• Money Line Bet (Match or Head-To-Head)
On a money line or match bet in the NFL the goal is to predict what team will win the game (OT included). The team that you bet has to just win by 1+ point to cash the bet. NFL bookmakers will set prices based on the strength and perception of both teams.
NFL Money Line Example: Denver Broncos $1.30 vs. Baltimore Ravens $3.70
I’ve shown an example of an NFL match bet from week 1 of the upcoming season. The Broncos are favourites at home in week 1 and the bookies expect them to win convincingly, hence their short $1.30 price. Baltimore would pay $3.70 to pull off the upset.
• Point Spread Bet (Handicap or Line)
In most sports the most common bet is a match bet, but in the NFL the point spread or handicap bet is more common. With this type of NFL wager the bookmaker will set a point spread with the goal to create a handicap that gives both teams a 50% chance.
NFL Point Spread Example: Denver Broncos -9 ($2.02) vs. Baltimore Ravens +9 (1.83)
On a spread bet the favourite is the team with a negative spread (In this case the Broncos -9) and the underdog is the team with a positive spread (In this case the Ravens +9). The favourite has to cover the point spread in order to win the wager.
In our example the Broncos have to win by 10+ points to win and the Ravens would cash if they win or lose by 8 or less points. If the Broncos win by exactly 9 points then the bet is a push (Both Denver & Baltimore backers would receive their stake back).
• Tri Bet
One of the unique NFL wagers available at Aussie bookmakers is a tri bet. The tri bet is similar to a point spread bet, but there is a major difference. On a tri bet the bookie sets a line and you can pick one team to cover the spread or neither team to cover.
NFL Tri Bet Example: Denver Broncos -7.5 ($1.75) / Baltimore Ravens -7.5 ($17.75) / Either Team by 7 pts or Less ($2.14)
The tri bet offers bettors a unique opportunity to wager on the NFL. It can be difficult to handicap a winner in the NFL with tight spreads, but the tri bet is a great option if you expect a close game. In this example either team by 7 pts or less pays evens.
• Over/Under (Total Match Points)
Can’t decide on a winner or on what team will cover the point spread? Don’t worry, you can still bet on the over/under. The O/U is a very popular NFL betting market. The goal with this wager is to predict whether the total points go over or under the total.
NFL Over/Under Example: Over 49.5 Points ($1.92) / Under 49.5 Points ($1.92)
The bookmaker will set a point total on each NFL game where they think they’ll get 50/50 action on the over and under. In the example above the Broncos and Ravens need to score 50+ pts to win the over or score fewer than 49 pts to cash the under.
• Multi-Bets (aka Parlay or Accumulator)
A parlay in the NFL is a bet with two or more selections. In order to win a parlay bet each selection on the wager needs to win or else the bet loses. For instance, if you have a parlay bet with four teams and only one loses, the parlay is still graded a loss.
NFL Parlay Example: Denver Broncos $1.30 / New England Patriots $1.29 / Indianapolis Colts $1.29
In the parlay above I’ve bet on three big favourites together rather than bet them separately. A $100 bet would pay $116 on this wager. Parlays are sucker bets in most cases in the NFL, but parlaying big favourites together is a great way to limit exposure.
• Teaser Bet
In the NFL one of the popular wager types is a teaser. This bet is similar to a parlay, but there is a difference. A teaser is a parlay (2+ teams), but you only select point spread or over/under bets on this wager and you also receive points in your favour.
A teaser bet can change the spread or total in your favour by a pre-selected number of points. The most common is a 6-pt teaser, but there are other teasers including a 6.5-pt, 7-pt, 10-pt and even as high as a 21-pt teaser. Let’s take a look at an example.
NFL Teaser Example: Denver Broncos -9 (-2.5) / New England Patriots -7 (-0.5) / Indianapolis Colts -7 (-0.5)
In the example above we’re looking at a -6.5 point NFL teaser bet. I put the original point spread first and then the new spread in brackets. A teaser has smaller payouts than parlays. The example (3-team / 6.5-pt) on average pays out at $2.60 odds.
• Pleaser Bet
The pleaser wager is the exact same as a teaser bet except for one big detail. Rather than receive points off the spread or total in your favour, a pleaser bet will add a pre-selected number of points against you on the handicap or points total.
NFL Pleaser Example: Dallas Cowboys PK (-6) / Tampa Bay Buccaneers -1 (-7)
I’ve put the original handicap first and the pleaser spread in brackets. The example is a 6-pt pleaser (2/2 Pays $6.50 – Ties Win). In order to win the Cowboys need to win by 6+ points and the Buccaneers need to win by 7+ points, but the payout is big.
• Quarter & Half Betting Markets
Most bookmakers allow punters to wager on each quarter (1st, 2nd, 3rd & 4th) or half (1st & 2nd) in an NFL game. Punters can bet on the money line, point spread or point total in the quarter and half betting markets. In the NFL 2nd half bets are always popular.
Want to see how a team comes out in the 1st half before betting them? Want to wager on a team to win the 1st quarter only and not the full game? There is often value in the NFL quarter and half betting markets because less time is spent setting prices.
• Double Result
In the double result market in the NFL punters have to predict the outcome of the 1st half and the full game (No overtime). I’ve posted an example below. In the example the wager will win if the 1st half is a draw and the Broncos win the game without OT.
NFL Double Result Example: Draw (1st Half) – Denver Broncos (To win after 4Q’s) $12.00
• Futures Markets
NFL futures are popular season long wagers that are available before the season begins. Finding value bets in this market isn’t that difficult, but the pitfall is that the money you place on the bet will be locked up with your bookmaker for multiple months.
There isn’t much to explain about NFL futures bets because they’re very self-explanatory. In the NFL there are multiple futures markets to wager on ranging from the winner of the Super Bowl to what player will rush for the most regular season yards.
NFL Futures Betting Examples:
– What Team Will Win the Super Bowl?
– What Team Will Win the Conference? (AFC/NFC)
– What Team Will Win the Division?
– Will Team X Make the NFL Playoffs?
– What Player Will Win the MVP Award?
– What Player Will Win Offensive/Defensive Rookie of the Year Award?
– What Player Will Have the Most Passing/Rushing/Receiving Yards? (Regular Season)
– Over/Under on Team X Regular Season Win Total (Ex: Broncos O10.5 Wins $1.92 / U10.5 Wins $1.92).
As you can see, you can wager on just about everything during the NFL season. There are also single player futures bet such as over/under on how many yards QB X will throw or how many rushing touchdowns RB X will rush for during the regular season.
• Prop Markets
Anything that I haven’t explained above will fit into the NFL props betting market. There are 100+ prop bets available on every NFL game and I won’t be able to list them all here. You can bet on basically every aspect of a football game with prop bets.
– What Team Will Score First or Last?
– Will the 1st Score be a TD or FG/Safety?
– Will Defence or Special Teams Score a TD?
– What Team Will Have the Most 1st Downs?
– Bet on a Winning Margin for a Team (Ex: Broncos to win by 10-14 pts $3.30).
– Will Either Team Score in the 1st 7:30 Minutes?
NFL bookmakers will also post player prop bets on each game that have a spread or over/under. Some of the props are single player props while others include two players against each other. Let’s take a look at some examples to help you out.
– Peyton Manning Over 300.5 Passing Yards ($1.92) / Under 300.5 Passing Yards ($1.92)
– Doug Martin Over 99.5 Rushing Yards ($1.92) / Under 99.5 Rushing Yards ($1.92)
– Wes Welker Over 0.5 Touchdowns ($2.90) / Under 0.5 Touchdowns ($1.40)
– Tom Brady Over 25.5 Completions ($1.92) / Under 25.5 Completions ($1.92)
Let’s look at some single game prop bets with two players now. With these prop bets the bookmaker will create a handicap to make the proposition as close to even as possible. In most cases the odds will be the same on both sides ($1.92/$1.92).
– Calvin Johnson Total Receptions + Yards -10.5 ($1.92) vs. A.J. Green Total Receptions + Yards +10.5 ($1.92)
– Aaron Rodgers Passing Yards -20.5 ($1.92) vs. Matt Stafford Passing Yards +20.5 ($1.92)
• 2016 / 2017 Super Bowl Betting Markets
The NFL Super Bowl is one of the top 5 biggest sporting events in the world and the culmination of an NFL season. You thought you had a lot of betting options during the regular season? Well in the Super Bowl you can bet on even more insane markets.
Want to bet on the coin toss? Want to bet on who the US President will pick to win the game? Apart from betting on the actual Super Bowl game there are tons of wacky prop bets that are only available during the NFL Super Bowl. Let’s look at a few more.
– Will the Coin Toss be Heads/Tails?
– Who Will Win the Coin Toss?
– Will That Team Win the Game?
– How Long Will it Take to Sing the US National Anthem? (Over/Under Prop)
– What Colour Will the Gatorade Dumped on the Winning Coach Be?
– Number of Average TV Viewers? (O/U)
– What Will the TV Rating Be? (O/U)
• Live Betting (In-Play)
Live betting isn’t as popular in the NFL as other sports yet, but it’s definitely growing as more punters become familiar with the range of in-play markets available to bet on. You can bet on every single play during an NFL game at leading in-play bookmakers.
All of the common NFL wagers mentioned above (Money Line, Point Spread, Over/Under & Props) can be bet on live, but there are also unique in-play prop bets such as whether the next play will be a first down or whether the next play will be a run/pass.
In sports betting, one of the busiest seasons is the National Football League season. Training camps get going for the NFL near the middle of July, and the pre-season games get rolling in the first week of August. The regular season will then go roughly from September 1 – January 1. There are 32 teams in the National Football League. There are two conferences – the American Football Conference or AFC, and the National Football Conference (NFC). In each conference, there are four divisions with four teams each. The divisions in each the AFC and NFC are East, West, North, South. 12 out of the 32 teams in the National Football League make the postseason, with 6 from each conference. The divisional winners make the postseason, along with the next two best teams from each conference. The playoffs lead into the final two teams, which is the Super Bowl.
