Different Types Of Football Bets
Here is a rundown of the types of football bets: Straight bet - Amid all the fancy and lucrative-looking bets that are available, never lose sight of the value in a standard straight bet. Different Types of Soccer Bets: Ways to Bet on Soccer. Soccer attracts huge betting interest on a global scale. This is partly because it’s the most popular sport in the world. It’s estimated that there are over 3 billion soccer fans, so it’s no surprise that there are plenty of people who like to bet on the sport. Another popular type of football bet, is the Half-Time Result (HTR) bet. All this bet consists of, is guessing at which team will be winning or losing during half-time. Betting on the HTR also qualifies a draw as a valid bet, so many often predict that the game will be a draw at half-time.
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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:
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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
Different Types of Football Bets
Where to Place Your Bets
Using Online Betting Sites
Essential Advice for Beginners
Improving Your Football Betting Skills
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.
About College Football
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).
Different Types Of Football Bets Projections
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:
Online sports betting provides amazing opportunities to wager on the most popular sporting events. Even veterans of sports betting will find some useful information in our guide about the different types of sports bets. Brushing up on the different styles of betting will ensure that you set achievable betting objectives, bet with your head instead of your heart, and understand your risk tolerance as a bettor.
What are the most common types of bets?
Different Types Of Football Bets
If you’re new to sports betting, you’re most likely to hear about bets such as ‘’moneyline’’ and ‘’over/under’ bets’. These are the most commonly placed bets and are also the easiest to try when you’re just getting started. Let’s break these simple betting styles down a bit, and go into some more detail, so you can get your bets down for all the exciting matchups up ahead.
Moneyline bets
A moneyline bet is the simplest bet of all, and is also referred to as the “win bet”. Simply select who you believe will win the game or match, and your bet has been placed. So, think about an NFL matchup between the Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots – you can place a moneyline bet on who you think will win based either on your research, knowledge of the game, or just because they’re your favorite team. If the team you placed your bet on wins, then you win – it’s that easy! Other types of bets might be affected by factors such as the score or points difference between the teams, but while you are still learning about online sports betting, it is best to keep it simple.
Over/under bets
In the US, sports bettors refer to the over/under bet as the “total bet”. The over/under bet allows sports bettors to bet on a matchup without picking a favored side. Instead, they’re betting on the total points scored in a specific sporting event. Once the sportsbook casino puts up their predictions, sports bettors can decide if they believe that the total number of points scored in the matchup will be over or under the number set by the sportsbook casino.
For example, in a matchup between the Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers, the sportsbook may set a totals line bet at 190 points. This means that sports bettors must decide if they think the teams will have a combined score of more or less than 190. If the bettor picked correctly, they will win the totals or over/under bet.
Point spread
The point spread is quite a popular bet in the United States. In Europe, this type of wager is typically referred to as a handicap bet. With the point spread, the sportsbook will determine which team they think is the favorite to win the game. After making their selections, the oddsmakers will decide what the margin of victory is most likely to be. The sports bettors will then make bets based on whether the pick or margin predicted by the sportsbook is over or understated.
For example, in an upcoming NBA matchup between the Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat, a sportsbook casino may post a point spread of 5 points in favor of the Bulls – this means that the sportsbook expects the Bulls to win by 5 points. If sports bettors choose to place a point spread bet on this game, they’d choose whether the sportsbook prediction is high or low.
Futures bets
Futures bets, or outright bets, allow sports bettors to pick the winner of the overall tournament, competition, or league. This means that, in most cases, the bet is placed way in advance of the actual sports event taking place, hence the name “futures’’. Sports bettors will need to do thorough research on teams and players before placing a futures bet.
These are some of the toughest bets to pick correctly, although the payouts are definitely enticing. Sports bettors should keep in mind that because futures bets have attractive payouts, it also means that they are quite risky.
Prop bets
For those looking for variety and something more fun, compared to the standard sports bets, consider placing a proposition bet. Sports betting can get quite bizarre with prop bets as you can wager on just about anything. Some examples of prop bets include predicting the time of the first goal in a soccer match, or the first team to score a touchdown in an NFL match. These examples barely scratch the surface of the types of prop bets that can be placed on different sports. Prop bets are great for sports bettors who are into the more obscure happenings or occurrences of a game that will not necessarily affect the end result.
Here are a few examples of some more interesting prop bets:
- Will a baseball team score in the first inning or not?
- Will there be a hole-in-one in a golf tournament?
- Who will win the opening coin toss?
Parlay bets
If you’re feeling extra courageous, and like you’re getting the hang of sports betting, the parlay bet is the wager for you. It is probably best for beginners to avoid these at first, as they can be quite complicated and risky compared to some of the other types of bets. The reason it is so complicated is because a parlay bet involves selecting a string of picks which are all counted as one bet.
For example, sports bettors can place a parlay bet on three different NFL teams. The parlay ticket could include a point spread, moneyline, and totals bet. The odds for each game remain the same though, as if you were making another kind of individual bet. In order for the parlay bet to pay out, all three picks for all matchups must win. In the event that one pick is incorrect, the entire bet is lost. Parlays are considered very risky, which is why it’s best to have some experience before trying them out. The added risk, however, does mean you’ll be collecting grand payouts if you win!
Popular odds in football
The most popular type of bet made in the NFL is the point spread. By setting the point spread, sportsbooks will try to even things out in a game when the two teams facing each other are mismatched. For example, the Houston Texans (10-2) vs Miami Dolphins (3-9) matchup would see many sports bettors betting on the Houston Texans to win. To prevent one-sided betting, these spread bets can level the playing field for bettors.
When you’re placing your bets online, you’ll see a + and – symbol given to the teams:
Miami Dolphins +14 (-110)
Houston Texans -14 (-110)
The above numbers show that the Houston Texans are a 14-point favorite, meaning they will need to win by a margin of 15 points to cover the spread for Texans bettors. For those who bet on the underdog, the Dolphins must lose by 13 or less for the bet to win. The numbers in the brackets indicate that the bettors must risk $110 in order to win $100.
Different Types Of Football Bets Week 9
Popular odds in golf
Golf is a great sport to bet on as the season is seemingly endless, with so many tournaments and opportunities to place bets. The futures bet is a popular golf wager, and the sportsbook will set their own odds for each player to win. This means that bettors get to choose from the field of players, with individual odds set for each player to win the tournament outright. In a field of 70 players, choosing the winner can seem impossible and like the odds are stacked heavily against you. However, the payout can be huge if you know your golf and make the right pick.
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What Are The Different Types Of Bets
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