NFL Football Betting - Beginners Guide - Part 1 of 2
If you are new to NFL football betting, you should find this
series articles useful. We have developed this "how to" guide to help the novice
to understand NFL bet types and the different options available. Your first
glance of NFL betting lines can be quite daunting, but we hope that this guide
will make things a little easier.
It is important to understand that although the bet types we
discuss here are typical to most sports betting sites, the rules of betting may
differ from book to book. We urge you to check the rules of each book
before you place your bets.
This article deals with the most basic of NFL football bets,
and is the first in a series of three. Parts 2 and 3 will deal with a variety of
interesting bets such as parlays, teasers and exotic bets.
General NFL Betting Lines
The most basic NFL football betting lines can be broken down into the following
categories.
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Point spread and Total for the entire game
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Point spread and Total for each individual half
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Point spread and Total for each individual quarter
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money line per event
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Proposition wagers
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Point buying
We discuss each of these bets. point spread
and "Over-or-Under" Wagers
On a point spread bet, the team wagered has to win by the selected point spread.
With an "Over-or-Under" wager, the total accumulated points of the game by both
teams, including overtime, must fall over or under the side selected.
Example Point Spread Bet
The posted line is Buffalo -5 at Denver +5 and the "Over-or-Under" total is
quoted as 40.
The odds are $1.10 to win $1.00 (-110).
If you wager on Buffalo at -5, they must win by more than 5
points for yours to be a winning wager. If you wager on Denver at
+5, they must either win the game, or lose it by less than 5 points for you to
win the wager. If the outcome falls on the number, either way, the bet is
declared a "Push", and you are refunded your original stake.
If you wager on the total points for this game to be over 40, the
accumulated final score of both teams must be more than 40. If you wager on the total points
for this game to be
under 41, the total final score must be less than 40. If the
outcome falls on the number, the bet is declared a "Push", and your
stake is refunded.
point spread and "Over-or-Under" lines are typically offered on all NFL, AFL and NCAA
games.
This is the most basic and most popular type of bet.
Halftime Wagers
Halftime wagers are simply bets on the scores at the end of the first or second
half of a game. The betting line offered will either be in the form of a point spread, a
money line,
or a combination of both. The wager applies to a specified half - you can not
win the bet if you selected the first half, but the second half turns out to be
your prediction. The rules below are typical to most sport books, but please
check the specific rules of your favorite sport book:
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First half lines are typically
released during the course of the week leading up to the game, allowing lost
of time for action on these wagers.
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Second half lines are typically released during the game,
and no later than the start of the second half.
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Wagers on first half totals typically close 5 minutes
before of the end of the first half , although this varies.
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Bets may be combined into a parlay with other games, but a first half wager may not
be added to a parlay with the same game (more on parlay bets in the next
article of this series).
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No teaser plays or buying of points is allowed on half time
score wagers.
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Overtime is included as part of the second half.
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The full half must be played for wagers to be valid.
Quarter Wagers
Quarter wagers are simply bets on the four quarters of the game. The betting line offered will
either be in the form of a point spread, a money line,
or a combination of both.
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Quarter lines will typically be released on the day of the
game.
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Bets typically close at kickoff..
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Bets may be combined into a parlay with other games, but a
quarter wager may not
be added to a parlay with the same game (more on parlay bets in the next
article of this series).
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Overtime scoring is excluded from Fourth Quarter bets.
money line Wagers
money line Wagering is simply betting on the
game based on a quoted price rather than a point spread as discussed above. The team
you bet on simply has to win the game.
Example money line Wager
A player could choose one of two bets on the following matchup: Buffalo
-200 at Denver +180. If Buffalo wins then the player laid $200.00 to
win $100.00. If Denver wins then the player who bet $100.00 wins $180.00.
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money lines are typically quoted on the morning of the game.
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money line wagers may typically be added to a parlay with
other games, but not with the same game.
Point Buying
This is where NFL football betting starts to become exciting.
This is how point buying works. You can actually "buy" points and in doing so,
improve the point spread of a football game. This can be done for side and total
bets. Bettors can typically buy
points in 1/2 point increments up to 3 points, depending on the game and sport
book. Each
1/2 point costs the bettor an additional 10% vigorish, or wagering fee.
Example
Denver are playing the Buffalo, and the line on the game is Denver -6 1/2, with a total of
40. If a $100 wager is placed on the
Broncos -6 1/2 with a 1/2 point buy, the player has a wager on the Broncos -6
points, and must put up $120 to win $100, instead of the usual $110 to win $100.
If the player, for example, requests a full 1 point buy to move the point spread
down to -5 1/2, she would have to bet $130 to win $100. Buying the point spread down
one and a half points to 5 would require a bet of $140 to win $100, and the full
three
point buy down to 3 1/2 would require a bet of $170 to win $100.
Conversely, the bettor may also buy points on the Buffalo side, and get the line
at plus 7, 7 1/2 or 8 points, all the way up to plus 9 1/2 points with the same
increase in vigorish (again, this depends on the sport book you play at).
But it get better, bettors can also buy points for totals. In the above example,
you could buy an "over" wager with a maximum line move down to 39, or an
"under" wager with a maximum line move up to 45.
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Point Buying to a maximum of 3 points is typical, but could
vary
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Bettors will be charged an additional 10% vigorish to buy
points (makes sense, the book needs some protection)
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Point Buying is typicslly not be offered on halftime, quarter or
money line bets.
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