In America, NFL football is arguably the most popular sport to bet on today and has been for many years. Millions of Americans bet on football to get that added thrill from the sport they love, there’s nothing like having a wager on a game to heighten the thrill you get when watching it. NFL is constantly growing in popularity and with the internet allowing anyone over the age of 18 to place wagers, it is important to know about the different types of bets available and to understand them.

Football betting has a lot of football specific variables to consider before you even look at the different types of bets available but a proper understanding of the bet types should not be underestimated, especially for newcomers to sports betting.

NFL Betting Spread

I will firstly explain betting on the NFL point spread, whereby one team is the designated favorite and the other team is the underdog. The point spread in NFL betting sets a specific number of points that the favorite must win by in order for a person betting that particular team to win their wager.

Let’s use the Philadelphia Eagles at Houston Texans on September 10th as an example. The Philadelphia Eagles are four point favourites for this game so in sports magazines or newspapers you would probably have seen the following or something similar:

Point Spread

Philadelphia -4

Houston +4

What the above example means to a person wagering on Philly to win on the point spread is that Philly must win by more than four points. For another bettor placing their money on Houston, Houston must either win the game outright or lose by less than four points. If the outcome of the game was to be decided by exactly four points, then neither bettor would win or lose, the result is known as a “push” and the wager is returned to the bettors.

If the Eagles win by ten points then they have covered the NFL point spread of 4. If you bet on the Eagles in the above example and they win by ten points, then you cash in on your wager, however, if you bet on Houston, you lost your wager.

Totals Betting

Let me now explain “totals betting”. Many players like to place bets on what the total points scored will be in a game irrespective of who wins or loses. This is known as totals betting or over/under betting.

Over +46.0 -110

Under +46.0 -110

In the above example the odds maker has decided that the total number of points scored in the Denver Broncos at St. Louis Rams game will be 46 points. If a bettor thinks there will be more than 46 points scored in the game, s/he bets the Over. If a bettor thinks there will be less than 46 points scored in the game, s/he bets the Under.

If the total points in the game equals exactly 46, then any bet on either the over or under is deemed a push. The bet is returned to the bettor.

The second number (- 110) after each team represents the price of winning the bet, a bettor will receive $100 for every $110 bet.

Moneyline

Placing bets on the moneyline is another option for bettors. When a bettor places a bet on the moneyline s/he is betting on the result of the game; who will win the game irrespective of the point spread.

New York Jets + 125

Tennessee Titans - 145

In the above example the (-) in front of the Tennessee Titans indicates that they are the favorites to win the game. The – 145 means that the bettor will win $100 for every $145 wagered. If the Titans win the game, a bettor who wagered $10 will get a return of $16.90 – the original $10 stake plus a profit pf $6.90.

Sports Interaction have an excellent betting guide as well as an abundance of useful football information for bettors to study before placing a wager.