Sports Betting 101: What is a Backdoor Cover?

What Is a Backdoor Cover?

I’m sure you’ve heard the saying, “Good teams win, great teams cover.” But what does it mean when bettors celebrate a backdoor cover? A backdoor cover applies specifically to underdogs covering the spread, implying they sneaked through the backdoor with a late score. More often than not, it occurs when the outcome of a game might already be decided … unless of course you’re someone with money on the game. This applies to bets on the spread, and not the moneyline or total. 

Let’s say you bet on the Lions at +12.5, and they’re down 31-13 with less than 2 mins to play. The game is pretty much over for everyone except those with a Lions ticket (and those with action on the total). With the game already in hand, the Lions are facing a soft prevent defense. They drive down the field and score a touchdown, making it 31-20 with a few seconds left to play. That touchdown is totally meaningless to everyone, except of course those with a +12.5 ticket on the Lions. You went from cursing the Lions for most of the game, to celebrating a winning bet.

What Is a Frontdoor Cover? 

A frontdoor cover carries the same concept, except instead of the underdog covering late, the favorite comes through with a trash time score to cover the spread, and cash your bet.