The most basic football bet is the moneyline bet—simply select which team you believe will prevail. Sometimes referred to as ML, the moneyline will present two sets of odds—a pair for each team. Because of the reality that ties are practically non-existent in American football, the moneyline is a two-way market, and there are just two results: lose or win.
If you're new or simply seeking an easy starting point for NFL bets online, the moneyline is an excellent starting point.
Point spreads are the most common and popular type of football betting. In contrast to the moneyline, where one team is usually a big favorite to win, the point spread is meant to even it out. The favorite has to win by a number of points, and the underdog can win the game or lose by fewer than the spread to "cover."
For instance, a -3.5 team has to win by 4 or more points in order to cover. The +3.5 underdog has to win outright or lose by 3 or less points. This way, you can win your bet without necessarily having your team win the game.
Commonly called totals, over/under bets are bets on the total score of the two teams in a game. Sports books provide a number (let's say 46.5), and you wager on whether the total score will be higher or lower than that number.
Looking for more lucrative football odds to bet on? Then parlays may be the way to go. A parlay is when you wager on two or more games or outcomes, and the individual odds are combined to give you a much higher possible payout than a single wager. Moneylines, spreads, and/or totals can be combined by bettors into a parlay. But all legs have to win for the parlay to pay.
Prop bets (short for proposition bets) are one of the most favored ways of wagering on NFL matchups now. They are wagers on players or events in the game. Anything from the number of passing yards a quarterback receives to the length of the longest field goal to the number of touchdowns a team scores, you can bet on it. NFL prop markets are vast and a fun way to view the game.
A teaser bet is a favorite for veteran bettors. It's a parlay (generally 2 or 3 games), but with modified lines. In a teaser, you "tease" the point spread or total by a certain number of points—generally 6 points. For instance, if a team is +4.5, you can tease them to +10.5. A two-team, 6-point teaser might generally pay around -110, while a three-team, 6-point teaser would pay +180. A pleaser is the reverse—you move the line in the opposite direction for much steeper odds.
Futures betting is composed of wagers on future events that will take place. They are most commonly popular at the beginning of the season. People can bet on division champions, conference title winners, Super Bowl winners, league MVP, or Offensive Rookie of the Year, among many others. Team win totals are also a well-liked futures market.
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the NFL and one of the most watched sporting events globally. It's a single game that determines the top football team for the year. More than $10 billion is bet on the Super Bowl annually—and $6.8 billion is bet by Americans alone, the American Gaming Association says.
NFL books provide standard point spreads, totals, and a huge range of prop bets for the Super Bowl—some of the most innovative in sports betting. The Super Bowl turns all viewers into gamblers. You can wager on the length of the national anthem, the color of the Gatorade dumped on the winning coach, and of course, the outcome of the game itself. NFL Live Betting Miss kickoff? No problem. The majority of online NFL sports books provide live betting, in which you can wager after the game has already started. Along with live spreads and scores, bettors can also see a variety of in-play props and derivative markets, with lines that re-price as the contest takes place. For example, if the Pittsburgh Steelers were -10.5 favorites going into the game but were down 14-3 in the first quarter, you can bet the Steelers live at -3.5 from their new standing in the game.
