Let’s now discuss how to bet on American football and the range of betting markets available. There are many ways to bet on American football. Bookmakers across the planet now offer a deep menu of American football betting odds, from the more traditional to the more exotic. In this section, we will discuss the most popular American football odds.

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HOW TO BET ON AMERICAN FOOTBALL LINES

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The most popular and certainly the most traditional way to bet on American football games is known as the Point Spread.

American football Point Spreads (also known as betting lines or handicaps) is an estimated final margin for a given American football game. Bookmakers determine the margin as a 50/50 bet. In other words, they believe there is a 50% chance the result will end one side of the estimated margin and a 50% chance the result will end on the other side of the estimated margin. Bettors can bet on which side of the margin the game will end on.

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AMERICAN FOOTBALL POINT SPREADS EXPLAINED​

 

So how to bet on American football spreads and handicaps. Let’s consider an example. Let’s say that the Kansas City Chiefs are playing the San Francisco 49ers. The point spread for this game is listed as Kansas City Chiefs -3.

 

What does this mean?

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Well, for starters the Chiefs are considered the favorites as they are the minus handicap while 49ers are the underdogs with the plus handicap.

The bookmakers have therefore determined that the final margin will be either side of Kansas City by 3 points. Bettors can then bet on either side of this margin.

So if you believe Kansas City will win by more than 3 points (i.e. 3 points or more) you bet on Kansas City -3 points. Vice versa for if you believe that the San Francisco 49ers will lose by 3 points or less.

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CALCULATING A WINNING AMERICAN FOOTBALL SPREAD BET

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On the other hand, if you believe that the Redskins will win the game or at the very least will not lose by more than 3 points (3 points or less), you bet on San Francisco +3 points.

 

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In the example above, if Kansas City wins by exactly three points, the bet is graded as a “push” and the original stake of the bet is refunded. 

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The other key aspect when learning how to bet on NFL spreads is understanding vig or juice – the cost of the bet. Both sides of the point spread will have another set of odds attached, known as the vig or juice. 

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Vig will display next to the spreads: 7.5 (-110) / +7.5 (-110). Sportsbooks often use a flat -110 line for point spreads, which means you can win $1 for every $1.10 risked or wager $110 to win $100. 

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When a team wins a point spread bet, it is often referred to as ‘covering the spread’.

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AMERICAN FOOTBALL MONEYLINES

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American football moneyline bets are simply head-to-head bets where you are betting on the final result (including over time). No handicaps, and no points totals. All that matters is who wins.

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The stronger of the two teams is the moneyline favorite. Favorites have a negative value (-) next to their odds, such as -130. A -130 moneyline favorite has an implied probability of 56.5 percent to win the game, and because there is less risk in betting the favorite to win, you must risk more. A -130 moneyline will return $0.77 for every $1 wagered or $77 on a $100 bet. Many bettors, however, prefer to bet “to win” amounts. In this situation, a bettor would wager $130 to win $100. 

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The weaker team is listed as the moneyline underdog and will have a positive value (+) with its odds, such as +110. A +110 moneyline underdog has an implied probability of 47.62 percent to win, and because there is more risk in betting the underdog to win, you can win more than you risk. This underdog bet will return $1.10 for every $1 wagered or $110 on a $100 bet.

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AMERICAN FOOTBALL OVER/UNDERS

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Another popular American football bet type is the points total market, also known as Over Unders.

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What is an Over/Under bet?

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An Over/Under bet is simple. Similar to a point spread, a bookmaker sets a total number of points that they think will be scored in an American football game, with a 50% chance that the game will end with more than that number of points scored and a 50% chance that the game will end with fewer than that many points scored.

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For example, If a game's combined projected score is 53 points, bettors can either place a bet that the final score will go Over the 53-point number or stay Under that total.

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Like point spread betting, there is vig assigned to either side of the total. Most bookmakers use a -110 line on Over/Under betting, meaning for every $1.10 risked, you would win $1 or bet $110 to win $100. It would display as Over 53 (-110) / Under 53 (-110).

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It’s also possible to bet on individual team points totals. This is similar to the game total but instead of considering the total combined points scored, all you are concerned with is the points total of a particular team.

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TEASERS: ADJUSTING THE SPREAD & COMBINING BETS

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NFL teaser betting allows you to move a spread or total a designated number of points but – much like a parlay – requires two or more bets to be tied together. 

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The most common teaser used in NFL betting is a six-point teaser, which allows you to move a spread or total by six points to your advantage. The more bets added to the teaser, the bigger the potential payout and the bigger the risk. 

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As an example, a three-game six-point teaser includes a seven-point favorite, a 10-point favorite, and a one-point underdog. Those spreads would be modified to -1, -4, and +7 with odds of +160 or a payout of $160 on a $100 wager. However, all of those modified bets have to win for the overall teaser to win.

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PROPS: BETTING ON TEAM/PLAYER PERFORMANCES & MORE

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NFL prop betting is booming thanks to the popularity of fantasy football, DFS, and advanced statistics. Props – also known as proposition bets – used to be reserved for just big games. But just like Super Bowl props, bettors can now find prop markets for every regular-season NFL game. 

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Prop bets isolate certain aspects of the game, such as team performance, player output, or particular happenings and results throughout a contest. NFL player prop odds let you bet on the Over/Under passing yards for the star quarterback or the number of total field goals kicked in a game. 

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Prop bets come in various formats with their own unique odds sets, from Over/Under offering to Yes/No props and simply picking an option from a list of odds, such as players to score a touchdown during the game.

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PLAYER TOUCHDOWN PROPS

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Touchdown proposition bets revolve around a player scoring a touchdown within a single game. Depending on the specifics of the wager, this may be a rushing touchdown, a passing/receiving touchdown, a special teams touchdown, a defensive team touchdown, or simply any touchdown rendered as a single broad category. Always scrutinize the terms and conditions of the player prop bet you’re selecting before putting your money down to ensure you’re selecting the desired touchdown category. 

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The NFL player prop odds you receive on touchdown props vary widely, depending on each player’s resume and the statistical probability of scoring. You’d get shorter odds on a well-known star with a proven body of work than a relatively unknown player. 

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Suppose you’re betting on a star (think Derrick Henry or someone with a similar reputation). In that case, your odds might not be altogether different from a moneyline bet (as in anywhere from -150 to +200). Of course, the odds attached to any player prop will vary wildly depending on the player’s quality and their opponent’s strength.

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First-time touchdown props allow you to wager on the player who will score the first touchdown of the game, and sportsbooks will allow you to select from a list of players within the game. 

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Anytime touchdown props allow you to wager on whether a player will score a touchdown within a game—a simple yes/no proposition.

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PLAYER PASSING PROPS

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Passing props is relatively straightforward. They allow you to make bets linked to a quarterback’s total number of thrown passing yards, the number of times they make a pass attempt, or the number of touchdowns a QB throws. Sportsbooks assign a total number of passing yards, attempts, or touchdowns to a player (i.e., 250 passing yards for Derek Carr) and then allow betters to pick the Over or the Under.

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PLAYER RUSHING PROPS

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Rushing props are similar to passing props, but for rushing yards instead of passing yards. Think Jonathan Taylor, not Tom Brady. Sportsbooks allow you to wager on the Over/Under of a player’s total rushing yards, rush attempts, and total rushing touchdowns.

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PLAYER RECEIVING PROPS

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Receiving yards follow the same structure. NFL receiving props allow you to bet on the Over/Under of a player’s receiving yards and a player’s number of receptions within a game. It is also possible to bet on the Over/Under of the longest reception within a game and the player on the receiving end of said longest reception.

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FUTURES: BETTING ON THE SUPERBOWL WINNER/MVP & MORE

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NFL futures betting is rapidly growing among casual bettors. These are odds based around long-running results, such as odds to win the Super Bowl, rookie of the year odds, or season win totals. 

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Most futures odds open for betting before the season starts and run until a decision is graded as the winner,  constantly adjusting to results, injuries, and betting action. You can bet on futures are any point in that span, and the odds you bet are the odds on which the wager will be graded.

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For example, you bet $100 on a team’s odds to win the Super Bowl at +1,600 odds in the spring. That team could go on a run in the season, moving their odds to +800, and then make the playoffs, adjusting their odds to +300. They could even get to and win the Super Bowl at +125 odds. Because you bet them at +1,600 in the spring, those are the odds that grade your bet, producing a payout of $1,600.

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