// GLOSSARY
Push
A push happens when the final result lands exactly on a posted spread or total. Neither side wins; the sportsbook voids the bet and refunds the stake. No juice is collected on a pushed bet, which is the one outcome that costs the book money on an otherwise balanced market.
Pushes are only possible on whole-number lines. A game landing on exactly 3, with a spread of -3, is a push. A spread of -3.5 removes the possibility entirely, since no football score margin can land on a half point.
Because pushes concentrate around specific, predictable margins (3 and 7 are the dominant examples in the NFL), sportsbooks price the half point on either side of those numbers differently than they price a half point elsewhere on the board. That pricing behavior is the origin of what bettors call key numbers.
A push is not a loss and not a win. It is a return of your original stake with the bet graded as if it never happened. Track pushes separately in your own records; folding them into a win or loss column distorts your real hit rate and ROI.
Related terms: Spread, Key numbers, Cover
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