What does ATS mean in betting?
Written by Short answer
ATS = against the spread.A team can lose the game and still win ATS.An ATS record counts covers, not wins.Past ATS records alone aren't an edge.
ATS means against the spread. It's the result that matters to a spread bettor, which isn't always the final score.
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A quick example
The Dolphins are +6.5 and lose 24-21. They lost the game but covered the spread, since 3 is less than 6.5. So they won ATS. The other team won the game but lost ATS.
Reading an ATS record
A record like 10-6 ATS means the team covered in 10 games and didn't in 6. You'll sometimes see a third number, like 10-6-1, which counts pushes.
Why I don't bet ATS records
The spread already adjusts every week to how good the market thinks a team is. A team that covered a lot last month gets a tougher number this week. A short ATS streak is mostly noise.
My take
Use ATS records to understand a team's story, not to pick a side. If a 4-game ATS streak were an edge, the books would have already moved the line.