Types of Sports Bets: Push

When you are learning about different US types of sports wagers (straight bets, parlays or accumulators, teasers, pleasers, and so on), one term you will hear often is the term “push.”  Different types of wagers have different payout rules where pushes are concerned.  Depending on the type of bet you are in, a push may also have an impact on your other selections.  For example, a push in certain types of if-bets will result in a lost wager, whereas in other types of if-bets, it will allow you to proceed to your next selection.  But what is exactly is a “push” and how is it different from a tie?

Sometimes you will see a betting site state that “if your selection is a push or a tie ….” and then a payout rule or an impact on other selections that are part of your wager.  This certainly implies a technical difference between the two.  On the other hand, you will often see a push defined as a tie if you look up the definition on sports betting terminology sites.  So which is it? 

Strictly speaking, the difference between a tie and a push comes down to lines and point-spreads.  Sometimes the terms are used interchangeably, so be aware of that.  And if there were no point-spreads or lines, there would be no need to define a “push” versus a “tie.”  But other times (most times), a push is defined specifically as a tie based on the point-spread, and not a tie as defined by the actual event outcome.

Let’s look at an example.  Say you are betting on WNT vs. Russia and WNT is favoured to win.  You bet on WNT against a point-spread of -6.  In order to win your bet, WNT needs to win by at least 7 points.  Suppose they win by 6 points?  At that point, for you, the game is considered a push.  In real life of course, WNT didn’t tie with Russia at all, they won fair and square.  But for you, against the points spread, the game is effectively a tie, and that’s why we call it a push. 

Likewise, you could lose a bet completely if there were a tie in real life in these circumstances.  If WNT and Russia were to tie, against the points spread, you didn’t tie or push, you lost outright.

So now you should have an understanding of what a push is and how it technically differs from a tie.  You can have a tie in real life, but against the point-spread, you can have a loss.  You can have a win in real life and a push in your wager results, and so on.  That is why it is so important to have multiple sports betting accounts and shop the lines for the best opportunities.  It is never fun to lose a wager because of a loss or push against the point-spread when your team wins on the field!