What is a backdoor cover in sports betting?
A late score that has no effect on who wins the game but flips the point spread.
At a glance
- Category
- Slang
Run the numbers
How a backdoor cover happens
A team down 24 to 10 scores a meaningless touchdown with under a minute left. The game result is unchanged, but a 14-point favorite has just failed to cover. Backdoor covers usually come from garbage-time drives against soft defenses that are protecting a lead rather than defending the number.
Both sides of it
Every backdoor cover is somebody's bad beat and somebody else's rescue. If you took the underdog, that same drive is a backdoor cover in your favour. The phrase is neutral about who benefits; it just describes a spread result decided after the game itself was settled.
Related terms
Frequently asked questions
What is a backdoor cover?+
A backdoor cover is a late score that does not change who wins the game but does change the point spread result. A losing team scoring in garbage time to cover as an underdog is the standard case.
Is a backdoor cover the same as a bad beat?+
It is the same event seen from the losing side. A backdoor cover for the underdog is a bad beat for whoever laid the points.
Bet at a better price.
No house vig. Sign up for a shot at up to $100. No deposit needed.