How to Bet on Football: 10 Things All Beginners Need to Know

Do you live for Sunday afternoons in the fall?

So do millions of other Americans. Studies have shown that NFL football is, by far, the most popular sport in the country right now. Almost 40 percent of sports fans say it’s their favorite sport.

And believe it or not, you could fall even more in love with football than you already are if you want. You can do it by learning how to bet on football to turn your passion for the sport into a profit every Sunday.

But before you set your sights on scoring big at the sportsbook, it’s important for you to educate yourself on the ins and outs of gambling on football. Here are 10 things all beginners need to know prior to placing their first football bet.

1. What Are Favorites and Underdogs?

When you hear people talking about sports betting, you’ll often hear the words “favorite” and “underdog” get thrown around a lot.

You can probably guess what they mean. But this is as good a place as any to start when you’re learning how to bet on football. So let’s begin here.

A favorite is a team that’s considered the stronger of the two football teams preparing to take the field. Oddsmakers believe the favorite should win the game if everything goes according to plan.

The underdog, on the other hand, is a team that’s considered the weaker of the two football teams taking part in a game. Oddsmakers don’t think the underdog should win the game unless something out of the ordinary happens during it.

2. What Are Point Spreads?

The concept of favorites versus underdogs is pretty easy for most people to understand. But point spreads can be a lot more complicated to learn when you’re trying to figure out how to bet on football.

That being said, it’s not that difficult to pick up the concept of point spreads, and it’s easy to get the hang of them once you’ve spent one or two Sundays placing bets.

The point spread is a number that oddsmakers create to illustrate how much better a favorite is than an underdog. For example, if the point spread for a game between the New York Giants and New England Patriots is 7 points and the Giants are the favorite, oddsmakers are predicting the Giants to be 7 points better than the Patriots.

That sounds simple enough. But some people get confused when it comes to actually placing a bet on a football game using a point spread.

The key is not to overthink it when you’re trying to gain an understanding of the point spread. Using the example above, let’s say that you want to bet on the Giants to beat the Patriots using the point spread. You would need the Giants to win by more than 7 points to win your bet.

So if the Giants win 40-24, they would “cover” the spread that was set, and you would win your bet.

3. What Is the Moneyline?

Using the point spread to bet on football is part of what makes it so much fun. But if you don’t like doing it, you have another option.

You can bet on what’s called the moneyline. When you do this, you don’t have to worry about how much the team that you pick wins by. You just need that team to win outright to collect your winnings.

4. What Are Over/Under or Total Bets?

If you have a tough time trying to decide whether to bet on the Giants or the Patriots to win a game, there are other types of bets you can place on NFL contests.

There are some people who like taking over/under bets, which are also called total bets. These bets require bettors to bet on whether or not two teams will score enough points to go “over” a certain number.

5. What Are Parlays?

Every Sunday in the fall, there are usually at least a dozen NFL games on. It’ll give you an opportunity to place multiple bets if you want.

You’ll also have the option of packaging these bets up into what’s known as a “parlay” bet. When you take a parlay, you’ll be asked to select two or more teams that you think will win. You can either bet them with the points or take the moneyline.

In order to win, all of the teams in a parlay will need to either cover the point spread or win outright. Parlays offer bettors boosted odds and can really pay off if you’re lucky enough to hit one.

6. What Are Teasers?

Much like parlays, teasers will call for you to place a single bet on two or more teams. But there is a big difference between parlays and teasers.

With parlays, you’ll need to use the point spread or the moneyline for each game that you bet. But with teasers, you’ll get to add points to the point spread in either direction to give teams a better chance to cover.

In football, you can usually add or subtract 6, 6.5, or 7 points to the spreads in a teaser bet.

7. What Are Prop Bets?

Do you think that Eli Manning will throw for more than 275 yards against the Patriots? Do you think the Giants will sack Tom Brady more than 4.5 times? Do you think the longest touchdown in the Giants/Patriots game will go for more than 42.5 yards?

You can bet on all these things! They’re called prop bets, and they’re some of the most fun bets to place on NFL games.

8. What Is the “Vig”?

When you go to place a bet on an NFL game, you’ll often see that it says -105, -110, -115, or even -120 next to the game. This is referred to as the “vig,” and it’s a “tax” that sportsbook place on their bets. It’s what they use to make their money.

The vig prevents you from winning $100 on a $100 bet. Instead, you’ll need to place a $110 bet to win $100 on a bet with -110 next to it.

9. What Is Live Betting?

You might be under the impression that it’s impossible to place a bet on a game that has already started. And back in the day, that used to be true.

But in 2019, live betting is all the rage. Throughout the course of an NFL game, oddsmakers will adjust the original line for the game accordingly and offer bettors the chance to place live bets.

There are some bettors that have started betting on live games almost exclusively as part of their NFL betting strategy. It allows them to get a feel for a game before placing a bet in the first or second quarter. It also allows those who have no chance of covering their original bet on a game to get back into the game by placing a new bet.

10. How Do I Place a Bet?

Betting on NFL games used to be limited to Las Vegas casinos. But today, you can walk into a sportsbook in any number of states and place a bet. Sports betting has been legalized in eight states so far, and that number is growing every year.

You can also place NFL bets at online sportsbooks. This makes it easy to place a bet on an NFL game from almost anywhere.

Knowing How to Bet on Football Will Pay Off

NFL games are already exciting as is. But you’ll jampack even more excitement into them when you learn how to bet on football.

The things you’ve learned here today should help you get a headstart when you start gambling on NFL games. But you should continue to educate yourself about sports betting as you move forward to improve your chances of winning.

Read our blog to find out more about where you can gamble online legally.