What Does ‘Backdoor Cover’ Mean in Sports Betting?

A “Backdoor Cover” is when a team scores meaningless points late in a game that have no effect on who wins the game, but completely flip the result against the point spread.

It almost always refers to the underdog “sneaking in the backdoor” to cover the spread at the last second, often crushing the hopes of everyone who bet on the favorite.

This happens all the time in “garbage time” when the starters are pulled.

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🏈 Example: Football

• The Line: The Chiefs are favored by -10.5 points over the Broncos.
• The Bet: You bet on the Chiefs -10.5 (you need them to win by 11 or more).
• The Game: The Chiefs are crushing the Broncos 30-17. The game is over, and your bet is winning.
• The Backdoor Cover: With 10 seconds left, the Broncos’ backup QB throws a “meaningless” touchdown. The final score is now 30-24.

The Chiefs still won the game easily, but they only won by 6 points. The Broncos, by scoring that last-second TD, “covered the spread” of +10.5. Your winning bet just became a loser.

🏀 Example: Basketball

• The Line: The Lakers are favored by -8.5 points.
• The Bet: You bet on the Lakers -8.5.
• The Game: The Lakers are up by 10 points (98-88) with 5 seconds left. Both teams have their bench players in.
• The Backdoor Cover: The other team’s rookie, who is just trying to get a shot up, hits a “pointless” three-pointer at the buzzer. The final score is 98-91.

The Lakers won, but only by 7. The underdog “covered the backdoor,” and your bet lost. It’s the definition of a “bad beat”!