What does PK Mean in Betting?

December 20, 2020

While browsing various sports betting sites, you will eventually run into a pk betting term. Do not be afraid of not knowing what does pk mean in betting, though. It is by no means the most frequent of terms you will see out there. Even if you are an experienced punter, you may not be familiar with what does pk mean in betting. There is a big chance you know this betting term in practical use but only under a different name. So, what does pk mean in betting? 

Betting pk is a short term for Pick’Em. Does it sound more familiar now? If not, have no worries, just keep reading. Pick’Em is a state in which the sportsbooks set identical odds for wins of each of the two teams in a match. It means the oddsmakers consider them even in strength. 

As such, Pick’Em generally comes on rare occasions, regardless of the sport. This is the main reason why you may not know what PK means.   

A Textbook Example of a Pick’Em Line

To help you best understand what does pk mean in betting, we will go through a simple example. NFL is the most popular professional league in the United States and we will use its regular-season match as an example of a standard pk football betting line on NFL picks

To learn what pk means in sports betting, you need to consider two teams of similar quality. So, let’s say the in-form Pittsburgh Steelers take on the in-form Baltimore Ravens. The sportsbooks do not see a genuine favorite there, and they set the same odds for each of the two sides to win.

In this case, both the Steelers and the Ravens would be at -110 to win, meaning you’d have to wager $110 for a $100 profit. To show you how rare such games occur, we’ll say that only 1.15 percent of all NFL matches from 1980 to 2020 have offered pk’em lines (no favorites). This is why you should not feel bad for not knowing what pk means in NFL betting

Point Spread Betting

Since there is really not much more to say about the games in which both teams have equal chances of winnings, we will proceed to point spreads. Besides straight wagers and totals, point spreads represent by far the most popular sports betting market (both online and at land-based sportsbooks). 

With point spreads, we go beyond predicting the winner of the game. We go on and predict the margin of a team’s victory instead. This market is particularly attractive as it significantly broadens the range of betting options in matches with clear favorites and underdogs.

Let’s say you have the clash between the New England Patriots and the New York Jets. You are convinced in the Pats’ win, but you will need to bet $400 for a $100 win. Instead, you can back New England to win by more than seven points difference to get the even odds (-110). Does this sound familiar? Yes, we get back to the main question in the article: “What does pk mean in betting?”

Point spreads even the playing field and offer you the option to bet one of two outcomes with an identical chance of winning in matches where you have clear underdogs and favorites. 

An Example of Point Spread Betting

To show you what PK means in betting in this instance, we will take an example from the world’s strongest basketball league. Let’s say we have the match between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Portland Trailblazers. 

The Clippers are -330 favorites, meaning you have to bet $330 to win $100. How do we translate these odds into even show what PK means in betting? Simply by adding the Trailblazers a certain amount of points even before the match begins. In this case, we’ll level the field by adding seven points to Portland. What does pk mean in betting there? 

Well, all of a sudden we have an even affair where the Clippers (-330 favorites) need to win by at least eight points difference (or more) to cover the spread and make your pick winning. In this case, the odds would be -110, meaning you’d have to bet $110 for a $100 profit. 

Of course, you can go for the opposite scenario and back the Blazers to cover the spread. What does pk mean in betting there? Here, Portland need to win or lose by a margin lower than seven points for your pick to be a winner. Again, you will be looking at the same -110 odds. 

FAQ

What does pk mean in soccer betting? 

PK soccer is a rarer term because soccer is not so popular for point spread betting. The principle with pk soccer is identical, though. The sportsbook favors a certain team at -1.5, -2.5, or even -3.5 goals handicap and you bet whether the team will beat the rivals by a margin higher than the one presented by the line. 

What is pk in betting?

PK is a term when both outfits are graded even in strength in a certain match.

What does pk mean in NHL betting?

In hockey, the pk spread is referred to as the puck line. You bet whether a certain team will beat the other by a certain number of goals (as offered by the line). 

What does pk mean in MLB betting? 

In baseball you need to be aware of run lines because you will be betting whether a certain team will beat the opposition by more or fewer runs than given by the line. 

What does pk mean in NBA betting?

In basketball, the point spread is when you bet the margin of the team’s victory over another in terms of total points they both score. 

Martin
Martin Efvergren
Martin is a sports betting professional who provides initiated betting picks and predictions. His primary focus is on NHL picks, sportsbook promotions, and casino stories.