How to bet on Football Online: Everything You Need to Know
This is your guide on how to bet on football. If you have ever been confused about how to read football odds or how to develop your own NFL betting strategy, we have you covered here. Read on for all the information and football betting tips you need!
How to Bet on NFL Games in 2024
We have been doing this for years, so we are able to distill for you all the tips you need to know how to bet on NFL games. Whether you are looking for betting tips for the NFL this weekend or looking forward to wagering on the Super Bowl, you will be able to bet on all the NFL games that you want after reading this guide!
Football Betting Explained: NFL Betting Lines
There are many types of NFL bets. Once you understand the mechanisms behind each one and how to read NFL odds, you will be good to go. Here’s a quick breakdown of the different types of NFL bets, followed by a more detailed look.
- Moneyline: A simple bet on who will win the game
- Point Spreads: A way to disadvantage the favorite
- Teasers: Adjust your spreads
- Futures: Make bets on future events
- Live betting: Bet in the heat of the moment
Moneyline: Bet on the Winning Team
Moneyline odds are the most recognizable bet in NFL football betting. They can be represented as three-digit or higher numbers or positive or negative values. Understanding this concept is essential for success in the sports betting world.
For example, if The Kansas City Chiefs have -500 moneyline odds on their chances of winning in the Houston vs. Kansas City matchup. This means they are the favored team, and a wager placed on them will earn you less than what is risked—$500 to win $100, for example.
Houston has +350 moneyline odds, indicating they are the underdog. A wager of $100 on them will earn a cash payout of $350 if they win. That number is larger than what was initially risked.
Moneyline odds are a popular betting choice as they simplify the process of placing a wager on the team that is likely to win. Unlike other bet types, this form of betting does not require extensive research or consideration of point totals.
Point Spreads: Bet on the Winning Margin
NFL point spreads indicate the predicted point difference between a team winning and losing. Dependable and high-demand, betting on NFL point spread is a popular approach for legal NFL odds. Negative numbers are for the favorite to win, and positive numbers are for the underdog to lose. For instance, a betting line of Kansas City -10 indicates that Kansas City is favored to beat the opposing team by 10 points.
If you bet on the Chiefs, they need to win by at least 11 points for your bet to be successful. Conversely, if you bet on the Texans, they must only lose by 9 points to receive a payout.
Next to the point spread totals for each team, there are moneyline odds. These three-digit numbers indicate how much money can be won from wagering on the team; for example, betting $115 on KC yields a profit of $100 if KC covers the 10-point spread. This allows sportsbooks to profit through “juice” – the amount taken from accepted sports bets.
Teasers: A Flexible Bet
NFL teasers operate similarly to teasers, except the sportsbook adjusts the point spread instead of the bettor. While these bets may be less beneficial for the better, they frequently come with higher payouts.
Betting NFL teasers can be beneficial as it allows the line to move. This can be especially advantageous when paired with certain teams, like the 2021 Minnesota Vikings, who were 5-4 ATS as an underdog, but 8-1 when used in a 6-point teaser.
Teasers have gained acceptance among sharp bettors as bettors and oddsmakers become wiser. They are no longer considered sucker bets, with most respected sports bettors now betting on them. When the final score is within 5.5 points of the point spread, a win is achieved on that leg of the teaser for those who had bet on it.
Teasers can be unwise wagers as they require all your selections to win to earn a return. Picking five out of six games correctly has the same result as selecting no winners. In that case, you lose your original wager.
Props: The Creative Bets
Proposition bets allow you to make wagers on almost any happenings during a game or broadcast. These typically include events that do not influence the outcome. Here, we explain common NFL prop bets available at top sportsbooks. Yes/no options, as well as multiple choice lists, are often offered for each bet.
NFL Player Props: A variety of bets can be made on individual player performances, such as stat totals, game starts, and wins, or even how likely they are to win NFL MVP or Super Bowl MVP awards.
NFL Team Props: Franchise-related prop bets may concern a team’s victory in their division, conference, or the Super Bowl. They can also focus on win totals, mascot or name changes, and whether the team will relocate to a new city.
NFL Super Bowl Props: Prop bets regarding the Super Bowl are highly popular, with over hundreds of wagering opportunities available. Punters can place odds on components such as the time it takes to sing the national anthem, which coach will be shown first on-screen, and whether or not a fan will rush onto the field.
NFL Draft Props: The NFL Draft offers bettors a variety of prop bets, such as predicting player options for each of the top draft spots and which positions will go in what order. Betting who will be the top player chosen at each football position can add fun to traditional NFL draft betting.
NFL Free Agent Props: When notable free agents become available in the NFL, prop bets present an opportunity for people to speculate which team the player will join and how long it will take them to sign.
Futures: Bet on the Big Games
Futures bets are any wagers on activities that occur later. NFL futures betting is available year-round and remains active during the off-season. Examples of futures betting include, but aren’t limited to: Super Bowl winners, divisional winners, playoffs teams, and player awards.
- Game Lines Occurring Tomorrow or After
- Season Win Totals
- Division Champions
- Conference Champions
Live/In-game Betting: Odds Change by the Minute
We recommend betting with offshore sportsbooks that offer live betting via NFL betting apps, which features odds that update throughout the game. With NFL live betting, there is no rush to ensure a bet is placed before kickoff; it enables you to bet until the game’s end. Additionally, if you made a wager that looks like a sure loser after the game has started, you can place another one.
Super Bowl Live Betting
The Super Bowl is an ideal event for live betting. In-play betting on the Super Bowl offers a variety of options, from familiar bets like predicting whether the Saints will march into the end zone to more unique and exciting wagers. The opportunities in this form of betting are more available than with parental supervision of a candy store, offering something exciting and different to every gambler.
The NFL’s biggest game offers a wide selection of live betting odds, more so than other sports. Pro football has many different props available in live betting, so you can explore options like the first team to score in the third quarter or if player X will rush for a certain number of yards.
Football Betting Glossary
| Football Betting Term | Definition |
| Dime | "A bet with a risk of $1 |
| No Action | A bet that cancels for any reason |
| Single Wager | A stand-alone bet |
| Multiples | "A string of bets |
| Hedging | Combining bets to limit potential losses |
| Juice | Commission collected by bookies from football bets |
| Even Wager | When each outcome to the NFL wager has an equal chance |
| Risk | The amount you wager on your bet |
| Bet Slip | Where you put your football wagers before placing them officially |
Best Football Betting Tips: NFL Betting Strategy
Check out the following football betting tips. Keep an eye on these factors as you develop your football betting strategy, and you will be well on your way to making real money all while having fun and injecting a little bit more passionate into the most watched sport in the USA.
NFL Betting Trends
Not only do you have to keep an eye on how different teams are progressing, but you should also know how NFL bettors are making their decisions. A way to get to know NFL betting trends is to keep an eye on futures markets. These lines will move even when nothing is happening within the sport itself. This is an example of NFL betting trends having an effect on which wager you should place.
Injured Players
Injured players can have a big impact on which bet you should make each week in the NFL. Make sure to check the injured players roster before placing a bet. If the star quarterback on the team is out and they have to use the second string, this could change the entire outlook. This becomes even more important with props, and spreads.
Weather Forecasts
Some teams play in domes, while others play in stadiums. Some of these stadiums are in places that have extreme weather. For example, not many teams can play optimally while in the freezing cold of Lambeau Field. If you have a team from the south going to an open field like this up north, make sure to check out the weather so you can make the best football bet.
Home-field Advantage
This is one of the most classic NFL betting tips. Crowds and traveling can have huge effects on how animated or downtrodden a team is. This advantage can be bigger or smaller depending on the teams and how far they traveled. Teams visiting the Eagles are known to have only cold water showers in their hotels.
Use Multiple Sportsbooks
A key part of any football betting strategy is comparing lines across multiple sportsbooks. Of course, this means relatively little if you do not actually have more than one sportsbook account. By the time you sign up, go through KYC, and get to the betting market, the odds will likely hve changed. Sign up with at least two.
Bankroll Management
Bankroll management will provide you with a ruler by which you can measure your NFL betting strategy. One example is the unit approach. In this approach, you always place the same risk on every football wager. This way, you will be able to go back and measure concretely what the best NFL betting strategy has been for you.
Be Careful With Your Favorites
We all love betting on our favorites, and because we want so badly for them to win, we sometimes are blinded by what we most want. It makes it hard to place the best football wagers this way. Keep this in mind when betting on games where your heart is also on the field.
How to Bet on Football and Win
With these insights, you are ready to learn how to bet on football and win big! Here are the simple steps you need to take in order to put your newfound NFL betting strategy into action.
- Choose your sportsbook – Check out our guide ot finding the best NFL sportsbooks
- Create Your Account – Sign up by entering your basic information and verifying verifying your identity
- Make a Deposit – Connect your banking method of choice and make your first deposit so you can place a bet
- Collect welcome bonus – A welcome bonus will help your NFL betting quite a bit. Check out the best bonuses
- Move wager into your bet slip – Find your wager and enter your risk
- Evaluate and execute – Review your risk and reward and click “place bet.”
For beginners, this is the basic process of signing up and placing your first wager with a bookmaker. But, beyond this, many things separate the average bettor from an expert. One of those things is avoiding media noise. This can be exceptionally difficult for sports lovers intrigued by everything related to the NFL; podcasts, TV shows, radio, interviews, training videos, etc.
Media outlets can create hype and draw in ratings for upcoming NFL games. To be a successful NFL bettor, one should filter out the media noise and utilize the available data to place winning bets.
When betting on the NFL, research is key. Various sites provide valuable data for individual-versus-team match-ups. Generally, NFL teams and players are consistent, so the most statistically successful teams often have the best chance of winning trophies at the end of the season.
Betting against the public’s favorite team is a strategy known as ‘fading.’ This typically occurs when the public places so much money on one side that it causes the oddsmakers to change the odds and make a bet more profitable for betting the other team.
Oddsmakers are making the popular choice less attractive with lower value, away from the likelihood of that team beating the margin. This benefits bettors, who can spot these changes in the lines and bet on the team they like when the maximum value is available.
Think for yourself and stick to our basic guidelines, and you’ll put yourself in the best position possible to succeed when betting on football markets.
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