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The NFL attracts millions of fans each season, and with its widespread appeal comes an equally passionate betting community. NFL betting provides diverse opportunities for fans and bettors to engage with the game beyond traditional viewership. From straightforward wagers to intricate strategies, understanding the most popular types of NFL bets is essential for anyone entering the world of football betting.
Straight Bets: The Foundation of NFL Betting
Straight bets are among the simplest and most common forms of NFL wagers. These bets allow bettors to predict a game’s outcome based on a point spread or moneyline.
Point Spread Bets
Point spread betting levels the playing field by giving one team a hypothetical advantage or disadvantage. Sportsbooks, such as FanDuel, set the margin of points to guide bettors. The odds by FanDuel often reflect current team performance, injuries, and public sentiment, helping bettors assess their options.
Moneyline Bets
Moneyline bets are straightforward. Instead of worrying about point spreads, bettors pick a team to win the game outright. Odds are adjusted based on the perceived strength of each team, with favorites offering smaller payouts and underdogs yielding higher potential returns.
Totals: Betting on the Final Score
Totals, also known as over/under bets, focus on the combined score of both teams. Sportsbooks set a projected total, and people bet on whether the actual score will exceed or fall short of that number.
This type of bet appeals to those who prefer analyzing offensive and defensive trends rather than predicting individual winners.
Parlays: High Risks, Higher Rewards
Parlays combine multiple bets into a single wager, offering significantly higher payouts than individual bets. However, every selection, or “leg,” within the parlay must win for the overall wager to pay out.
For NFL betting, parlays often include combinations of moneylines, point spreads, or totals across multiple games. While the potential for large returns is enticing, the increased difficulty of predicting multiple outcomes makes these bets risky. Even experienced bettors approach parlays with caution.
Prop Bets: Betting on Individual Performances and Events
Proposition bets are a type of wager where people can bet on occurrences within a game rather than its overall outcome. These bets are incredibly diverse, ranging from player performances to team statistics.
Player Props
Player props focus on individual achievements, such as a quarterback’s total passing yards, a running back’s rushing yards, or whether a specific player will score a touchdown. These bets cater to NFL fans who closely follow player stats and trends.
Team Props
Team props revolve around broader game metrics, such as which team will score first, the total number of touchdowns in a game, or the result of the opening coin toss. These bets often appeal to casual bettors looking for fun, quick outcomes.
Futures: Long-Term NFL Predictions
Futures bets involve wagering on outcomes that will be decided later in the season. Popular options include predicting the Super Bowl champion, conference winners, or individual awards like MVP or Rookie of the Year.
Since these bets are placed well in advance, they often offer higher odds, especially for underdog picks. However, their long-term nature requires patience and careful research into team and player potential.
Live Betting: Real-Time Wagering on NFL Games
Live betting, also known as in-game betting, has gained popularity with advancements in technology and mobile betting platforms. This dynamic form of wagering allows bettors to place bets during the game, with odds updated in real time based on the flow of play.
Common live bets include predicting the outcome of the next drive, which team will score next, or adjusting bets on the point spread or totals based on current performance. Live betting requires quick decision-making and a deep understanding of the game.
Something For Everyone
NFL betting offers something for everyone, from beginners looking for straightforward wagers to seasoned bettors seeking to weigh up the odds of winning combinations by applying intricate strategies. Straight bets like point spreads and moneylines provide a solid starting point, while prop bets and futures cater to fans with specific interests. Parlays and live betting add layers of excitement for those looking to elevate their engagement with the game.
Diving into the world of online betting on sports events need not be a daunting prospect. With some basic research even the novice can enjoy the experience – and for real fans putting your money where your mouth is adds to the thrill of watching top-flight sports icons and teams stake their claim to glory.
