1. Learn How To Play Football Better
2. How To Play Football
3. How To Bet On Nfl

If you’re new to football betting and keen to get involved
then you’ve just come to exactly the right place. On this page
we will teach you all the basics of betting on football, and
make sure that you are on the right track from the moment you
place your first wager. If you feel like you’re ready to dive right in, here are the top football betting sites we recommend:

This is part one of a two-part video where American Casino Guide author, Steve Bourie, interviews Blair Rodman for details on how to make sports bets and how. If you’re a beginner or novice in-play bettor, or you simply want to improve your live betting skills, then this guide will help transform you into a powerhouse that the bookies will learn to hate! Bankroll Management. The size of each bet you place – or your stake – should be relative to the size of your betting bankroll. To immerse yourself and learn more about the terms, expressions and betting forms when it comes to sports betting, you can check our betting and sporting glossary. Betting on football tournament Betting on the winner of football tournaments is also a popular choice among players.

In our opinion this is one of the most useful beginner’s
guides to football betting you’ll find anywhere on the internet.
It covers everything you need to get started, and yet you don’t
need to worry about getting overwhelmed with detail as we keep
our explanations as simple as possible.

For those who are only really interested in wagering for a
bit of fun, you’ll be ready to go as soon as you’ve finished
reading this page. For those of you with ambitions of making
long term profits, we also point you towards a wide range of
additional information and advice that will help you to achieve
such goals. We’re not promising that we’ll make you an instant
expert, but we’ll certainly give you the chance to become one.

If you’re simply just looking to bet on football games right now we have
listed our top recommendations for online betting sites below. These
are sites that we have found to be trustworthy with our money and
offer football bettors true value.

We recommend reading through this whole page from start to
finish, but we’ve listed the various topics we cover below if
you’d prefer to skip straight to something specific.

How to Bet on Football: Page Contents

Before You Start: Recommended Reading

If you’re already familiar with how sports betting works, and
know a thing or two about football, then please feel free to
skip this section. If, however, you’re completely new to sports
betting and/or not much of a football fan, then there are a few
things you should learn before you start placing bets on
football games.

Firstly you really need to understand the basics of what
sports betting is all about, and what’s involved with placing
wagers. These basics are relatively straightforward, so
thankfully it doesn’t take long to get up to speed. It’s
definitely advisable to familiarize yourself with them though.
Our beginner’s guide to sports betting is the perfect resource
for this. Here’s a selection of some of the topics it covers.

In addition to knowing the basics of betting, you should also
know at least the basics of football too. It’s likely that most
people reading this are big sports fans, and fully understand
it, but that’s not necessarily the case for all our readers. We
like to cater for everyone, so we’ve written the following two
articles explaining all about the game at both professional and
college level.

Different Types of Football Bets

One of the first things you should understand about betting
on football is the fact that there are several different types
of wagers that can be placed. You won’t necessarily use all the
different types, depending on what strategies you employ, but
it’s still advisable to learn at least a little about each one.

Below we look at the two most popular types of wagers, some
of the other commonly used options, and the various options for
wagering on multiple games with a single bet.

The Most Popular Types of Football Bets

There are two types of football bets that are used far more
than any other. Many people who bet on football place only the
following wagers.

• Point Spreads
• Totals

Some readers will already know all about these and how they
work, but we’ll explain a little about them for those that
don’t.

Point Spreads

A point spread is effectively a handicap that’s used to
create a 50/50 wagering proposition. For example, a bookmaker
may offer the following point spread on a football match between
the San Diego Chargers and the Indianapolis Colts.

What this spread means is that, for the purposes of wagering,
the Chargers will have 3.5 points deducted from their final
score. For a bet on them to be successful, they would therefore
have to win by four points or more. The Colts, on the other
hand, will have 3.5 points added to their final score. A bet on
them would be successful if they won the game, or lost by 3
points or less.

You can read more about point spreads on the following page.

Totals

Totals are just as easy to understand. With these, the
bookmaker posts an expected total for the amount of points
scored by both sides. On the previously mentioned match between
the Chargers and the Colts, for example, they might set the
total at 48.50. You then have to decide whether to bet on the
over or the under.

A wager on the over will win if the combined score from the
two teams is 49 or over (e.g. Chargers 29, Colts 24). A wager on
the under will win if the combined score from the two teams is
48 or less (e.g. Chargers 19, Colts 17).

We explain totals in more detail on the following page.

Before we go onto explain some of the other types of wagers
you can place, there’s some very important information that we
need to mention.

The basic principle of point spreads and totals is that you
have roughly a 50% chance of winning, so technically a “fair”
return on these types of wagers should be equal to the amount
staked. However, they are usually priced up by bookmakers at
odds of -110 (1.91 in decimal odds format, 10/11 in fractional
odds format), which means for every $110 staked you stand to win
$100. You don’t have to stake as much as $110 of course, but the
point is that a successful wager will only return 90% of the
amount staked (plus the initial stake of course).

This is because bookmakers are in business to make a profit,
so they effectively charge a commission for taking wagers. This
commission is known as the vig, short for vigorish, and it’s one
of the ways that bookmakers stay profitable. They don’t charge
it just for points spreads and totals either, as it’s built into
the odds for every wager that they offer.

If you have any ambitions of being a
successful bettor, we strongly recommend reading our article
explaining vig and how bookmakers make money.

Other Common Football Bets

In addition to point spreads and totals, there are three
other types of bets that are commonly used for wagering on
football. These are as follows.

• Moneylines
• Props
• Futures

We’ll now provide a brief overview of each of these, and
point you towards some additional information on each one too.

Moneylines

A moneyline wager is very simple. It involves simply backing
a team to win a match, with no point spread involved. The odds
for moneyline wagers are based on each team’s relative chance of
winning. For example, the moneyline on a game between the San
Diego Chargers and the Indianapolis Colts might look like this.

The Chargers are the favorites here, and the odds of -175
mean that a stake of $175 is required to win $100. To put it
another way, every $1.75 staked stands to win $1 if the Chargers
win. Initial stakes are returned too of course.

The Colts are the underdogs, so backing them means the
potential for higher payouts relative to the amount staked. The
odds of +155 mean that every $1 staked stands to win $1.55 if
the Colts win (i.e. a $100 wager stands to win $155 if the Colts
win). Again, initial stakes are also returned.

For more information on moneylines, and the strategy involved
in placing them, please see the following article.

Props

Props, short for propositions, are wagers on outcomes that
are decided during a football game, but are not necessarily
directly linked to the final result. Some examples include the
following.

• The first team to score.
• The distance of the longest touchdown.
• The total passing yards of a quarterback.
• The number of field goals kicked.

These are just a very small selection of some props. Many
bookmakers offer dozens of different options, particularly on
high profile matches. Props are generally considered a fun type
of bet rather than a way to make money, but it is possible to
make consistent profits from them. We explain more about props
on the following page, where we also offer some strategy advice.

Futures

Futures are wagers on how teams, or individual players, will
fare over the course of an entire season. A wager on a team to
win the Super Bowl, placed at the start of the season, would be
considered a future. So would a wager on a team to be the
National Football Conference champions, or a wager on a player
to win the Most Valuable Player award.

There isn’t a lot more to explain about futures, and there
isn’t really much in the way of specific strategy for them
either. We do go into a bit more detail on them on the following
page though.

Betting on Multiple Football Games

A lot of people like to bet on multiple games at once, as
this can provide the potential for big payouts. It’s not
something we particularly advise beginners to get involved with,
but it doesn’t hurt to understand the options available. The
main ones are as follows.

• Parlays
• Teasers
• Pleasers

Let’s take a quick look at what these are all about.

Parlays

A parlay basically combines several different wagers into
one. For example, a parlay could be made up of five point spread
wagers on five separate games. The payout for such a wager could
be very attractive, but only if ALL the wagers were correct.
Just one wrong pick would mean the whole wager failing. That’s
why these are considered quite risky. They’re a bit more complex
than the previous wagers mentioned, but we won’t go into any
more detail here. We do on the following page though.

Teasers & Pleasers

Teasers and pleasers are essentially types of parlays that
use modified point spreads or totals. With teasers, the spreads
or totals are moved in the bettor’s favor. With pleasers, they
are moved in the bookmaker’s favor. There’s plenty more to
explain about these wagers, which we do on the following pages.

Where to Place Your Football Bets

Now that you know about the different wagers you can place on
football, the next step is actually placing them. The question
you’re probably asking now is “how and where can I do this?”
There are a few options, which we list below, but please be
aware that not all of these are available in all parts of the
world.

• Casino Sportsbooks
• Bookmaking Shops
• Telephone Betting
• Online Sports Betting Sites

Casino Sportsbooks

Many casinos around the world contain a sportsbook. They
usually feature several big screen TVs showing any live sports
action currently taking place, and computerized odds boards
displaying all the latest odds. There are typically cashier
windows where you can place your wagers with a real person, but
some books have interactive machines instead. Either way, these
are great places to place some bets and watch the games at the
same time. The problem for Americans, though, is that they are
only legal in Nevada. There are plenty of sportsbooks in Las
Vegas casinos, but not in other parts of the country.

Bookmaking Shops

Bookmaking shops are mostly like sportsbooks, they’re just
not inside a casino. They also generally have lots of TVs
showing sports, and a counter where wagers are placed. These
shops can be found in many countries around the world, but
they’re not legal in the United States.

Telephone Betting

A lot of bookmakers offer telephone betting services, and
they are usually very straightforward to use. It’s a simple
matter of calling the relevant number, telling the operator you
reach which wagers you want to place, confirming the odds, and
then providing your credit card details. Some bookmakers take
other payment methods too, and some even offer credit lines to
select customers.

This is another option that’s not available to Americans. Not
legally at least, as the Federal Wire Act of 1961 made telephone
betting illegal. You might be getting disheartened by now if you
live in the US, and wondering exactly how you’re ever going to
place any wagers. Don’t worry though, as we have one more option
to tell you about.

Online Sports Betting Sites

Using an online sports betting site is far and away the best
way to bet on football, or any sport for that matter. It’s the
most convenient and accessible option, and there are several
other advantages too. Best of all, it’s legal in the United
States. There are some laws against online gambling in the US,
but these mostly apply to companies and individuals providing
gambling services. There’s no law that states it’s illegal to
use a gambling site of any kind, so Americans are at liberty to
place football bets online if they so choose. We’ve written the
following page explaining things in more detail for those
interested, or you can just keep reading for a quick guide to
getting started online.

Using Online Betting Sites

Using sports betting sites to bet on football online is
relatively straightforward. It’s super easy to open accounts at
most sites, and the majority of them are very user-friendly.
Finding and placing wagers generally takes no time at all, and
can be done from the comfort of your own home with just a
computer and internet access. You can even use most sites from a
smartphone or tablet these days.

Please make sure that you use the right sites though. Most
places are pretty good, but there are some that are best
avoided. It’s vital that you use a safe and trustworthy option,
and you also want to use somewhere that is suitable for
football. We suggest taking a look at the following sites.

Our Top Ranked Football Betting Sites:

I know what are you thinking about, not another football betting guide! Even for me, it was challenging to write the best possible, easy to understand guide. I decided to use a lot of examples supported by explanatory images that will make it easy for you to understand how to bet on football.

Learn How To Play Football Better

At the end of this article, you will have a better understanding of the most used football betting terms and, how to use them when you place a bet.

So, how to bet on football?

1. Choose a bookmaker that operates online or has a street shop.
2. Check the football matches he has available for betting and select one match that you will bet on.
3. Now its time for you to see what markets (match result, goals market, cards market, etc) the bookmaker offers and pick the one that interests you
4. Once you selected the market, you will see different odds for an outcome to occur that he bookie offers you. Place your stake (the amount of money you bet) on what you think is the most probable outcome.
5. Repeat step 2, 3 and 4 if you want to add more picks to the same bet

What is a football bet?

When two teams face each other in a football match, the bookies will calculate the odds and will place them on their betting markets for that specific match. You will analyze the odds and determine how much you will stake for one or more events to happen.

You can see above all the terms of a single football bet. Silkeborg vs Midtjylland was the event, I choose the market – half time result, stake £50 on Midjylland at odds 2.40, got a return of £120 with a profit of £70.

Where to place your bet?

You have 2 choices when you decide to bet: online or offline. With today’s technology betting online is much more simple, convenient, and attractive. Offline betting requires you to travel until the street shop of the betting company to place your bet.

Of course, this makes it inconvenient because not only you lose time but also because the company operates only between specific hours of the day.

Below I have listed some of the most reliable and trustworthy betting companies that also offer you very good betting markets. Some of them operate just online while others offer their service both online and offline.

• Bwin (online betting)
• Bet 365 (online betting)
• Betfair (online betting)
• Bet-at-home (online betting)
• Sportingbet (online betting)
• Paddy Power (online + street shop betting only in UK and Ireland)
• William Hill (online + street shop betting only in UK and Ireland)
• Betfred (online + street shop betting only in the UK)

Betting markets explained

The betting companies offer you a wide range of markets where you can place your bet: from full-time results, goals, goal scorers, to handicap, corners, cards, and specials. Below I will explain to you the most used football betting markets and their meaning.

Full-time result

In this market, you will pick the result of a football match. You can bet on the home team, draw, or away team. The result of the bet is only valid for the 90 minutes time of play, excluding penalties or the extra time that may occur in some situations.

If the match result after 90 minutes is a win for the home team then the winning bet is a home team win.

Double chance

It is usually used to make a more secure bet, giving the bettor the chance to pick 2 out of 3 outcomes from a full-time result. The odds are significantly lower compared to the full-time result market so the potential profit will be smaller.

However, you have a 66% chance to win when you place a double chance bet. The market applies for regular 90 minutes gameplay.

You can see clearly how much the odds dropped for each pick compared to the full-time result where we had 1.70, 4.00, and 4.60. Selecting 1X means Chelsea to win or draw for the bet to turn out a winner.

Tottenham to win or draw is priced by the bookies at 2.10 (if you bet 10£ you get 21£ in return). The 12 choices with the odds 1.22 means that either Chelsea (1) or Tottenham (2) should win for your bet to make a profit.

Goals Over/Under

This is the most famous goal market and it is used for bettors to pick if the base number of goals offered by the bookies will be over or under. This market is only valid for the regular 90 minutes played during a game of football.

The most used number as a base is 2.5, like we have in the example above, which means you will bet for 3 or more goals in the game or less than 3 goals. The reason why the bookies use the 0.5 margins because there can only be 1 of the two outcomes for the bet, as a team cannot score 0.5/half of a goal.

For the Chelsea – Tottenham match we have the base 2.5 with the odds of 1.80 for the under result (meaning 0-2 goals scored in the game), and 2.00 for the over the result (3 or more goals scored in the game).

Both teams to score (BTTS)

This is the second most famous goal market after the Over/Under, but still very popular and used by many bettors. The bookies set up the odds for each outcome and they give the opportunity to choose between Yes or No, therefore you have a 50% chance to win your bet.

Things are very clear here and you only have 2 options. You can see the bookmaker favor the Yes pick, meaning both Chelsea and Tottenham to score, with odds of 1.75.

If you pick No and you bet 10£, you will win the bet only if one of the two teams score in the 90 minutes regular time. Looking above at the Over/Under market, you can notice the bookmaker is favoring a match with at least 3 goals being scored.

Result/Both teams to score

This is a special market where the bookmaker has grouped two events giving you just one odd. The benefit of this type of bet is the high potential return because of the high odds. The downside, which I believe to be greater than the benefit, is that your chances to win are just 25%.

The odds are very high but of course, the chances of winning are small. For this bet, you need to make 2 picks. The first one is to decide what will be the full-time result, and the second one, if both teams will score or no.

For example, if you pick Draw and No means the only result that will make you win the bet is 0-0. Quite difficult for that to happened since even the bookmaker doesn’t favor that at all giving such big odds:13. The lowest odds 3.00, the event that the bookmaker favors, is for Chelsea to win at nil.

Draw no bet (DNB)

This is another market where you can make safer bets and protect your money. The same as with the double chance market you have 2 outcomes from where you can pick.

How To Play Football

There are some differences as well. The first thing you can notice that the odds are a bit higher when compare to a double chance bet.

The second one comes from the name itself – draw no bet – meaning that if the final result of the match is a draw, your bet cancels and you get your stake returned.

If you pick 2 that means draw no bet Tottenham. At the odds of 3.50, a 10£ stake will return you 35 £ if Tottenham wins, and a refund of your stake if the 90 minutes full-time result is a draw. If Chelsea emerge winners then you lost your bet.

Half result market

Is similar to the full-time market, but has the name suggests you will pick one from the 3 possible outcomes to occur until the half time whistle is blown by the referee.

You have a 33% chance of winning your bet and you can choose for the home team to lead half time, draw after 45 minutes of play, or away team to lead at half time.

Comparing odds, half result market vs full-time result, we see clearly that half result picks have higher odds for one of the team to lead at half time but, significantly lower for a draw. This happens when the tie is close to even.

You have the same odds for a draw or Chelsea to lead after 45 minutes played, with Tottenham being clear the underdogs.

For this type of market, especially when the teams are at the same level, it is very difficult to predict an outcome. Selecting X (draw) with a stake of 10£ gives you a potential return of 23£.

Handicap result market

How To Bet On Nfl

Is the margin of goal differences between two teams that give a theoretical advantage or disadvantage to the selected team before the match starts.

The same as for the goals over/under market you will have a base, which you will notice to have the smallest odds and several other margin variations from you to pick from. You can only pick just one team for your selection.

In the first case if you bet on Chelsea (-1) you give the blues a one-goal handicap.

What does this mean? Well to put it simply, you take away one goal from whatever Chelsea will score, so they need to win at least by a 2 goal difference for your bet to be a winner.

A draw or winning by just 1 goal difference will make you lose the money you bet. Tie -(Tottenham +1) basically means that you back Spurs to win by exact 1 goal difference, winning by 2 or more goals will lose your bet.

The smallest odds, 2.10, are in favor of Tottenham which you give them a 1 goal advantage. If Jose Mourinho’s team draws or wins you win the bet.

Total Corners market

The bookie will set up a base number and give you 3 different opportunities for you to pick. The biggest odd by far is the selection of the exact number of corners in the match during the 90 minutes time play.

The other 2 picks you can make are under or over with most of the times having a small difference in odds between them.

The odds are attractive but predicting the outcome of corners is not an easy task. The results will be based more on the first eleven, how the teams are set up to play, weather, and sometimes even referee.

Number of cards in the match

You will see in this market a lot of similarities with the goals over/under. The bookies will set a base for the number of corners during the 90 minutes game time and you will have to choose between over or under.

Like you can see you have 50% chances of winning the bet, but the odds are not so great.

The base set by the bookmaker is very good considering we have not just a London derby but also a direct battle for the 4th position in the league. The bookies favor the Over pick with the Under seen as a less probable outcome.

What type of bet should I use?

That is a good question. You can either choose a single bet, a double, a treble, or an accumulator (Acca). A single bet means you bet only on 1 event to happen, double if you choose 2 different events to occur, treble 3 events.

You will have a much higher chance to win a single bet, but the odds sometimes are too small. Accumulator bets can bring you high profits but they are much more difficult to win.

You can start by checking our free betting tips and predictions!

When you make an Acca you select more events on the same bet, and we all know that the more events you have the lower is your chance to win. If you decide to make an accumulator don’t make too many for your bet, keep it to 4-8.

Words of wisdom

Now that you are more familiar with the betting terminology and its markets, all you have to do is to set up your bankroll and a good betting strategy.

Remember you need to be patient, consistent, and very analytical. Don’t consider betting gamble and put your hopes in luck. Get as much information you can about the football match before you place any bet.