The NFL season is in full swing after the beginning of the 2021-2022 season on September 9 and coming off a difficult season for football lovers, everything is just as it should be. With stadiums around the country now allowing full capacity attendances, teams all across the league have dusted off their decibel meters to welcome back fans.
On the field, the action is as exciting as ever. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have started well in their quest to defend their Super Bowl title, currently sitting top of the NFC South. They’ve been helped by the performances of ‘The GOAT’ himself, Tom Brady, who in October became the NFL's all-time career passing yards leader. One of the biggest shocks so far this season however has been the underperformance of last year’s Super Bowl runners up the Kansas City Chiefs. Although they were one of the strong favourites to get their hands on The Vince Lombardi Trophy before the season’s commencement, they have had an unconvincing start to their campaign and currently sit 3rd in the AFC West with a record of 4-4.
The excitement for fans could be heightened even more by betting on games. If you are new to sports betting you would probably want to check out this guide and learn how to bet on sports in general. Then you can read specifically about football betting before you start wagering and getting involved in the action.
First let’s outline the basics. All markets are priced by positive and negative numbers. Positive numbers outline how much you would win on a $100 bet. For example, let’s say the Pittsburgh Steelers (-250) are playing the Chicago Bears (+200). So, a $100 bet on the Bears would win you $200. The negative number, however, is telling you how much you would need to wager to win $100. So, in this case, a $250 wager on the Steelers would win you $100.
One of the best things about betting on the NFL is the number of markets that are available to wager on. Let’s break down just what is available to you.
Moneyline
Starting with the most basic market of them all— The moneyline is a straightforward bet on the outcome of the game. As games in the NFL automatically progress to overtime in the result of a tie after four quarters, the moneyline includes any result after overtime. The moneyline is one of the easiest bets to make but often offer a relatively low return when wagering on the favourite to win the game.
Totals
The ‘Total’ of a match is a bet on the amount of points to be scored in the match. Sportsbooks will set a total that bettors will wager to either go Over or Under. Using our Bears/Steelers example again, if the total is set at 49, bettors wager on the amount of points scored by each team combined to go either over or under that number. If the exact number is scored the bet is voided and your wager will be returned in full. This is why some totals may contain half-points, to prevent a ‘push’ or ‘tie’. For example, if the total is 48.5, then 49 overall points would win you the bet, but anything below would be settled as a loss.
The Point Spread
The spread is somewhat of a twist on the moneyline bet and is one of the most popular wagers to make on football. The spread handicaps the favourite in that it is essentially starting them on a negative-points total. Like totals bets, the spread will have a number set by the sportsbook and the favourite will feature a negative number. Going back to our Bears/Steelers example, if you bet on Steelers against the spread of -6.5 then they would have to win by 7 points or more for the bet to win. You can also bet the other way round, so in this example the Bears would have to either win the game or lose by no more than 6 points. Spread bets are great to utilise when wagering on heavy favourites or slight underdogs.
Parlays and Teasers
If you want to cover multiple markets in one wager, parlays and teasers have you covered. An example of a parlay bet using our game would be: Steelers to win against the spread AND the total to be over 49. As you are covering multiple markets, your payout is increased and all events must be correct to win. Teasers are parlays where the spread markets are more favourable to the bettor, thus lowering the potential payout of a normal parlay. For example, bettors can adjust the spread from -6.5 to -2.5.
Player Props
Player props are some of the most exciting bets to make in football. You can bet on everything from a player’s receptions, receiving yards, passing yards, rushing yards and loads more. Like most bets, they work to a specific over/under number. For example, you could wager on Tom Brady finishing the game with over or under 300.5 passing yards.
Futures/Outrights
These are bets that are placed on the outcome of specific competitions. For example, you can wager on who will win each conference and division in the NFL, who will make the playoffs or who will make it to or win the Super Bowl.
Whilst these are the most popular bets to wager on in football, there are plenty of other markets offered by sportsbooks. Find what you most enjoy and take the excitement of gameday to the next level.
