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How to Bet on Football

By Hank Blaine

There’s nothing like the thrill of winning money on the side on any given Sunday when the NFL season is in full swing. Many people have had huge success betting on live football games, especially here at Nitrobetting.eu; the best Bitcoin betting site online.

We here at Nitrobetting are proud to impart our knowledge on the basics of how to bet on football. Our sports betting guides are a great resource for those who are looking to just get started on placing some stakes on football games and more sports as well.

How to Read NFL and Football Odds

On American sports betting sites, odds are defined with a plus sign (+) for the underdog team and a minus sign (-) for the team pegged as the favorite to win. For example:

Team Moneyline Odds
San Francisco 49ers (+110)
Kansas City Chiefs (-110)

If you want to know how to bet on football, this is an important concept for you to be familiar with. The numbers beside the plus and minus signs are the odds themselves. The odds basically explain how much the bettor stands to win if he/she wins the bet.

Nitrobetting.eu also allows users to toggle the odds display according to their preference. Odds can be shown in decimal and fractional formats as well.

How Moneyline Bets Work

When making a moneyline bet, a bettor simply picks which team he/she thinks will win the game outright.

Team Moneyline Odds
San Francisco 49ers (+110)
Kansas City Chiefs (-110)

Using the example from earlier: If a bettor placed a bet on the San Francisco 49ers and the 49ers did win the game, the bettor will get his/her initial bet back, plus the winning payout based on the underdog’s line.

Using the table above as a reference, let’s assume that you placed a moneyline wager on the San Francisco 49ers. If the 49ers win the game, then you will get a payout on top of the initial stake amount based on the underdog’s line.

On the other hand, if you laid a moneyline bet on the Kansas City Chiefs and the Chiefs did go on to win the game, then you will receive a payout together with your original bet amount.

It’s worth noting that a bet on the underdog pays out more than a bet on the favorite, assuming similar bet amounts.

How to Bet Against the Spread on Football

Knowing how to bet on football also requires one to learn the point spread. The point spread in football gives bettors an alternative option in predicting the outcome of a given contest. When betting against the spread (ATS), the underdog is given an advantage prior to the game, while the favorite is given a disadvantage that’s proportionate to the underdog’s advantage.

Team Spread
San Francisco 49ers (+2.5)
Kansas City Chiefs (-2.5)

In the scenario above, the Chiefs would need to win by over 2.5 points – three points or more – for bettors to win their bet on Kansas City. And if the Chiefs win the game by two points or less, bettors who placed their stakes on the 49ers win their bet. An outright Niners victory also results in a winning bet for bettors who wagered on San Francisco.

Not all football odds against the spread have a half-point/decimal value. For example: if the Chiefs were pegged as (-3) favorites to win, they’ll still have to win by four points or more for Kansas City backers to win their bet. However, if the team wins by exactly three points, this would result in a “push”, wherein bets for the Chiefs-49ers game will be returned to the bettors because of the tied outcome based on the point spread.

How to Bet on the Over/Under Point Total

Betting on the over/under point total is simple, as bettors are asked to predict whether the total number of points scored by both teams in a given game will be more or fewer than the given line.

Team Over/Under
49ers 45.5(-105)
Chiefs 45.5 (-115)

A bettor who placed a bet on the “over” will win the over/under bet if the Chiefs and 49ers scored a total number of 46 points or more. On the flipside, bettors who wagered on the “under” will win their bet if San Fran and KC scored a combined 45 points or fewer in the game.

Similar to odds against the spread, not all over/under odds have a half-point/decimal value. For instance; if the Chiefs-Niners game had an over/under line of 45.0 and the game ended with both teams combining for 45 points, over/under bets would also result in a push.

Live Odds

Check Nitrobetting’s coverage of any game in progress to see if there are any live odds being offered in real-time to add even more excitement on top of the stakes you placed on the other betting lines mentioned earlier.

Prop Bets and Futures

Betting lines and odds are not just offered during gameday, as bettors can start placing stakes on NFL action even before the regular season starts.

Sportsbooks normally offer prop bets and futures odds during the preseason for bettors looking to place stakes on the overall outcome of the league after a certain event has passed. Some examples of futures and prop bets are:

  • Who’ll become the Super Bowl champions at season’s end
  • Predicting the regular-season MVP and/or Super Bowl MVP
  • How many wins will a certain team win at the end of the regular season
  • Which team(s) will win their respective division(s)

Prop bets and futures odds are a great way for the bettors to keep the wagering action going even before the league has yet to resume play, all the while offering bettors a different strategy on the stakes they want to place on such events and promotions.

Where to Bet on NFL and Football Games

Players can start placing stakes on the NFL and other football leagues here at Nitrobetting.eu. Create an account in just a few minutes and get started with the football betting action in an instant!

Feel free to visit our online BTC Sportsbook with all the latest NFL betting odds, props, and more!

Looking to learn more about how to bet on football? Keep checking out the latest Football articles, along with other sports betting guides.

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