The 2013 NFL season is about to get started. Let’s go over some of the basics of betting on football games and sports betting in general. The first thing that you need to do is select a sports betting site to place wagers at. Here are some of your choices:
Bovada Sports – Bovada.lv has been one of the best new sites to come around in the past couple of years. Their betting lines have been referenced on TV and the radio. In addition to the traditional bets that can be made, you can also place prop bets on individual players and teams. Miss the start of a game? No Problem! Bovada offers live In-Play betting on games that are already underway.
5Dimes – 5dimes.eu has been around for more than 10 years. Many people choose them as one of the best sportsbooks around. In addition to the regular bets that can be made anywhere, you can place an endless amount of parlays, teasers, pleasers, monsters and if bets. There are reduced juice offers made to loyal gamblers.
BetOnline – Betonline.com, because you can. BetOnline is one of the oldest and most respected bookmakers in the US. You can bet on Player and Team Prop bets before the season starts. These include whether your team will make the playoffs, over/under bets on offense or defensive statistics and much more.
Basic Sports Betting
Now that you have a couple of options to choose from, let’s go through the basic wagers that most people place.
Point Spread – This is a bet that is placed on one team or another based upon the estimated margin of victory. One team will be a favorite and have a minus (-) next to the number shown. The other team will be an underdog and have a plus (+) next the to spread. The odds are generally close to 1:1 for payouts.
Straight Pick – Also called a money line. This bet is placed on a team to win the game outright. The odds are going to be less than 1:1 for the favorite and more than 1:1 for the underdog. If a team is -200 for a straight pick, it means that they are the favorite and you will have to bet $200 to be able to win $100. If a team is +200 on the money line, you will win $200 if you bet $100.
Total Bet – Also called the Over/Under. This is a bet that is placed on whether the two teams will combine to score over or under the Total Points that is estimated for the game. These are usually close to even money bets.
Juice – Also known as Vig. This is the small amount that a bookmaker will charge you when you place a wager. If you see a -110 for the spread or total, that $10 extra is considered the juice. This is charged by the sportsbook in order to make sure they make money for providing the action on the wager.
Parlay – A conditional two or more part pick (2 team parlay, 3 team parlay, etc). In order to win on your bet, you have to get all parts of the parlay right. Higher parlays, such as a 6-team parlay, will pay out much higher for a lower amount wagered.
Betting on NFL Games
The number one thing that you must do when you are placing bets on NFL games is to do some line shopping. This means that you go to several sports betting sites and check out the lines that are offered. Different bookmakers will offer a different spread, money line or total.
Determine which team or bet that you are going to place. Then, take a look at the betting line that is most advantageous for your bet. If you are going to bet on the favorite, you want a spread that is closer to 0 points. If you are going to bet on the underdog, you want a spread that is further away from 0 points. You can learn more about this technique at nflbettinglines.org.