What is Dog in Sports Betting?

Dog Explained in Detail

The dog in a game is the team or player that the sportsbook and betting market expect to lose. On the moneyline, the dog has positive odds like +150 or +200. On the spread, the dog receives points, shown as +3.5 or +7. The bigger the number, the bigger the perceived gap between the teams.

Underdogs win far more often than casual bettors realize. In the NFL, underdogs win outright roughly 35% of the time and cover the spread approximately 50% of the time over the long run. This means that while favorites win more games, the point spread market is essentially efficient at pricing the gap between teams.

Professional bettors are often drawn to underdogs because the public tends to overvalue favorites. This public bias toward chalk creates opportunities where the dog's odds are more generous than they should be. The concept of betting against the public, or going contrarian, is fundamentally a dog-focused strategy.

The best dog bets tend to come in specific situations: teams getting points at home, teams coming off an embarrassing loss where the public overreacts, and teams facing opponents on a winning streak where the market has overcorrected. Context matters enormously when evaluating underdogs.