The Hook

The hook is the half-point in a point spread—the ".5" in lines like -3.5 or +7.5. Its purpose is to prevent a push (a tie where bets are refunded) by forcing every game to have a winner and loser against the spread.

Why the Hook Matters

In NFL betting, certain margins occur far more often than others due to scoring structure (3-point field goals, 7-point touchdowns). These "key numbers" are:

The hook determines whether these common margins help or hurt you.

Buying and Selling the Hook

Many books let you adjust lines by paying extra vig:

Buying the hook: Move from -3 to -2.5 (costs extra juice) Selling the hook: Move from -3 to -3.5 (get better juice)

Around key numbers, the hook is worth more:

Buying off 3 and 7 is usually worth the juice. Buying off non-key numbers rarely is.

The Hook and Bad Beats

The hook creates bad beats. Without it:

• Team wins by exactly 3 → push (money returned)
• With -3.5 → You lose on exactly 3

The hook forces binary outcomes, which increases both wins and losses compared to push scenarios. Books prefer this because it:

1. Generates more betting action (no "boring" pushes)
2. Creates more emotional variance (more bad beats = more "revenge" betting)
3. Simplifies their math (no refund processing)

Hook Strategy

Sharp bettors think carefully about the hook:

At -3: Would you rather be -3.5 (lose on exactly 3) or -2.5 (push on 3)? At +7: Would you rather be +7.5 (win on exactly 7) or +6.5 (lose on exactly 7)?

The "right" answer depends on your handicap. If you think a team wins by 5, both -3 and -3.5 look the same. But if you think it's close to 3, the hook is everything.

Related Terms

• Push — The tie that hooks prevent
• Bad Beat — Often caused by landing on the wrong side of a hook
• Key Numbers — Margins where the hook matters most