We look at the bet types and odds available to you as a bettor when making your bet on football. With so many options it can be confusing for the first time bettor, but with a small amount of effort you can soon ensure you are backing teams that will at least have the best chance of delivering you a win.
NFL Point Spreads Explained Most of the wagering is done using point spreads. This is the number assigned to the team that is either added (underdogs with a + sign) or subtracted. Below is an example of NFL betting odds taken from an online betting site. In this example you can see Los Angeles is listed at +130 ($100 bet pays $130 plus of course your original wager back) and New England is listed at -150 ($150 bet pays $100).
Type of bets when betting on football and NFL Odds
We see many bet types and strategies applied when betting on football, we wanted to give you more detail on what we see as the best value bets for you to make as an amateur bettor.
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Spread betting
- Over Under Betting is the second most popular type of NFL betting, just behind spread betting. Over Under Betting is also known as “Game Total Betting” and you will often see it be referred to as either term. Beginner NFL bettors may be confused by Over Under Betting, but it is very easy to learn and understand once explained.
- Learn betting basics like how to read & understand odds, moneyline betting, betting against the spread and over / under bets. Articles cover introductory betting concepts for beginner bettors to learn the in's and out's of online betting.
With NFL games being so high scoring NFL betting is dictated by the point spread. As an explanation of spread betting; the spread also known as ‘line’ and it can be seen as a type of side bet that equalizes the chance of winning. The spread/line that is set by the sportsbook and offered to bettors for any given game will be designated with either the – or + symbol which shows the favorite, or if the team is expected to be the underdog.
Moneyline
With team differences being so small, and the winning or losing margin being so close within the NFL games Moneyline (ML) bets can be placed on either the favorite or the underdog, with the bet intention to win. This bet suits those who think that either a team is about to break out from several previous losses, or that they are happy accepting the odds even for a favorite to win.
Quarter /1st Half Lines
As with ML (Money line bets) most bets made by bettors on football games are on the final outcome of the game, we have seen many new hybrid bet types offered particularly with in-play betting (betting live on NFL games during the game) but bets such as 1st quarter and 1st half lines have been offered for some time and are well taken up by bettors. So what is the Quarter spread bet? The quarter spread bet is used to select who will be winning at the end of the 1st quarter, with the 1st Half Line spread bet covering the first two quarters, and being decided when the 2 quarters are over.
Half time Lines
Other bets that exist and are offered by the best NFL sportsbooks are in-game bets that are placed placed DURING halftime, and its exactly what you would expect, a bet made to determine the outcome of the second half, basically betting on determining the outcome of the game.
Betting on Totals or Over-Under
When betting on totals or over/under you bet whether the points scored in the game (the total points scored) will be over or under a number, this number is set by the sportsbook offering the bets, this betting and the totals / under/over values are affected by the bettors making other bets, and are so determined by the betting website based on this data.
Parlays and Teaser betting
Parlays are wagers placed in combination with other bets such as spread bets, moneyline bets and totals, and are there to help you increase your win. Parlay bets only become winning bets when all your individual other bets become wins. Teaser bets are based on points that help you push the win value higher when you win. As an example if the proposed bet line happens to be offered at -14 and you have a 6 point teaser points value, your new line is -8.
Futures betting on NFL
Futures bets are placed on an event that will occur in the future, with almost no limit to the types of bets that you can make or will be offered by the top NFL sportsbooks, most initial future bet in size of volume is superbowl winner. There will be odds on games, goals scored, most touchdowns, yards run, the list of bets offered by the best websites ensures that some really interesting bets can be had, normally with excellent or at the least very interesting odds.
With all the bets on offer, in-play- futures and more, having a great strategy and ensuring you are betting with a trusted betting website is important, check all the best NFL sportsbook reviews here
Although a little more advanced than a normal moneyline or spread bet, NFL Teaser Betting is fairly popular at sportsbooks during the NFL season. Teaser bets account for over 15% of sportsbooks handles for NFL betting, and is continuously becoming more popular.
NFL teaser betting is more common with intermediate or advanced bettors, but it isn’t a hard concept to understand – I will explain how NFL teasers work below.
What is a NFL Teaser Bet?
A teaser bet is a group of straight bets (two or more) combined into one bet, where each individual line has been shifted to your favour by the number of points of the teaser.
There are three main NFL teasers – 6, 6.5 and 7 point teasers.
In a 6 point NFL teaser the line would be shifted by 6 points in the favour of the bettors play. For example if you wanted to take the Ravens -8, it would be converted into Ravens -2 within a teaser bet. The spread was shifted 6 points (from 8 points down to 2 points). Another example would be if you wanted to play the Chiefs -2.5. In a 6 point teaser the -2.5 line would be changed to Chiefs +3.5.
The same rule is applied for 6.5 and 7 point NFL teasers, except, of course, the line is shifted by either 6.5 or 7 points instead of the 6 points shown in the example above. NFL teaser bets must include two or more bets “parlayed” (cannot do single teaser bets).
NFL Teaser Example
Here is what a two team 6.5 point NFL teaser bet would look like:
Your selections: Pittsburgh Steelers +3 and Dallas Cowboys -4.5
Nfl Betting Odds Explained Chart
In a 6.5 point teaser these would then be changed to: Steelers +9.5 and Cowboys -2
In order for you to win the teaser bet both incomes would have to be correct. If one selection was a push the bet is often refunded, but some sportsbooks will count it as a loss if the other selection lost (check your sportsbooks‘ rules).
Below is another example of a teaser bet that I recently placed and won. I teased the Vikings and Eagles from +2.5 up to +8.5 in a 2 team 6 point teaser.
NFL Teaser Bet Payouts
Every sportsbook will have their own payouts and rules for teaser bets. Our favorite sportsbook for getting the best NFL odds is 5Dimes.eu. Of course the more points you use on the teaser the lower the payout will be, and the more teams you include in the teaser bet the higher the payout will be.
Here are the NFL Teaser Payouts at 5Dimes (subject to change):
6 Point NFL Teaser Bet Payouts
2 Teams – (+100)
3 Teams – (+180)
4 Teams – (+300)
Nfl Betting Odds Explained 2019
6.5 Point NFL Teaser Bet Payouts
2 Teams – (-110)
3 Teams – (+165)
4 Teams – (+265)
7 Point NFL Teaser Bet Payouts
2 Teams – (-120)
3 Teams – (+150)
4 Teams – (+240)
Of course you can choose more than 4 teams in your NFL teaser bet, I just used these as example payouts so you could get a feel for what the payouts are like on teaser bets. Full payout charts can usually be found at the sportsbooks website.
Nfl Point Spread Explained
Now that you know what teasers are check out this advanced Teaser Betting Strategy article written by our professional sports bettor, Jim. In the article you will learn when teasers are +EV and how you can make a profit during the season picking spots to bet teasers.