American Football Spread Betting Explained

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American Football Odds Explained If you are a newcomer to betting on American Football then you may feel slightly overwhelmed by the sheer number of betting markets available. There are numerous markets available for each game as well as markets that relate to the league as a whole. NFL Spread Betting Easily the most popular type of betting for NFL football is “spread” betting or more commonly known as betting against the spread. Bettors who are new to NFL betting or betting in general may be a little confused with NFL spread betting, but it is pretty easy to.

A puckline is what a spread is called in the NHL, while a runline is associated with MLB betting. In both cases, the spread is almost always -1.5 for the favorite and +1.5 for the underdog, however, the betting odds fluctuate a lot more than in NBA or NFL point spreads because the spread doesn’t usually change. American football betting is explained, along with NFL sports betting strategies, tactical tips and how to bet on sports. Begin with the markets and teams that you are most familiar with. Keep in mind that bookmakers will underestimate teams at the beginning of each season. Understanding American Football Betting Odds. We show American Football betting odds on the Exchange in decimals. American Football decimal odds are easy to understand, because they represent the payout you'll get if you win – e.g. 3.9 means you'll receive 39 for every £10 you bet, including your stake, if the bet wins.

The novice football bettor may be a bit overwhelmed when they first create an account at an online Sportsbook and then look at the posted NFL betting lines. Most bets with your buddy will be on what NFL team will win straight up or who will cover the spread. This guide give you the basic types of Football wager types associated with a betting line.

Football Betting Line

A betting line is a posted number that the online Sportsbook posts for each game in a certain sport. The betting line will have different wager options within the betting line. Bookmakers will post odds on who they think will win the game. The betting line will usually show a favorite and an underdog. The example below will show what a NFL betting line looks like at one of our recommended Sportsbooks Bovada.com .

Moneyline Wager

The Moneyline wager means you are picking who you think will win the game straight up. In the example above, the Moneyline odds on the New York Giants are +140. In this example the New York Giants are the underdog. The +140 means that for every $100 you wager you will win $140. You do not have to wager $100. The betting line is a payout ratio odds and will be scaled to your actual wager. The favorite in this example is the Detroit Lions denoted by the -160. You have to risk $160 to win $100.

NFL Point Spread Wager

The Point Spread is one of the most popular wagers in NFL Football betting. You need to cover the Point Spread to win your wager. For example the Favorite in this game is the Detroit Lions as they have a point spread of -3(-110). For you to win your wager, the Detroit Lions would have a final score beating the New York Giants by 4 or more points. The (-110) in brackets is the 'juice' or 'vig' on the wager. Sportsbooks take a standard 10% commission on all wagers. If there is not a -110 beside the point spread it is usually assumed 10% juice. The Underdog in the point spread is the New York Giants +3(-110). For you to win your wager the NY Giants could lose the game by 2 points or less. If the final is score is a margin of 3 points then the wager would be graded a PUSH and the wager amount would be returned to you. Spread

NFL Total Wager

A Total Wager is a bet on the OVER/UNDER for the Total Score at the end of the game of the combined teams. In this betting line the TOTAL is 33 (-110). For you to WIN the OVER TOTAL wager the final score would have to be 34 points combined for both teams. If the TOTAL score is exactly 33 then the wager would be graded a PUSH and your wager would be returned to you. The NFL betting line in the above example is for the full game. An NFL betting line can also be posted for 1st Quarters(1Q), 1st Half(1H) and 2ND Half(2H). Not all Sportsbooks post 1Q lines for all football games. Professional bettors are known to profit on 1H and 1Q wagers because they are able to handicap NFL games accurately because many NFL coaches script their first half plays. Moreover, 2H bets are very popular because you are able to see how well the team is playing in the first half.

Circled NFL Line

Occasionally you will see a GREEN or RED box around a NFL betting line. When a NFL Point Spread, Moneyline or Total betting line is boxed RED or GREEN this is referred to as a CIRCLED Line. It is also referred to as GREEN or RED Boxed.

Green Circle NFL Betting Line

American football spread betting explained predictions A GREEN circle means that there are higher bet limits on the betting line and there are no betting restrictions. Very popular NFL nationally televised games are usually GREEN circled due to their popularity.

Red Circle NFL Betting Line

A RED Circle line is one of the most common questions asked by new online Football gamblers. A RED circle line means that there are lower bet limits (usually $500 bet max.) and the bet option cannot be included in Parlays, Teasers, IF Bets and Round Robin Bets. Bookmakers RED circle games to reduce Risk to the Sportsbook. An NFL Game is usually RED circled when a key player is uncertain to play like if QB Peyton Manning was uncertain to play right up to game time. A game may also be RED Circled due to severe whether conditions that could affect the OVER/UNDER Line. Bookmakers will not tell you why they circle games. Each Bookmaker will have their own policy that is set by their risk management team that is headed by their head line maker. Most RED boxed games are removed several hours before kickoff or when a Sportsbook gets accurate information to put out new NFL betting line.

Between college and pro football, there are literally over a thousand opportunities a week to win money online during the football season.

To take advantage of these football betting odds, football bettors first need to understand how to read the different types of odd formats online.

Each sportsbook includes several different formats, including American odds or Vegas Odds, Decimal Odds, and Fractional Odds.

But What Are Sport Betting Odds?

For the beginner sport odds can be somewhat confusing, specially because the odds are not the same as “the odds of an event happening”. Sport odds do not refer to the chance of a team winning or losing, they imply the “price” at which a bet can be purchase, and like the stock market odds change of price all the time depending on public demand for them.

Example: For Super Bowl 2016 the favorites to win the Super Bowl are the Seattle Seahawks with odds of +$600 or 6 to 1. This is a Moneyline or Vegas Odd that implies that for a $100 bet you can win $600, or for a bet of any denomination you will win 6 times the wager.

But the Dallas Cowboys show up as Longshots with odds of $900 or 9 to 1. The less likey the chance of a team winning the bet the higher the odds go.

American Odds or Vegas Odds – USA

The most common betting odds in the United States are American odds. American odds present football bets in one hundred dollar terms. While a commonly seen type of money line, these can be tough to decipher at first glance. Here’s an example of American betting odds on the winner of a game:

Green Bay Packers -175
Seattle Seahawks +150

Reading these betting odds, Green Bay Packers is considered a slight favorite to win. A bettor has to risk $175 to win $100 (-175). Those taking Seattle need to only wager $100 to win $150 (+150). Of course, a gambler doesn’t have to actually wager that much money; the ratios are used for any amount, larger or smaller, than the money odds are designed to display.

In American odds the higher a plus money line is (e.g. +300) the higher the payout, while the higher a minus money line is (-300) the lower the payout. Even odds denote even money and they are shown this way: +100 or -100, which means that a $100 dollar bet gets a payout of $100.

*There are two main types of placing bets for American Football, the Money Line which is a straight bet on the winner, and the Point Spread, which gives some extra points to the underdog to win the bet or takes points off the favorite. Learn when and how to use both of them.

Fractional Odds – UK

Football Betting Odds Explained

Fractional odds can be easier to read for first time gamblers, as they resemble familiar ratio odd presentations. In fractional odds, the higher the number on the left (numerator), the riskier the bet is and the higher the payout.

For example, a fractional odd of 10/1 indicates a ten to one payout on a bet. The flipside of this includes any number less than one, as represented by a fraction.

A fractional odd of 1/2 indicates a payout of half the amount risked. The closer or lower the fraction to zero, the lower the payout is, while the higher above one, the higher the payout is.

Even money is equivalent to a 1/1 fractional odd.

Decimal Odds – Europe

Decimal odds are perhaps the most complicated money line format. The easiest starting point for decimal odds is to compare them to fractional odds. Decimal odds are the fractional odd, represented in a whole number, plus one.

For example, a fractional odd of 2/1 (two to one) would be represent fractionally as 3.00. The fractional odd 1/2 is equivalent to 1.5. Even money in fractional odds is 2.00.

Football Betting Line Explained

Thus, the higher above two a fractional odd is, the higher the payout becomes. Odds with lower payouts than what is risked fall between 2.00 and 1.00, with lower numbers being lower payouts.

*Fractional odds are very popular in the UK were Over Under bets are prefered by European football bettors.

Football Betting Odds Online

American Football Spread Betting Explained The Spread

Every online sportsbook offers money lines for a huge variety of bets. Football betting odds online can be a great way to place safe bets or find games with lucrative odds. American odds tend to be the standard setting for online sportsbooks, but football betting odds can be displayed in any of the three ways. Sportsbooks typically allow users to change the settings, allowing bettors to choose whichever format they find easiest to read. Regardless of the format, online betting odds can be a great way to win money on football.