Comprehensive Football Betting Guide
American football is, without any doubt, one of the most popular sports in the world, every year millions of people enjoy watching the games, many of them place wagers on football games. In this comprehensive guide, we will try to explain to you how betting on American football works. And how to eventually make the profit from football betting.
The most popular American football league is NFL (National Football League). Where 32 teams divided into two conferences compete to be crowned at the end of the season. The final game is called the Super Bowl! And it is by far the most popular sporting event in the US. In 2019, just in that one game, bettors wagered more than $150 million only in Nevada, according to some reports. Except for the NFL, bettors can place wagers on other football leagues, such as NCAAF, CFL, etc.
The sportsbooks offer a wide range of games and betting markets on this popular sport. But it isn’t an easy task making a long-term profit from football betting. Betting on this sport requires bettors to have a strong understanding of the game! Focus, discipline, and a bit of luck.
Popular Bet Types
In this section of the guide, we will talk about the most popular betting markets in the American football. Such as Moneyline (ML), point spread, totals, parlays, teasers, and additionally about some specialized betting markets.
Point Spread
The sportsbooks offer a wide range of betting markets on American football, from the more traditional to some rather specific markets. Without any doubt, the most popular betting market on American football in the world is the point spread market. American football is a high scoring sport, and sportsbooks often dictate the wagering by offering the points spread.
The line can be positive (+) or negative (-), and that symbol indicates whether the team is considered to be a favorite or the underdog. The main rule in point spread betting is that the side on which you bet must cover the spread. What does that mean? Well, if you bet on a favorite, then that team must win by a margin higher than the spread. And if you bet on the underdog, then your bet will be won if the underdog wins or losses with fewer points than the spread suggested.
Example: Dallas Cowboys (+6.5) vs. Miami Dolphins (-6.5)
As you may see, in this virtual situation, Miami is set as -6.5 points favorite, and in order to cover the spread, they need to win by 7 points margin or more.
On the other hand, if Dallas wins or loses with 6 points difference or less, bettors who backed the underdog will win the bet.
Moneyline
Moneyline is one of the most basic wagers in the world. To win the Moneyline bet, you simply need to predict which team will win the game. That team doesn’t need to cover any spread, just to win in the particular game.
Except for the point spread and totals betting market, the Moneyline betting market is the most wagered American football market. The advantages of this market are that it is easy to understand. And all the best sportsbooks for US players offer Moneyline betting. On the other hand, odds on this betting market can be a bit short if you prefer to bet on favorites.
Totals (Over/Under)
In every American football game, sportsbooks pre-determine the potential number of points scored by both teams. This type of bet is rather simple, as you need to predict will both teams score more (Over) or less (Under) points in the game.
Example:
Dallas Cowboys vs. Miami Dolphins – Over / Under 50.5 points
In this situation, the sportsbook set the points line at 50.5 mark. It means that if both teams score in the game 51 or more points, the bettors who played the Over bet will win the money. If the teams score 50 points or less, the bettors who played Under will win the bet.
Other types of bets offered by the sportsbooks
Except for these three most popular betting markets, bettors can bet on some other more unique markets as well. There are parlay betting market, teasers, futures, half-time bets, individual team or player bets, etc.
All of those betting markets can be profitable for the experienced and well-disciplined sports bettors, but it is essential to follow some rules and to be dedicated.
The Best Football Betting Tips and Tricks
To be honest, betting on American football is one of the most challenging things to do in sports betting. As the season is short, and many outside factors can determine the potential winner in every single game.
But, despite many challenges, betting on American football can be profitable. And now to continue with the betting guide, we will share some tips and tricks to help you make some money on the American football market.
Educate yourself
the most important thing you should do is to evolve as a football bettor constantly and to educate yourself. It is not the same to have in-depth knowledge about teams and players, and to know how to bet on football!
Have complete knowledge of American football markets
If you have in-depth expertise about betting markets and the odds, you will be able to find value in betting odds. The most successful football bettors usually focus on one or two markets and specialize in those.
Have proper money management
Knowing how much to stake is one of the essential things in sports betting. You need to find the best possible staking plan that fits your needs and betting style, and to stick with it.
The only way to be profitable in the long run is to have a healthy betting bank, and never to wager more than you can afford to lose.
Keep a record of your betting history
Every professional bettor keeps a record of his bets. That way, they are able to learn from their mistakes and to determine what they are doing wrong. Keeping a betting record is vital for every sports bettor that wants to make a profit from sports betting.
Follow profitable American football tipsters and learn from them
This is a great way to make a profit from sports betting without much effort. The only important thing is to determine which tipsters are profitable and honest.
We have nothing against paid services, but for a start, you should follow the free tipsters, and try to find some good and profitable ones. Here at Scores and Stats portal, we have an excellent team of experts that provide profitable picks for our readers absolutely free.
Have several sportsbook accounts
We know that it is convenient to have only one sportsbook account. But to be honest, having one account isn’t enough if you want to make a profit from sports betting in the long-term.
If you are not sure which sportsbooks are the best, you should read our previews and determine which are the best sportsbooks for US players at the moment.
All of our previews are objective and unbiased, as we try to give our readers the best possible advice when they choose the perfect sportsbook.
Conclusion
As you saw in this guide, betting on American football can give you many options. If you want to know some profitable betting strategies, then you should review our detailed article on that subject.
Also, you should always have in mind not to wager more than you can afford to lose, and if you think that your betting habits are getting out of your control, seek help. Gambling addiction is a serious problem, and it is better to ask for help before things become even worse.
FAQ
This is the most basic type of bet in any sport. In every given game, there is a favorite team and the underdog. The odds on the favorite are always lower than the odds on the underdog, and with Moneyline bet, bettor predicts which team will win the game.
This is a complicated question, as from 2018, online betting is legalized in the US, but so far, only 11 states legalize it. Still, in almost all states you can bet on American football offline.
There are several types of odds, but the most popular are Decimal (European), Fractional (UK), and American. If you want to know more about types of odds, you should read our article on that subject, here.