favorite wins by the margin listed as the spread by the sportsbook or the underdog loses by less than the margin listed by the sportsbook. Let’s look at an example.
| Matchup | Spread | Moneyline |
|---|---|---|
| Ravens | +3 (-112) | +130 |
| Chiefs | -3 (-108) | -155 |
In this example, for the Ravens to cover the spread, they have to lose by 2 points or less. For the Chiefs to cover the spread, they have to win by 4 points or more. In any given game, only one team can cover the spread. If the point margin falls on the spread line then it is a push and you get your money back.
How are ATS Records Listed?
If you visit popular sports betting stats sites, you will see against the spread or ATS records listed. These are important stats as you can see how a team has fared over the course of the season and how they are trending recently when it comes to covering the spread. Against the spread records are listed in a 0-0-0 format. It goes win-loss-push.
For example, let’s look at some against-the-spread records for NBA teams.
| Team | ATS Record | Cover % |
|---|---|---|
| Magic | 55-34-0 | 61.80% |
| Mavericks | 58-39-0 | 59.80% |
| 76ers | 51-38-0 | 57.30% |
| Thunder | 52-39-1 | 57.10% |
| Rockets | 45-35-2 | 56.30% |
| Pacers | 54-43-3 | 55.70% |
| Spurs | 44-38-0 | 53.70% |
| Knicks | 49-43-3 | 53.30% |
| Pelicans | 46-41-1 | 52.90% |
| Celtics | 48-43-5 | 52.80% |
Do Baseball and Hockey Have ATS Records?
In baseball and hockey, the spread is called a run line and puck line. These sports also have against the spread records but you will most likely see them listed as run-line records and puck-line records. Some sports betting sites might have them listed as ATS records. It all means the same thing. It is a record that breaks down how well the team covers the run or goal margin listed by a sportsbook for each game.
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