Push

A push happens when the final result of a game lands exactly on the spread or total the book posted. Nobody wins the bet, and your original stake comes back in full. A push is neither a win nor a loss — it’s a flat tie between you and the book.

Pushes are only possible when the spread or total is a whole number. If a football team is laid at exactly 3 and wins by exactly 3, that’s a push. If a basketball total sits at 210 and the combined score finishes at exactly 210, both over and under bettors get their money back. That’s exactly why books lean on half-point lines (like -3.5 or a total of 210.5) — the hook kills any chance of a push and forces a decisive result on every bet.

When a push lands on one leg of a parlay, that leg usually drops out and the parlay reprices with fewer legs. A four-team parlay with one push, for instance, collapses into a three-team parlay.

Example

The Green Bay Packers are favored by 7 points (-7) against the Chicago Bears. You put $100 on the Packers at -110 odds. The final is Packers 24, Bears 17 — a margin of exactly 7. Because the winning margin matches the spread on the nose, the bet grades as a push. Your $100 stake returns to your account with no profit or loss booked.

Had the Packers won 25-17 (an 8-point margin), your bet would have won. Had they won 23-17 (a 6-point margin), the Bears would have covered and your bet would have lost.

Key Points

• Pushes only occur on whole-number lines: Slap a half point on the spread or total (like -3.5 or 220.5) and a push becomes impossible. The hook guarantees a winner every time.
• Your stake is fully refunded: A push costs you nothing. You get your entire wager back as if the bet never happened.
• Key numbers increase push frequency: In football, spreads of 3 and 7 push more often because games land on those exact margins all the time. Bettors and books both obsess over these numbers.
• Parlays are adjusted, not voided: One pushed leg doesn’t sink a parlay. That leg drops out and the rest decide the payout at adjusted odds.
• Buying half points can avoid pushes: Some books let you buy a half point (moving a spread from -3 to -2.5) at slightly worse odds, purely to dodge a push.