NFL Betting 101 - NFL Betting For Dummies

Welcome to NFL Betting 101, where the very basic concepts for all things relating to NFL wagering are discussed. We understand that there are a lot of different skill levels and familiarity with NFL betting odds out there, and we think that it can be for everyone. Wagering on the NFL is pretty straightforward and you only need to grasp a few basic things to figure out what to do. Are there more complexities for NFL betting? Absolutely, but it should not be something that overwhelms you… it certainly doesn't have to be that way.

NFL betting for beginners covers the simple things, like understanding what you are looking at. Game lines for weekly NFL matchups are a prime example discussed just below. To those who might not be aware, it might look complicated, but trust us, once you get a handle of the basics you will think that it's quite easy. So with that in mind, we invite you to learn more about your basic NFL betting concepts and how to understand them, below.

How To Bet On NFL Games

Getting started to bet on NFL games online is quite simple. There are two aspects that are covered here. The first is where betting the NFL online can take place. The second, is once you have found the sportsbook of your choosing, how to recognize the different bets and what the lines are actually saying. We have a page that covers both of these aspects, from the signup process of an online sportsbook, through the bet, and all the way to getting a payout and winning real money.

In addition to know what to do, we will show where to as well. Prospective bettors will be shown a variety of different NFL sportsbook with plenty of betting action ready to be taken. With an account at the sportsbook, you can get into the NFL section and check out the betting lines that are live to wager.

How To Read NFL Betting Odds

NFL betting lines will be out in force during the regular and postseason. Each week oddsmakers will come out with a variety of game lines, props, and new futures. The big question is reading those odds, and understanding what they mean.

The most common betting line you will come across are game lines at NFL betting sites, for which betting the spread is very popular. The point spread is essentially a number that is installed to even out the matchup. Oddsmakers will look at a particular game and think to themselves that it's not an even match up, and give one team points to cover. The favorite is the team believed to win the game outright, while the underdog is the team believed to lose. The question is now by how many?

The number you see will signify the spread. For the favorite to beat the spread, they will have to win by more than that number. For the underdog to beat the spread, they will have to lose by less than that number, or win the game outright.

You will want to pay attention to the different payouts that come along with a wager as well, so you know how much you stand to win!

Reading Payouts

Reading payouts will come more with familiarity of betting terminology and recognizing symbols. You will see many (+) and (-) symbols assigned to teams, typically in parenthesis though not always. The (+) will indicate a wager that will profit more than $1 for every $1 wagered. The numbers next to the (+) will indicate in terms of $100 dollars. An example would be (+120), which would mean every $1 wagered would profit $1.20, or every $100 wagered would profit $120.

The opposite is of course true with the (-). This would indicate more money being risked for less of a profit. If a team is set at (-200), that would mean every $2 wagered would win $1, or every $200 would profit $100. Paying attention to the (-) and (+) signs are very important for payouts.

Paying Juice When Betting On The NFL

Think of the juice as the money paid towards the house, or the sportsbook. But it's also nice because the juice is only paid out when a bettor wins their wager. Payouts can range anywhere from five percent to 10 percent depending on the sportsbook. This is another way in which sportsbook can make a profit even when bettors still win a wager. Often, you will see sportsbooks advertise 'reduced juice' as means to entice players to come and create accounts with them. Reduced juice let's players keep more of their winnings in their pocket and is therefore of course appealing.

How Much Can You Win Betting On The NFL Online?

The amount a bettor can win betting on the NFL varies by the individual. In reality, the sky's the limit, because there are many wins out there that can be had. It's not easy though. If it were, everyone would do it.

Bettors can win varying amount of money depending on the type of bet they make as well. If a bettor makes a straight wager versus a parlay, the parlay is most likely going to return a much higher payout. For example, a bettor during the 2012 NFL season won on a 14-team parlay that resulted in a $725K+ win. Do you know how much he risked? Just $5!!! So you can see that the return on investment can be quite high. For more information on this topic, be sure to dig around our site, as we have plenty of pages that can be useful to you.

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