NFL Betting Strategy – How To Bet On NFL Games
No matter how informed a pro football wager is, an NFL betting strategy has been applied. The difference between routinely winning or your bets is how knowledgeable that gambling strategy is.
When you see two football teams matched up, chances are it occurs to you which team will win. With that knowledge, you can compare those instincts against the oddsmakers and earn cash winnings if they are correct.
Learn how to bet on NFL games using the collective betting strategies of our staff here at SportsBetting.Legal, and learn more about the online sportsbooks the we use for sports betting on NFL games.
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How Does NFL Betting Work?
Immediately following the conclusion of the Super Bowl, futures odds for the following season will debut for division, conference, and Lombardi Trophy winners. Futures odds will take up most of the preseason betting until the regular season kickoff in early September.
As NFL Season Week 1 draws near, betting lines for each game will be produced that offer point spreads for both teams, moneyline odds for winners, and the over/under for total combined points scored.
This brief description above is expanded upon in our guide to NFL bet types.
Our NFL Betting Strategy
Placing a bet on an NFL game requires that you apply you thoughts and beliefs about a pro football occurrence and risk money against the prospect.
There are also many other aspects of football betting to consider before placing any wagers, and we’ve covered them all in the following steps:
Research the top online sportsbooks – The task of combing the web and reviewing all NFL betting sites has already been tackled by the staff here at SBL. We’ve listed them on this page and have posted links to our extensive reviews for each. Check all of them out and think about joining more than one.
Compare upcoming NFL betting lines - Before long, you’ll be checking the betting lines at each of these preferred online sportsbooks and comparing them to each other. The number of sportsbooks that you use to compare the current NFL odds provides the range for each game line.
NFL Handicapping – When examining all of the game lines for a given week, we find that there are typically two to four games that feature odds that stand out to us. The game lines are peculiar because they disagree with our initial hunches regarding the results. In a nanosecond, we’ve handicapped our own odds by applying logic and spotting differentials. Wise bettors arrive at these conclusions through a number of factors that include prior head-to-head history between the teams, weather, injuries, coaching philosophies, playing at home vs. away, heated rivalries, and any other aspect that can impact the outcome of a game. Also, check how each team is performing against the spread that season as it is often in direct contrast to their win/loss record.
Betting On NFL Favorites - Favored teams are represented with a point spread that is in the negative, or the lowest moneyline odds. Winning a bet placed on a favorite in the point spread requires that team to win the game by more than the spread. Winning a bet placed on a favored team’s moneyline odds only requires that the team is victorious.
Betting On NFL Underdogs - Underdog teams are expected to lose and are given point spreads that are usually in the positive. Teams can cover the spread by losing by less than the margin or outright winning the game. Moneyline odds allow for betting on a team to win the game. Underdog teams usually have positive moneylines which pay out more than the amount bet. Positive moneylines are hard to resist because of their profit potential so think long and hard before risking any cash against them.
Shop the NFL odds – Now that your handicapping techniques have exposed betting opportunities, it is time to shop around to find where your gambling dollar will travel the furthest. Holding multiple sportsbook memberships allow gamblers the ability to shop the lines for the best payouts.
Buy Extra Points If You Need Them - Most online sportsbooks will allow you to purchase extra points in either direction of the spread for both teams with extra vigor directed toward the house. If it makes the difference between winning and losing a bet, then buying extra points is a no-brainer and worth the extra cut that the sportsbook will keep. Extra points can also be purchased when betting on the over/under lines.
Refrain from excessive betting – Not all weeks will produce a betting line that stands out to you. When that happens, take the week off. Don't force it just to chase the action. The NFL season is long and is sure to produce more winners. Use the week to research the games and place a few imaginary bets to see how they pan out.
Create a sports betting budget - We strongly encourage anyone considering taking part in football betting for any extended period of time to develop a financial gameplan. If you’re having trouble making ends meet, sports betting is not an appropriate option for shoring up deficits. Limit your sports betting funds to only disposable income. Furthermore, do not place any wagers that are larger than 5% of your total budget. This will keep you active for longer and will help avoid chasing any losses. You should also avoid depositing with USD and keep your transactions limited to cryptocurrency for expediency and security.
Place your bets – After all decisions have been made, submit your wager(s), watch the games, and take notes on how all teams performed against the spread, not just on the contests you bet on.
Live betting during the game - If you’re on the fence on a particular game because a player’s status is uncertain or you aren’t sure about the weather, live betting on NFL odds is an option after kickoff.
Use mobile sports betting apps – The offshore sportsbooks that we recommend allow access to their mobile betting apps for placing bets on the go. No download is required as these are web-apps that can be pulled up using current mobile browsers. NFL gambling apps allow bets to be placed anywhere, at any time.
Avoid Excessive Parlays - NFL Parlay bets involve combining multiple wagers into one. All outcomes included in the football parlay bet must win or the whole thing fails. Adding multiple outcomes into a parlay wager increases the odds and the resulting payouts, making them attractive but very likely to fail.
NFL Betting FAQs
Initial betting lines for pro football games are set based on calculations made by the oddsmakers. After that, lines can change based on the availability of star players, weather conditions, and other factors. Betting sites intend for equal amounts of money to come in on both teams, so they create odds for that purpose.
Online sportsbooks want to earn a cut from the dollars wagered and for payouts to be distributed evenly to avoid any significant shortfalls in revenue. If too much money comes in on one team, the game lines will adjust until wagers begin to even out again.
Historically, home favorites cover the spread just under 50% of the time while road favorites are victorious at a ratio of just over 50%
Since moneyline odds are purely based on winners and losers, at most books, bets are not canceled if the game enters overtime. Some sportsbooks may have special rules regarding overtime during the playoffs.
Historically, the under wins more often. Scoring demands that teams are productive, whereas a lack of scoring only requires that teams perform poorly against a stingy defense.
Many states offer domestic sportsbooks that post football odds, with minimum ages that vary by region. The offshore sportsbooks we recommend for legal sports betting serve all states in the USA between them and allow 18 and older members to join. Offshore sportsbooks are not subject to US gambling laws and fall outside state and federal jurisdictions.
One of the main reasons that NFL betting dominates the action at online sportsbooks is that the schedule is incredibly organized, with most of the week’s games occurring on Sunday afternoons. Most other sports occur throughout the week and require a lot of time to research and master, whereas the National Football League presents a convenient opportunity to take in all the action within a few hours.