Football Betting: Where to start?

Taking your First Steps in Football Betting

As the most popular sport in North America, American football can seem like a very intuitive sport to choose when placing an online bet. Some of you may be asking, ‘How do I get in on the action?’ All over the country, the NFL is becoming more and more popular for more reasons than we can count. Regardless of why the sport is popular, online sports bettors agree that picking the most suitable betting type can be challenging. To help you feel more confident when betting on a game, CasinoRange has created this ‘all-levels’ betting guide. 

Handicaps & Spreads:

The NFL has three different betting types: the moneyline, total points, and handicap (spread) markets.

• The Moneyline market is a direct bet on the winner of the game.
• The total points market is betting on whether the game will go over or under a certain amount of points.
• The handicap market gives either side a total point edge so that both teams are close to even money. This is the most used betting market.

Pro tip: The handicap market is nicknamed the ‘point spread,’ and it is referenced everywhere from pro message boards to your favorite preshow commentator when determining the chances of both teams winning. The handicap betting lines level the playing field, which gives its bettors two advantages: First, you have a bet at close to 2.0 on either side in what can be one-sided matches, and second, it presents an opinion into the market from the oddsmakers. Readers that want to learn more about these different betting types should read ‘Different betting types in American Football.’ 

Here are some other tips and things to consider which can will help you feel confident before placing your football bet. 

1. Know your turf. Important factors that can impact the game’s points are; the weather, who’s hurt, away or whether there is a home game advantage , etc. A seasoned bettor will assess these variables alongside the handicap lines and see who you think will cover their line.
2. It’s okay to be picky. Picking consistent winners is statistically improbable. Even if you don’t win every bet you place, chances are you will see some games where you can be sure one team will cover the handicap with more than 50% odds.
3. Early bettor takes the cash. We recommend placing your bets as early as possible when the handicap lines for the games are released. Since the handicap lines for NFL games will often change in the lead-up to games, an early bet can be the difference of getting the extra couple of points on your side. 

The Rest is all Noise

Creating a buzz around NFL games is the media’s primary job. Don’t be fooled by outlets trying to sell stories about upcoming games. A successful NFL bettor will filter out the media noise and use the vast amounts of data available to make winning bets. Pay attention to stats and historical data when you bet on the NFL.

Betting on the NFL can be done by fading the public. This means betting against the crowd. A person expecting a team to win a game will back that team so much that oddsmakers will change the odds so that more money is placed on the other team.

The oddsmakers try to make the popular choice less attractive and less valuable, and move it away from the higher probability of the team beating the margin. While this is terrible news for bettors, sharp bettors will watch these lines move out and bet on the team they like when the line is at its highest, and the most value is available.