Football betting is an incredibly popular form of sports betting in the United States. With the National Football League (NFL) recorded as the most watched sports league in America, it makes sense that some fans may want to place wagers on popular games. On this page, we go through how to bet on football and explain some tips and strategies you should use when sports betting at the best online casinos in the USA.
There are loads of different bets American gamblers can place on a football match. Below are some of the most popular bets placed at the top NFL and NCAAF sports betting sites:
Moneyline Bets – these are the simplest bets a player can make. All a player needs to do is select a team they think will win in a particular matchup. The odds in these bets are determined simply on the sports book belief that a particular team will win a game. In a match between the Seattle Seahawks and the Cleveland Browns, where the Seahawks are favored to win might be displayed like this:
Seahawks -175
Browns +155
Point Spreads – essentially, sportsbooks create a handicap for favored teams to make bets slightly more interesting. In the example used above, sports books may suggest that the Seahawks will win the game by about 10 points. Thus, any bets made on the Browns will only win if the team is able to get a victory or lose by less than 10 points.
Totals – these are bets that attempt to predict how many points both teams combined will score in a singular game. For example, a bettor may predict that the final score of a game will total up to 50.
Props – these are bets made on a match that aren’t related to the final score. For example, bettors can wager on how many field goals will be kicked. Most sites offer a different prop bets, so it is important to have a look at what’s on offer.
Futures – these are bets made on the future performance on a team or player. For example, placing a bet on the Patriots to win the Super Bowl at the beginning of the season.
Football Betting Strategies
We’ve got a few strategies that will help you make better bets more consistently. They’re not guaranteed to make you win, but they should help improve your odds:
Set a bankroll limit – before you place any wagers, you have to set a limit of how much you’re willing to spend. This can be a weekly, monthly or season long limit, so long as you’ve set a limit on you’re spending. This will help you make better bets and ensure that you walk away from your bets with more wins.
Shop for the best odds – you need to make sure that when you place bets you are doing so with the best odds possible. Shop around at sports books and look for the site offering the best odds before placing your bet. That way, if you win, you’ll win bigger prizes.
Don’t get emotional – if you lose a bet, you lose a bet. You have to learn how that you’re not going to win every bet and that if you lose one it is okay. Don’t ever try to recoup your losses from a previous bet by making bets for larger values the next week with money you don’t have.
Top Football Betting Tips
These are some top tips to keep in mind when making bets on NFL or NCAAF games. Honestly, if you’re not following these tips, you’re chances of placing successful bets on a regular basis decreases:
Do Your Research – in order to make informed bets, you need to know what is going on in the league. You need to know how teams are faring, which players are on form and which are injured. Placing a bet on the New England Patriots to win the Super Bowl when you didn’t know Tom Brady is out for the season doesn’t seem like a good bet at all.
Practice Before You Make Live Bets – while you can’t really make practice bets online, you can do so on your own. Before making any real money wagers, practice by yourself by writing down teams you think may win in specific match ups along with any other stats you may want to track.
Adjust Your Strategy – keep in mind that it doesn’t always pay to bet on favourites. If you found in your practice session that you are making too many unprofitable bets, then adjust your strategy.