Baseball might be “America’s favorite pastime”, but football is its most-loved sport. Each NFL game averages around 15 million TV viewers, while many more head to stadiums to watch games in person.
With so many fans, it should come as no surprise that millions of Americans like to bet on football games. It doesn’t matter whether you’re looking to place a futures wager on the outcome of the Superbowl, a parlay for all of the Monday Night Football games, or a simple moneyline bet on a single match, there’s always a market available.
With many more states now allowing sportsbooks to operate within their borders, more and more Americans can bet on NFL games from the comfort of their own homes.
But if you’re in one of these states and you’re looking to place your first football wagers, you may be wondering the best way to go about it. If you are, here are some handy tips that you can use to get started.
Set a Budget
The first thing to do when making any type of bet is to set a budget and stick to it. Most people that regularly wager on sports or in casinos set aside an amount each week or month and then use a technique called “bankroll management” to make it last the entire period they’ve budgeted for.
Bankroll management is essentially planning your bets so that you don’t wager everything in one go and risk leaving yourself with nothing left for the rest of the day/week/month.
Use Expert Picks
While you can go it alone and make all of your own picks, you take advantage of expert insight that will help you make better betting decisions. Unless you have the time to spend all day examining the slew of reports and streams of data that is almost constantly published online about players, teams, and games, you will almost certainly miss something.
Comparison platforms such as OddsChecker put together NFL picks and make them available online for bettors to use. They, of course, are no guarantee of success, but they can help you find wagers that offer the most value. This is especially important in leagues like the NFL where competition is fierce and games can often go either way.
Choose Where to Bet
Some states only have one licensed bookie, but most that have legalized sports betting have more than one. Having several means that there’s competition between them, leading to better odds and generous bonuses.
Check online for the sportsbooks that are operating in your state and then compare what each one offers. To do this, you may want to check your state’s gaming regulator’s website to see the list of licensed sportsbooks where you are. For example, in Pennsylvania, it is the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board.
Some have good mobile apps, some have accompanying websites, and some offer risk-free bets, deposit match bonuses, and free bets to encourage new customers to sign up.
All sportsbooks in the US accept wagers on football, but if you want to bet on more than just the NFL, then you may want to check what sportsbooks offer odds on those sports. This is especially true if you want to bet on foreign leagues like the English Premier League or Formula 1.
Once you’ve found the one that meets your needs, you can sign up and make your deposit.
Understand the Different Types of Bet
If you’re new to sports betting, you may be a little overwhelmed by the different types of bet you can make. It can be a little daunting at first, but it makes perfect sense once you understand them.
- Moneyline: A moneyline bet is the simplest type of bet: you just put your money on the team you think will win and if they do, the wager pays out.
- Point Spread: Point spread bets are designed to “equalize” the two teams, by setting a number of points that a team will need to win/lose by before a bet pays out. This means that a point spread bet can still payout, even when the team you backed loses.
- Totals: A totals bet is where you bet on the combined scores of both teams at the end of the game. Usually, the bookie will give you a number and you’ll need to choose between “over” or “under”. If you choose correctly, the bet pays out.
More experienced bettors may also choose to place parlay and propositional (or “prop”) bets. However, if you’re just starting to wager on NFL games, you may want to stick to the basics first.
Follow the odds
Goal Odds: The odds for goals are set by the bookmakers in advance, and they change throughout the match. Generally, the bigger the event, the greater the number of goals that will be scored. So, if a match is considered a high-stakes game, then bettors might want to place higher odds on goals occurring.
Tie Odds: When two teams are tied at halftime or at the end of regulation play, respectively, these odds reflect how much money betters think will be wagered on a tie in those particular cases. If there is no clear winner heading into extra time or penalties (or if one team has already won), then these odds are irrelevant because there is no point in betting on it.
Draw Odds: This type of bet reflects how many people believe that an evenly matched match will not result in either team scoring a goal. So when someone places a draw bet with a bookmaker, they are essentially saying that they don’t think either team’s chances of winning increase significantly enough to warrant risking any money on them. In other words, this type of wager is mostly taken by people who really like both teams equally and just want to avoid getting hurt financially if their picks don’t pan out.
Bet on the Team You Know
If you’re a fan of a particular team, it’s natural to want to bet on them. However, don’t get too caught up in the excitement and bet too much money on your favorite team. Instead, try to stick to smaller bets that you can afford to lose. This way, if your team doesn’t perform well, you won’t feel as bad about losing small amounts of money rather than losing all of your investment.
Follow Football Predictions Sites
Many football pundits offer their own predictions for upcoming matches. Following these predictions can help you make informed bets by knowing which teams are likely to win or lose.
Types of Football Betting
There are a few different types of football gambling you can engage in. Some people prefer to place bets on who will score first, while others focus on who will win the match. The following are some tips for betting on football:
– Bet on Who Will Score First
This is probably the most common type of bet when it comes to football. Many people place this type of bet because it is often a certainty that one team will score first. There are, however, a few things to keep in mind if you want to make this type of bet successful. First, make sure you understand the rules of football and which players are eligible to score. Second, be sure to place your bet before the game starts so that you don’t waste any time during the actual game playing catch-up.
– Bet on Which Team Will Win
Another popular way to gamble on football is by betting on which team will win the match. This type of bet can be more difficult to predict than betting on who will score first because there is more suspense involved in determining who will win a match. One thing to keep in mind when making this type of bet is that not all matches are equal – some teams may be better suited for certain types of bets while others might not be as good at them. It is also important to remember that over time, matches tend to become closer and harder to predict, so it is important to stay up-to-date with current odds in order to make the most informed bets.
Conclusion
As a football fan, it is inevitable that you will bet on the game at some point or another. Whether you are placing a small wager with your friends or betting on the outcome of the entire season, knowing how to win at betting is essential for making money.
