Football is the most popular sport in the United States. This is true for both TV ratings and the amount bet at live and online sportsbooks. There are many ways to bet on a football game. The method depends on whether you are betting online or at a live sportsbook.
Note that when you make a bet matters. Unlike pari-mutuel betting, the odds you get at the time of your sports wager is what you will have. If the line moves, that does not matter unless you make more bets.
Bets are accepted on a variety of football leagues, including college and professional leagues. This includes the NFL, NCAA, USFL, CFL and XFL.
Online sportsbook betting guide
At an online sportsbook, you will need to create an account before placing a wager. The betting sites and apps have a sign up button. It is a simple process. You will be asked to create a username and password. The next screen will include your name, email address, mailing address, phone number, date of birth and Social Security Number.
This information is used to verify your identity. Once that is completed, it is time to make a deposit. We have an article about how to deposit at online sportsbooks. Players must be at least 21 years old in most states. The device must be located within the state line in a jurisdiction where it is licensed to operate.
When it is time to make a bet, open your sportsbook app or go to its website and find the sports menu. You will be able to choose football out of the list of available sports. There may be a submenu where college and NFL football games are displayed separately.
Making a live sports bet
There are some differences when making a bet at a Las Vegas sportsbook or other live one, as opposed to an online one. At a live sportsbook, it is important to get the game number on the board. This will be to the left of the bet. You may also be able to find this betting rotation number on sheets found in the sportsbook.
Make sure to read this number to the ticket writer. This helps prevent mistakes. If you are betting a parlay or teaser, there may be cards for that in the sportsbook. You can fill these in with a pencil and get your parlay ticket accurately and quickly.
Some sportsbooks accept a casino player’s card. You may earn a few points using this. It also helps assign the ticket to you. That way, if you lose it, you can get it replaced as long as nobody else has cashed it. If you bet $50 or more, ask about drink tickets. Tipping a couple of dollars may help you get a couple if you don’t qualify under standard policy.
Betting football point spreads
There will be several types of bets available on a football menu. The main page will show the games that are next to kick off. This list will show point spreads, moneylines and totals.
The point spread is a handicap or advantage based on a number of points. If a team is shown as -3, this means that the bookmakers think that team will win by a field goal. If you pick the favorite, you win if that team wins by four or more points. When you take the underdog, you win if your team wins outright or loses by only one or two points.
If the game lands exactly on the favorite winning by three points, it is a push. That means that everybody on that point spread gets their money back. It is the same as the player and dealer having 20 at a blackjack table.
You will also find point spreads for more than an entire game. Point spread bets include a quarter or half. There can also be special point spreads related to prop bets or alternative lines.
In a normal bet, both sides lay 11/10. This means a bet of $11 wins $10. There may be slight variations on this, especially on important football point spreads like three and seven points. You may find one side is -120, while the other side is even money.
Look for this $20 spread between the favorite and underdog. If it is larger on a point spread, you are betting at the wrong sportsbook.
Betting football moneylines
The moneyline is a price on the team winning the game outright. You may see a favorite listed as -200 and an underdog as +170. If you bet on the favorite, you will bet $2 for every $1 that you hope to win.
For example, a $200 bet wins $100 if the favorite wins the game. A $100 bet on the +170 underdog would win $170. The original bet is returned when the side wins. If the game ends in a tie after overtime, all bets on the moneyline are returned. It is a push.
Totals, including over/unders
The total is the number of points scored in a game or other specified period, like a quarter or half. It can also be a team total, which only includes the points scored by one side that is picked by the bettor.
If a total is 41.5, the over wins if there are 42 or more points scored. The under wins if it is less. Totals can be even numbers. If the score lands exactly on it, it is a push. All bets are returned.
A total bet typically lays -110. This means that for every $10 you want to win, you will need to lay $11. If the spread is larger than 20 between the over and under, make your bet somewhere else.
Parlays
You may want to bet on more than one outcome in a game. This is called a parlay. These have big payouts.
That is because all bets made on a parlay must win for it to get paid. If any leg loses, the entire parlay is graded as a loss. Pushes will drop the parlay down by a team. If you bet a four-team parlay, and one part of it pushes and the rest win, it will be paid like a three-team parlay.
One of the big promotions available at mobile sportsbooks is related to single game parlays. These are bets on the same event. However, it cannot be correlated. This means you will not be permitted to parlay a total for a half of the football game and the final score.
Teasers
Teasers are like parlays in that there are multiple legs on the ticket. However, these do not pay as much as parlays because the player has an advantage with teasers. Points are added to the teams that are part of a football teaser. The number of points depends on the sportsbook. For football, it is typically 6, 6.5 or 7. Some sportsbooks will offer 13 or 14-point teasers.
If a player bets a 7-pt teaser on 3-pt underdogs, those teams now get 10 points instead of 3. Should any leg of a teaser fail to cover the new spread, the teaser loses. If there is a push on one of these tickets, it drops down a leg. A two-team teaser with a push and a win is a push.
Teasers are also available at basketball. The typical numbers available are 4, 4.5 and 5 points.
Pleasers
Pleasers are uncommon at mobile and online sportsbooks. These are reverse teasers. The player gives up points and the payout can be significant. The hope is that a favorite wins big in a blowout or a big underdog wins outright. You can go entire football seasons without hitting a pleaser. It is a risky wager. That is why the payouts are so massive.
Football futures
Futures bettors try to pick a winner of a division, conference or league. In college football, that would be betting the winner of the SEC, ACC, Big 10, etc. It could also be a wager on which team will win the NCAA Championship.
In the NFL, it can be a bet on which team will win their division, conference or the Super Bowl. Futures bets may be made before the season starts or during it. Teams that are mathematically eliminated from contention are removed from the boards at licensed sportsbooks.
Football props
There are many types of prop bets available in football. These can involve the number of wins a team will have during a season, specific team or player stats like passing yards, or the number of touchdowns scored in a game. Super Bowls have many props that are not available for other games. This includes the opening coin toss, cross-sports bets and props on the stats of players lower on the depth chart.
Prop betting may not be available on all college games. This depends on the state gaming regulations. Some do not permit betting on individual player stats of college players. For example, you can bet on NCAA games at Colorado sportsbooks, but single player college prop bets are not permitted.
Some have other restrictions that affect college prop betting in other ways. One example is that New Jersey sportsbooks are not permitted to take any action on in-state college sports, but can take props and all other types of bets on NCAA events that occur in other states. Make sure to check your local laws.
In-game and live betting
If you miss the kickoff, or want to get more money in action after a football game begins, live betting is for you. This may also be called in-game wagering.
These are much easier to bet at online and mobile sportsbooks than live ones. There is no line on the apps. A sportsbook ticket counter or kiosk may have too many customers for you to get to it during a break in action when these types of wagers are accepted.
The live betting menus look like the ones at the start of the game. The typical bets available include point spreads, moneylines and totals. The point spreads you see are what you have. It is based on the current football score or what the bookmakers and market predict will happen later in the game. The house edge, known as juice or vigorish, on live and in-play betting is usually higher than when making a straight bet. In some cases, you may be able to parlay games live.
Last Updated on July 31, 2023 by Kristina Mehaffey