bet on football

How To Bet On Football America’s summer pastime is still baseball, but when fall arrives America turns to football. And almost everyone, it seems, bets on it. Internationally, soccer is far and away the number one betting sport. But in the U.S., more money is wagered on football than on all the other sports combined. With online sportsbooks numbering in excess of 1,500, estimates for Super Bowl online betting range from $750 million to over $1 billion. The Super Bowl betting propositions are limitless, ranging from who will win the game to what will be the most popular commercial. General Rules/Wagering Guidelines Football wagering guidelines may vary slightly from sportsbook to sportsbook, but most rules are standardized, based largely on guidelines and odds established by Las Vegas handicappers. Here are typical sportbook rules and wagering types for football:
For betting purposes, unless otherwise stipulated, games are official after 55 minutes of play. Overtime periods are included in all action, unless otherwise specified. For wagering purposes, the winner of a game will be determined by the official result at the end of the game after regular time and any period of overtime played. This does not include any post-game disputes by either team that may affect the final outcome of a game at a later time. Games must take place on their originally scheduled date in order to have action. Any game moved forwards or backwards in date will have all wagers voided made for that originally scheduled date. Football wagering schedules include NFL, NCAA, WLAF, CFL and Arena Football. Wagers on first and second halfs, and all quarters will be considered action upon completion of the period wagered on. Wagers on 4th quarter do not include overtime scoring. Wagers on pointspread, moneyline and totals for the whole game and all bets on second halfs always include overtime scoring. All results are declared official as per the league governing associations, i.e., nfl , ncaa.org, dfl.ca and arenafootball . College Football Overtime: College football overtimes commence with a 1st and 10 play at the opponent’s 25-yard line. The offensive team keeps possession until they score, commit a turnover or fail to convert on a 4th down. The overtime continues until the score is no longer tied and each team has had an equal number of possessions. All wagers on the side and total will include all overtime scoring. Types of Football Wagers Straight Wagers/Pointspreads: The Straight Wager is the most common football bet, where the bettor picks a single side to win. The “side” could be either a team or total. If the side is a team, the bettor bets either the favorite (laying points as determined by the pointspread) or the underdog (taking points as determined by the pointspread).
The pointspread on a game determines which team covers the bet. Every pointspread has a moneyline attached to it.
Example – Straight Wager/Pointspread:
Denver Broncos -3Green Bay Packers +3 If the straight wager is on the Broncos –3, then the Broncos must win by 4 or more points for the player to win the bet. If the straight wager is on the Packers +3, then the Packers cannot lose by more than 3 points for the player to win the bet. If the Broncos win the game by 3 points, then the bet is a “push” or tie, and the original bet is refunded
Quarter Lines: Most sportsbooks offer quarter lines in which the bettor wagers on the outcome of a specific quarter. The entire quarter must be completed to be action. 4th Quarter lines do not include overtime.
Half Lines: Most sportsbooks offer half lines in which the bettor wagers on the outcome of a specific half. The entire half must be completed to be action. 2nd half lines include overtime.
Totals Wagers: The Totals Wager is offered on the predicted combined total number of points scored (total) of a game, as posted by the oddsmaker. If the side is on the total, then the bettor bets either Over the total or Under the total. In a straight wager the bet is 11/10, or $110 to win $100.
Example – Straight Wager/Total:
Denver Broncos vs Green Bay Packers – Total 44
If the wager on the total is Over 44, then the total score of both teams must be over 44 to win the bet If the wager on the total is Under 44, then the total score of both teams must be under 44 to win the bet If the total score for both teams is 44, the wager is a “push” or tie, and original bet is refunded The total points scored includes all points scored in overtime, except for 4th quarter wagers. 4th quarter wagers do not include overtime. 1st Half Total Wagers: Wagering on the total combined score for the 1st Half of play. Game must go at least 55 minutes to be official.
2nd Half Total Wagers: Wagering on the total combined score for the 2nd Half of play. Game must go 55 minutes to be official, and includes overtime.
Moneyline Wagers: For moneyline wagers, the oddsmakers price each team to win the game, disregarding the pointspread. When wagering on the moneyline the bettor’s team must win the game outright in order to win the bet. For moneyline wagers, overtime periods are included.
Moneylines are always based upon $100, even though the bettor may wager less or more than $100. The $100 base is used for convenience. A plus (+) sign in front of a moneyline designates the return to the bettor for every $100 risked. A minus (-) sign in front of a moneyline designates the amount the bettor must risk in order to win $100.
Example – Moneyline Wager
Denver Broncos –7 -280 Green Bay Packers +7 +240 If the bettor bets on the Broncos, he must lay $280 to win $100 If the bettor bets on the Packers, he must bet $100 to win $240 Parlays: A parlay is a single wager on 2 to 8 individual teams in no particular order. Parlays may consist of a series of wagers on a team, over/under total, or any combination thereof.
For a parlay to be a winning bet, each of the individual plays must win. If any of the individual plays is not a winner, then the entire wager loses. If, however, one of the individual plays is a “push”, then the wager reverts to the next amount of teams. For example, a three-play parlay would become a two-play; a two-play would become a straight wager, with corresponding reductions of the payoff. The following table lists sportsbook typical payouts for Parlay wagers: # of Teams or Totals Parlay Odds Maximum Payout Odds 2 Wager 1 to Win 2.6 7-1 3 Wager 1 to Win 6 20-1 4 Wager 1 to Win 11 30-1 5 Wager 1 to Win 22 50-1 6 Wager 1 to Win 44 80-1 7 Wager 1 to Win 77 100-1 8 Wager 1 to Win 110 100-1 9 Wager 1 to Win 160 300-1 10 Wager 1 to Win 330 500-1 11 Wager 1 to Win 495 1000-1 12 Wager 1 to Win 660 1500-1 Teasers: Teasers are wagers in which 2 or more teams and/or totals are selected together in one wager with an adjusted pointspread in favor of the side selected. Sportsbooks vary in the maximum number of teams/totals for a teaser bet, usually from 7 to as many as 12. Football teasers may be combined with Basketball, and vice versa. In a teaser bet, the player can add points to the sides or mix both sides and totals, adding or subtracting to the totals.
If any one of the team/total bets lose, then the entire teaser wager is a loss. A tie on a teaser reduces the teaser to the next lowest payoff. Any two team teaser with a win and a tie (or cancel) results in no action, and the wager is refunded Teaser Example: 7 point 2-team Teaser wager for $100 Denver Broncos –7+7 = Even: the teased team is now “pick” Green Bay Packers +7+7 = +14: the teased team is now +14
The payout in a 2-team teaser for 7 points is 10/13. The bettor must risk $130 to win $100 Super Teasers: Super Teasers consist of 3 selections of 10-point adjustments for Football and 8-point adjustments for Basketball (only 1 Total allowed per 10-point Teaser). The bettor wagers 12 to win 10. If any of the 3 selections is a tie, the entire Super Teaser wager is a loss. If one or more of the games is canceled, the entire Super Teaser is no action. Mega Teasers: Mega Teasers consist of 4 selections (Football, only) of 13-point adjustments, with only 2 totals allowed per 13-point Teaser. The bettor wagers 12 to win 10. If any of the 4 selections is a tie, the entire Super Teaser wager is a loss. If any one or more of the games is canceled, the entire Mega Teaser is a loss. The following table lists sportsbook typical payoffs for Teasers: Teams 6 Points 6 1/2 Points 7 Points 2 -110 -120 -130 3 +180 +160 +140 4 +300 +250 +200 5 +450 +400 +350 6 +600 +550 +500 7 +800 +700 +600 Buying Points: Sportsbooks vary in rules on buying points. Typically, a bettor may buy points to make the wager more favorable to a side or total at a cost of 10 cents per half point for every dollar wagered. When the bettor buys on or off the point spread of “3” or “7”, the cost is 20 cents per dollar wagered. The following table lists sportsbook typical prices for buying points: Buying Points Lay 1/2 Point -120 1 Point -130 1 1/2 Points -140 2 Points -150 Round Robins: A Round Robin wager is the combination of all possible parlays within a selected number of teams. The bettor can select 3 or more teams from which the total number of parlays will be calculated.
Example – 3-team Round Robin – Broncos, Packers, Chargers Parlay A – Broncos/Packers Parlay B – Broncos/Chargers Parlay C – Packers/Chargers If Bets: An If Bet allows the bettor to increase betting amounts while limiting risk by placing multiple wagers on one betting ticket; each individual bet after the first bet will only have action if the previous bet in the sequence is successful. An If Bet allows the player with limited funds to make more than one bet. Typical rules for If Bets are as follows:
One If Bet can contain two to seven individual bets If Bets must be made prior to the start time of the earliest event If Bets must be made in the sequence of each event’s starting time Additional bets in the sequence may be any amount, not exceeding the amount of the original bet plus any winnings from preceding bets All If Bets are win bets; the first bet is always action unless the event is canceled Each subsequent bet is placed only if the previous bet wins If any bet in the series loses, ties or is considered no action, then all subsequent bets in the series are considered no action. Propositions: Often referred to as “props,” these wagering options have grown immensely in popularity and in quantity. Many props are now standard, such as First to Score and Last to Score. See the list below for typical props offered by many sportsbooks.
Props are for straight wagers only Overtime counts for prop wagers, unless otherwise stated (exceptions would be for highest scoring quarter and total points for half) For player props (individual performances), the player must play the game for the wagers to have action. If a game is canceled or postponed, all prop wagers are a push unless a grading (result) has already been determined by the play that has taken place. Typical Football Props – a partial list:
Team to score 1st Team to score last Score in 1st (x amount of) minutes Longest touchdown, field goal or scoring play Half with most points Team to have 1st punt Team to receive opening kick Team to receive 1st penalty Total sacks Score in last 2 minutes of 1st half Teams total score to be odd or even First sack First into red zone Total field goals – over/under Highest scoring quarter Winning margin Most passing yards Most receiving yards Total completions/receptions First complete/incomplete pass Team with the most 1st downs First scoring play Player Props: Player props are action if the player competes in one “down”. Player matchups are action if both players compete in one “down”. Wagering props are offered in a wide variety, such as pass yards, rush yards, receptions, tackles and assists. A field wager refers to any player not specifically named. Futures: Futures wagers are a single wager on the outcome of an event whose outcome will be determined in the future. Futures bets are often placed on major events such as the Super Bowl, World Series Champion, NBA Champion and the Stanley Cup Champion. Futures wagers are straight wagers, only.
Regular season wins and matchups are based on teams completing all 16 regular season games। AFC/NFC Conference winners are determined by the teams progressing to the Super Bowl NFL Divisional winners are determined by games won during regular season (NFL tie break rules apply), based on teams completing all 16 regular season games. NCAA regular season wins and matchups are based on teams completing the minimum number of games specified.