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Backdoor Cover
sports bettingWhen a team covers the point spread with a late, often meaningless score.
Key Takeaways
- 1A late, often meaningless score that affects the spread
- 2One of the most common ways to lose a spread bet
- 3Highlights the inherent variance in sports betting
What is a Backdoor Cover?
Backdoor cover occurs when a team covers the point spread with a late score that doesn't affect the outcome of the game. It's one of the most frustrating experiences in sports betting.
Example
The Chiefs are -7 favorites and leading 31-17 with 2 minutes left. The Eagles score a meaningless touchdown to make it 31-24. If you bet Chiefs -7, you just lost on a backdoor cover.
Why It Happens
- Prevent defense allows easy scoring drives
- Garbage time touchdowns
- Teams playing for pride or individual stats
Backdoor covers are a reminder that variance exists in every bet, and the final score doesn't always reflect how the game actually played out.