Push

A push in point-spread and totals betting is the outcome that lands exactly on the line, producing a tie in which all stakes are returned. No one wins and no one loses; the bet is simply refunded. It is the most common on whole-number markets, where the final result can fall precisely on the figure the bookmaker set. Take a spread of -7. If the favourite wins by exactly 7 points, the bet pushes and your stake comes back untouched. The same applies to totals: with a total set at 48, a combined score of exactly 48 returns stakes on both the over and the under. Half-point lines such as -7.5 or 48.5 remove this possibility entirely, which is why books often price markets a half point off a likely result. Pushes interact with multiples in a specific way. When a parlay or Accumulator contains a leg that pushes, that leg is struck out and the bet recomputed on what remains; a four-team parlay with a single push is settled as a three-team parlay at the correspondingly lower odds. This softens the impact of a tie but also reduces the headline payout you were chasing. The practical caveat is to know your key numbers. In American football, where margins of 3 and 7 are common, betting a whole-number spread on those figures carries a real chance of a push, whereas the same bet a half point either side does not. The mistake is assuming a wager is decisively won because the team prevailed; on the spread, a victory by exactly the handicap is a refund, not a return, and bettors who buy through key numbers are paying precisely to avoid that result.