By
Eric Pauly
Jan 31, 2026
8 min read
What Does ATS Mean in Sports Betting?
ATS stands for "against the spread", and it is one of the most common phrases you'll encounter in sports betting. If you've ever looked at NFL or NBA picks and seen a team's record listed as something like "8-3 ATS," you've seen it in action. It's a shorthand that tells you how often a team has covered the point spread, not just won outright.
Understanding ATS is foundational to becoming a smarter sports bettor. Spread betting is the most popular way to bet on football and basketball, and ATS records are one of the best tools for evaluating how a team actually performs relative to expectations. In this guide, you'll learn exactly how point spreads work, how to read ATS records, and how to use that information to find better bets. If you're looking to sharpen your approach, tools like Action Network PRO and Unabated track ATS data across every major sport.
ATS Meaning: Against The Spread Explained
What ATS Actually Measures
ATS measures whether a team covers the point spread and not whether they win or lose the game. The point spread is a number set by sportsbooks to level the playing field between a favorite and an underdog. When a team "covers" the spread, they've performed better than the sportsbook expected relative to that number.
Here's a simple example: if the Kansas City Chiefs are -7 against the Denver Broncos, the Chiefs need to win by more than 7 points to cover ATS. If they win 24-20 (a 4-point margin), the Chiefs win outright but fail to cover the spread. In that scenario, the Broncos would be the ATS winner despite losing, as they lost by fewer than 7 points. For a deeper look at how betting lines are set, check out our guide to betting lines.
How to Read ATS Records
ATS records follow the same format as win-loss records: wins-losses-pushes. When you see "Patriots are 8-3 ATS this season," it means the Patriots have covered the point spread in 8 of their 11 games. A push happens when the final margin lands exactly on the spread number, for example, a team favored by 7 wins by exactly 7. Pushes result in your bet being returned.
ATS records are tracked separately from straight-up (SU) records. A team can be 10-2 straight up but 6-6 ATS if they keep winning by narrower margins than expected. Conversely, a team with a losing record can have a strong ATS mark if they consistently play closer games than the spread suggests.
This distinction is exactly why ATS matters; it reveals a team's performance relative to market expectations, which is far more useful for spread bettors than win-loss records alone. There is a reason spreads are known as "the great equalizer."
How Point Spreads Work
Why Sportsbooks Set Spreads
Sportsbooks set point spreads to balance action on both sides of a game. If the Bills are clearly better than the Jets, nobody would bet the Jets on the moneyline at a reasonable price. The spread equalizes the matchup by requiring the favorite to win by a certain margin. This creates roughly 50/50 betting interest on both sides, which is how sportsbooks manage their risk and profit through the vig.
The standard vig (or juice) on spread bets is -110, meaning you need to bet $110 to win $100. This built-in commission is how sportsbooks make money regardless of the outcome. Some books offer reduced juice (-105) on certain markets, which is worth seeking out; over hundreds of bets, the vig difference adds up significantly. Odds comparison tools help you find the best prices.
How Spreads Move
Spreads are not static. Betting markets move based on betting action, injury news, and sharp money. If a line opens at Bills -3 and a wave of sharp bettors hammer the Bills, the spread might move to Bills -3.5 or -4. Tracking these movements can reveal where professional bettors are putting their money, which is valuable information for your own analysis.
Tools like Unabated and Action Network PRO track line movement in real time, making it easier to spot when sharp action pushes a spread.
Key Numbers in NFL Spreads
In NFL betting, certain spread numbers matter more than others. The most important key numbers are 3 and 7, because NFL games are most commonly decided by a field goal (3 points) or a touchdown (7 points). Approximately 15% of NFL games land on a 3-point margin, and around 9% land on 7. Other key numbers include 6, 10, and 14.
This is why the difference between -2.5 and -3 is massive. If you bet a team at -2.5, you win if they win by 3 or more. At -3, a 3-point win is a push, and you just get your money back. That half-point can swing your result on roughly 15% of NFL games, which is why line shopping near key numbers is critical.
Example: How a Half-Point Changes Everything
You like the Buffalo Bills this week. One sportsbook has Bills -3 (-110), another has Bills -2.5 (-115). If the Bills win 27-24 (a 3-point margin), the -3 bet is a push and you get your money back. The -2.5 bet is a win. Even though you paid slightly more juice at -115, you covered on a result that happens in about 15% of NFL games. That half-point is worth the extra 5 cents of vig every single time near a key number.
How to Use ATS Records for Smarter Betting
ATS Records Reveal More Than Win-Loss Records
A team's straight-up record tells you if they're good. Their ATS record tells you if they're a good bet. Those are two very different things. A dominant team like a 12-2 squad might only be 7-7 ATS because sportsbooks set their spreads high, and they consistently win by fewer points than expected. Meanwhile, a mediocre 7-7 team might be 10-4 ATS because the market undervalues them week after week.
This is the core insight of ATS analysis: the market has already priced in how good a team is. What matters for bettors is whether the market is pricing them correctly. ATS records help you spot where the market consistently gets it wrong.
Where to Find ATS Data
Several sports betting tools track ATS records comprehensively. Action Network PRO offers a 7-day trial and provides detailed ATS records alongside betting percentages and line movement data. Unabated tracks ATS records with advanced filtering by situation, and BettingPros surfaces ATS trends as part of its projections platform. These tools let you filter ATS performance by home/away, conference, rest days, and other situational factors that raw records don't show.
Why ATS Is More Predictive for Spread Betting
If you're betting point spreads, ATS records are more predictive than straight-up records because they measure the exact thing you're betting on — whether a team covers. A team that consistently covers is either being undervalued by the market or playing at a level that exceeds expectations. Either way, that's actionable information. Over a full season, ATS trends in specific situations — like road underdogs or divisional games — tend to be more reliable indicators than overall win-loss records.
ATS Betting Strategies That Work
Line Shop for the Best Number
Even half a point matters on spreads, especially near key numbers like 3 and 7 in the NFL. If one sportsbook has a team at -3 and another has them at -2.5, that half-point difference changes your outcome on a significant percentage of games. Line shopping apps and odds comparison tools like OddsJam make it easy to compare spreads across sportsbooks instantly.
Track Line Movement
Line movement tells you where the sharp money is going. If a spread moves from -3 to -3.5, sharp bettors likely came in on the favorite. If it moves from -3 to -2.5, the sharp money is on the underdog. Following these moves — especially when they contradict public betting percentages — can point you toward the smarter side. When 70% of bets are on the favorite but the line moves toward the underdog, that's a signal that professional bettors disagree with the public.
Target Situational ATS Trends
Certain situations produce consistent ATS results worth tracking. Home underdogs in the NFL have historically covered at a rate above 50%, making them a profitable long-term angle. Divisional underdogs tend to keep games closer than the market expects because of familiarity between the teams. Teams coming off a bye week often have inflated spreads because the public overvalues rest. None of these trends are guarantees, but they're starting points for finding ATS value in specific spots.
ATS vs. Moneyline vs. Totals: When to Bet Each Market
Spread betting (ATS) is just one of three main markets. Understanding when to use each one makes you a more complete bettor. ATS bets are generally the best value for competitive games where the matchup is close. The spread gives you a more balanced risk/reward than the moneyline in these spots.
Moneyline bets are better when you're backing a large underdog. Instead of needing a team to cover a big spread, you just need them to win outright. An underdog at +250 on the moneyline can offer better expected value than the same team at +7.5 (-110) if you believe they have a real shot at winning. Conversely, laying -300 or worse on a heavy favorite rarely offers good value on the moneyline — the spread is almost always the smarter play for favorites.
Totals (over/under) are a completely different angle. Instead of picking a side, you're betting on combined scoring. Totals can be valuable when you have a strong read on game pace, weather, or defensive matchups but don't have a strong lean on which team wins. Many sharp bettors specialize in totals because they're less influenced by public bias than sides. Having a solid understanding of all three markets — and knowing when each offers the best value — gives you more ways to find edges across every game on the board.
Final Thoughts
ATS is one of the most fundamental concepts in sports betting, and understanding it goes beyond just knowing what the acronym stands for. It's about recognizing that the spread is the market's expectation, and your job as a bettor is to find spots where that expectation is wrong. ATS records, line movement, and situational trends are the tools that help you do that.
If you're serious about spread betting, start tracking ATS data with tools like Action Network PRO or Unabated, and combine that data with line shopping through OddsJam. The edge in spread betting comes from preparation and process, not predictions.
ATS Sports Betting FAQ
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