What is a Push in Sports Betting?

What is a Push in Sports Betting?

Complete Guide on Push in Sports Betting. Examples, How it happens, How to handle, How to avoid, FAQs, and more.

What is a Push in Sports Betting?

A push is the result of a bet that doesn’t have a winner or loser. It’s essentially a tie between the bettor and the sportsbook. They mainly occur when a bet lands exactly on the line for a bet.

A Push: Explained

A push is what happens when the expected outcome as determined by the oddsmakers of a sportsbook matches the actual outcome.

It’s just like in Blackjack when your hand matches the dealer. You didn’t meet your goal of beating them, and the house didn’t beat you, so they have no right to take your money. The result is you get your money back completely.

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Are a Push and a Tie the same?

In terms of your result against the sportsbook you bet with, a push is a tie. Neither side makes money on that bet due to the outcome. When it comes to games, a tie becoming a push is dependent on the sport. For football, where ties are rare, a Moneyline bet will be graded a push if the result of the game is a tie. In soccer, ties occur frequently, so they offer three-way moneylines with a draw as one of the options. In that instance, a soccer Moneyline won’t be able to result in a push. Some games or sportsbooks will have an option called “draw no bet” which allows you to bet on one of the teams, and if the result is a draw, you will be refunded as if the bet were a push.

Does Push mean the bet is lost?

No, a push on a bet does not mean that the bettor loses their stake. Rather, when your bet is a push, the bet is refunded. It’s as if you never placed a bet when a bet ends in a push. So, when you see a bet graded as a push on your sportsbook, you have not lost any money on that bet.

Examples of Push in Sports Betting

A push will happen most often with spread bets and totals. However, there are other ways for a bet to end as a push.

Spread

A commonly occurring push, these pushes happen when the line is set at a whole number. For example, let’s say that the Denver Nuggets are set at -5 against the Indiana Pacers for a game. If you bet on the Nuggets at -5 and they win by exactly 5, say 107-102, the bet would result in a push.

Total

Just like for the spread, if a total is set at a whole number it can end in a push if that number is met on the nose. For an NHL game between the Nashville Predators and San Jose Sharks that has the over/under set at 6 goals, if the final score were to be 4-2, the bet would be graded a push.

Moneyline

Pretty much exclusive to NFL games, a push on the Moneyline is a result of a regular season game ending tied after overtime. Ties rarely happen in the NFL, although in Week 1 of the 2022 season there was a tie between the Indianapolis Colts and the Houston Texans. NFL playoff games don’t end until there is a winner. The NHL and MLB eliminated ties and always finish with a winner, while the NBA continues with overtime periods until someone finishes one ahead.

Props

Prop bets can be set as an over/under, and sometimes the total for those will be a whole number. For example, if a Cooper Kupp prop bet has him at over/under 95.0 receiving yards, if he ends the game with 95 yards receiving it’s a push. It seems highly unlikely, but it happens.

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How is a Push handled?

After a game, sportsbooks will grade the result of every bet you place. This is how they either reward you for winning or keep your stake for losing. When a push occurs, it’s graded as either a push, tie, void, or something to that effect in the results section of your account. When your bet has been graded as a push, the stake is refunded back into your account at most sportsbooks.

How Is Push Betting Result Shown?

The result is shown in a way that reflects its status as a push. It’s differentiated from wins and losses in how it’s marked. Each sportsbook does so differently but will display that it was a push and what happened with your stake.

Push Bet can be a result in which sports?

Nearly every sport will have betting options that can result in a push. However, they are most common in baseball, basketball, football, and hockey, particularly with totals betting. Football and basketball take the cake for most common though because their spread and totals are more frequently whole numbers than any other sport, meaning more opportunity for a push.

Push Bet in Spread Bet

So when you bet on the spread, you are betting on a team to win by a certain amount or lose by less than a given amount. So, there is only one way for your spread bet to end in a push, and that’s if you bet on the spread and it is a whole number, with the final differential meeting that exactly in a win by the favorite team. So if you bet on the New York Giants at -4 and they win the game by exactly 4, say 28-24, that will be a push. A Giants win or loss by any other amount will result in a win or a loss for the bet. If you bet on the Philadelphia Eagles at +4 in that same game, a 28-24 Eagles loss would also be a push. If they lost by any greater, your bet would lose and if the game was any closer or an Eagles win, it’s a push.

Push Bet in Over/ Under Bet

For over/unders, whether they be the total score or for various prop bets, function similarly. The set amount for any over/under bet, if it’s matched exactly, will result in a push. It doesn’t matter which side wins, or if you bet for the over or the under. If an NFL total is set at 42 and the final score is 28-14, it’s a push if you bet the under. If the final score is 21-21 and you bet on the over, it is also a push.

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Push in Parlays

When you bet on a parlay you are wagering on every bet being a winner, thus winning you money. If one of the selections loses, the entire parlay is a loss.

So what happens if one of the legs in your parlay is a push?

That leg of the parlay is usually just removed. So effectively, it’s as if you created a parlay with one fewer leg than you did. The odds and potential payout will reflect the removal of that leg. So a four-leg parlay will become a three-leg parlay if one of the four legs ends as a push.

How to avoid Push in Sports Betting Results

The simplest way to avoid a push is to bet on options with half-points. A lot of spreads, totals, and props will have half-points in them, such as an NHL puck line sitting at -1.5. Because of the decimal, your bet will never end in a push, because half goals aren’t a thing in the NHL.

Sportsbooks aren’t fans of pushes, so they will include half-points in most instances that they can without costing themselves money. If a line is set as a whole number, you can buy or sell half of a point on the spread or total if you don’t want the possibility of a push. Doing so will change the odds, but guarantee a win or loss on the bet.

Push Bet FAQs

Is a Push a Loss or a Win?

For the sake of keeping a betting record, a push is effectively a tie. You aren’t losing any money, so it shouldn’t count as a loss, but you aren’t winning anything either.

Can a Moneyline Bet end on a Push?

Yes, although it rarely happens compared to the spread or over/under, Moneyline bets in the NFL can result in a push. Select soccer matches can also be treated as a push depending on the sportsbook.

When does a Push Happen?

A push happens when a bet ends exactly on the line rather than having a decisive outcome. So instead of winning or losing the bet like what usually happens, it ends with no action and typically you get your money back.

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Are There Pushes in Soccer?

While uncommon, there can be pushes in soccer. If a total is set at a whole number, it can result in a push. If you bet “draw no bet” on a game’s Moneyline and the game ends in a draw, it’s treated as a push as well. A draw that occurs on a three-way Moneyline bet won’t be graded as a push, as betting for a draw is a possibility.