In sports picking is a way to make a match more balanced by giving one team a virtual advantage or disadvantage.
The stronger team starts with a negative handicap (like -1), meaning they need to win by more than that to be considered the winner.
The weaker team gets a positive handicap (like +1), so they can still "win" the pick even if they lose the game by less than that amount.
Draws are often removed as a possible outcome, so the focus is on how much a team wins or loses by.