How to Bet On Football Games

Want to get in on the action this fall by wagering on football? Learn how to bet on football games and the different types of bets you can place on college and pro football in this straight forward article including football spread betting, and what football betting forums are available.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

1. STRAIGHT BETS OR FOOTBALL SPREAD BETTING
   
   The team wagered on must win by the point spread given at the time of the wager. For straight wagers in football spread betting the odds are usually 110 to 100 or $1.10 to win $1.00.
   
   Example: The odds on this Sundays game are Oakland -6 San Diego +6. You wager $110.00 on Oakland -6 to beat San Diego by more than 6. If Oakland wins by more than 6 points you win $100.00 plus your initial wager of $110 for a total payout of $210.00. If Oakland wins by less than 6 points the wager is lost.
   
   TIP: For site specific rules please see the links I have included in the resources section at the end of the article.

2. MONEY LINE
   
   The team you bet on has to win the game outright. The odds in this scenario vary greatly and depend one which football betting forum you choose.
   
   Example: The Jets are playing the Eagles at home. You bet on the Jets to win, the line looks like this: NYJ -160 at PHI +260. In other words if New York wins then you would pay $160.00 to win $100.00 (total payout $260). In this scenario the Eagles are not the favored team so a $100.00 bet would win $260.00 ( or a total payout of $360)

3. TOTALS A.K.A OVER/UNDER
   
   In this variation you are betting on the combined score of both teams. Again the odds are usually 110 to 100 or $1.10 to win $1.00.
   
   Example: You bet $110.00 on the Under in the KC/Seattle game. The total for the game is 55. If both teams' combined score is less than 55 than you win $100.00. (Remember the total payout is $210, your initial bet plus the winnings) Some online bookies will consider the game “no action” if the total equals 55, in which case your money is returned. However if the combined score is more than 55 then you loose your wager.

4. PROPOSITION BETS (EXOTICS)
   
   Proposition or exotic bets may be considered as any wager other than a straight "side" or "over/under" wager (generally). These bets usually involve specific events and occurrences that happen throughout any given game, for example:
   
   Which team will score first?
   
   Which team will be the last to score?
   
   Will Quarterback ____ throw an interception?
   
   TIP: For site specific rules please see the links I have included in the resources section at the end of the article.

5. HALFTIME WAGERS
   
   Halftime bets are a wager on the score of the first, or second half of a game. This can be a spread or a money line bet and depend on the football betting forum you choose.

6. PARLEY
   
   This is where you bet of 2 or more teams or propositions in no particular order. All bets wagered on in a parlay must win.
   Example
   You bet on a 3 team parlay:
   San Diego -7
   New York Jets -4
   Philadelphia -10
   
   If all these games win then you win at the combined odds. If only 1 team loses then the entire parlay loses.
   
   Tip: Parlays are a very exciting way win very large amounts of money, just keep in mind that it only takes one spoiler to ruin your parley!

Tips & Warnings

• Please do not take this as the definitive guide to betting on football, because it's not. It's intended as a primer, an introduction to the various types of bets, I do not guarantee anything and encourage you to continue reading on this topic before playing.
• Rules may vary greatly from site to site, please read an understand the rules of the individual sites before playing. A good place to start is by following some of the links provided on this page.

[linadean]

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[kjshannon]

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