American Football Betting – Top 10 Sites

American football is said to have evolved from soccer and rugby. It can be traced back to the 1860s, although the rules have since evolved severally to form the present-day sport as we know it.

It is now America’s favorite sport, with some of its finals enjoying about 100 million views and costing companies up to 7 million dollars for a 30-second ad. It is also popular in other countries, such as Canada and Finland. As a result, punters have a wide range of options when shopping for American football events.

American Football Bet Types to Know

American Football has hundreds of betting possibilities, much like any other celebrated sport. Here are several popular ones to give you various options as you get started.

Lines

Football lines are the most popular bet types in American Football betting. When a bookie offers a line, punters choose to back team A or B to win the match. Lines may be presented as spreads, money lines, or game totals.

Point Spread

Point spread betting is also known as handicaps or wagering against the spread (ATS). It is the most popular line bet and, therefore, the most common American Football bet type.

This market estimates the final margin of a given American Football game, which bookmakers determine as a 50/50 chance. That is, they provide odds such that there is a 50% chance the match results will favor either side of the estimated margin.

Let’s look at an example of a point-spread offering from Betrophy’s American Football markets. In A Sioux Falls Storm vs. Quad City Steamwheelers match, the former has a -10.5 handicap, while the Steamwheelers have a +10.5. This means the Sioux Falls Storm has to win the game by at least 11 points to cover the spread. Moreover, if you bet on Quad City Steamwheelers, they can afford to lose by up to 10 points, and your wager will hold.

If the above match ended with Sioux Falls Storm having 35 points and the Quad City Steamwheelers getting 20 points, then a Stake on the Sioux Falls Storm to win would be successful. This is because Sioux Falls Storm will still have more points even after applying the -10.5 spread. However, if you had bet on Quad City Steamwheelers, your bet wouldn’t settle because they would lose even after adding them +10.5 points.

Game Total

This betting market refers to the total number of points scored in the game and is often called Overs/Unders. In the above match, for example, Betrophy set the line for 90.5. This means there had to be at least 91 points for over to be successful and 90 points at most for under to be successful.

It is common practice for all bets to be refunded should the match total points equal the points the betting site gives. However, this is impossible with markets with decimals, as in the above case, because American football points do not have decimals or fractions. Therefore, the bookie has intentionally set the total at 90.5 and not 90 or 91 to avoid a scenario where the match total is neither over nor under the given points.

Money Line

American Football money line bets are head-to-head stakes where punters bet on the final winner at the end of the match. There are no overs/unders or game totals. All that matters here is who wins at the end of the match. This type of betting is also referred to as match results or outrights.

For example, Betway listed a Michigan Panthers vs. Pittsburgh Maulers match at the time of writing, in which the odds were 1.48 and 2.35, respectively. This shows that the Panthers were the bookie’s favorite at 1.48 odds, while the Maulers were less likely to win at 2.35 odds. There are no handicaps or totals here, and the odds are directly applied to your stake to calculate your winnings.

Player Props

These are bets that revolve around match events concerning a particular player. For example, the two most common player props bets to expect in American Football include the 1st touchdown scorer and anytime touchdown scorer.

First Touchdown Scorer

This is the player you think will score the first touchdown in the game. The coin toss determining the team likely to get the first shot at a touchdown influences the success of such a bet. Some obvious choices for first touchdown scorers include the wide receivers, who are strategic for the quarterbacks’ passing plays. Running backs, too, are worth considering for their role when the offensive drives end up in red zone plays.

Anytime Touchdown Scorer

This bet type eliminates the randomness of choosing a player to score first in the game. Instead, your wager could be a winner within the first few minutes. Still, it will remain active until the end of the game, giving you much time for your favorite player to score a touchdown at any point.

Team Props

Team props are selections that focus on a single team rather than all the players or the match at large. For instance, your bookmaker may provide several betting markets for the teams in an American Football match, allowing you to bet without having to predict the match outcome. Some examples of team props bets include the double result, team points 2-way, and winning margin.

Team Points 2-Way

This market allows you to bet on whether a team will score above or below a particular number of points, much like the ‘Game total’ bet. However, instead of betting on over/ under for the total points in the game, you wager on over or under the set points of only one of the teams.

Double Result

This bet is about selecting the team that will be leading at half-time and the one that will win the match. It is an excellent option for punters expecting a particular team to start quickly in an American Football game. This bet is beneficial when you think a team will win and dominate the game. If the money line for such a game has short odds, you can compensate by taking a double result bet for some extra value.

Accumulators

Accumulators are often abbreviated as ‘accas.’ They are bets that combine several outcomes to increase the value of your wager. For example, this bet type is advantageous when you combine several favorites where your bookie offers short odds. The final amount you get as winnings would be the product of your stake and all your selected odds.

Let’s say your bet slip is an acca featuring New Orleans Breakers (1.28), Baltimore Ravens (1.41), and Philadelphia Eagles(1.83). If you had wagered 500 INR on these selections and succeeded, your winnings would be 500 * 1.28 * 1.41 * 1.83, bringing your total winnings to 1,651 INR. In other words, your stake is applied to a product of all the odds involved, which increases the value.

Tips and Strategies for Betting on America Football

Get Ready to Learn

The first step to any successful betting journey is a readiness to learn. As a punter, you must accept that understanding American Football differs from understanding football betting. A deep understanding of the spot gives you a headstart, but you must also develop an intricate mindset for recognizing value bets.

Bet Against Your Favorite

There is no room for loyalty in punting. As a successful punter, you must punt on the most likely events based on the numbers rather than loyalty to your favorite team.

Start with the Teams You Know

The ultimate goal is to cover the entire league(s) for the most betting opportunities. Still, a great place to start is with the team or division that you know best. You will eventually gain a deeper understanding of the team’s opponents as you advance your exposure to its fortunes and misfortunes.

Assess the State of the Team

Pro tipsters get their intuition by assessing the teams’ conditions from a neutral perspective. You want to consider the following factors in your assessment:

• Home field advantage
• Injuries
• Roster additions or subtractions
• Tactical matchups
• Weather conditions

Mix and Match Your Bets

As you continue understanding different markets and teams, you will find that blending your bets can result in more value or reduced risk. For example, you can hedge a money line bet with a point spread.

Let’s say the Cincinnati Bengals are set to win with 2.35 odds, and the bookie also offers a points spread of +7.5 at 1.28 odds for the team. You can bet on both the money line and the points spread. That way, if the team wins, both bets settle. However, if it loses by no more than 7 points, you still win something through the spread bet.

Keep a Record

• Keeping a detailed record of your bets helps you to learn and continuously improve your returns. Consider including the following in your record:
• The date you wagered and when the match was played
• Betting site
• Market (bet type)
• The odds
• Your stake
• Your profit or loss
• Comments and lessons learned

Popular American Football Leagues

This spot is most popular in the USA, but you can also find excellent offerings from Finland and Canada. Here are the famous American Football Leagues from around the world:

National Football League (NFL)

USA’s National Football League was inaugurated in 1930 and is the world’s highest American Football governing body. It comprises 32 teams, of which the Green Bay Packers have the most titles (13). According to Nielsen, its final match is popularly known as the Superbowl and gets about 200 million viewers.

Canadian Football League (CFL)

The CFL is the crown league of American Football competitions in Canada. It comprises nine teams grouped into two divisions according to geographical location. The East division has four teams, while the West division has five. The division’s winners enter the playoffs to battle for The Grey Cup, the highest honor in the CFL.

The Vaahteraliiga

Also called the Maple League, this American Football competition was founded in 1980 and is Finland’s highest level of the sport. It comprises seven teams, although the number has also been eight in recent years. The Vaahteraliiga season usually occurs between July and September, but bookies start offering their markets long before the season.

NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision

College football is a big deal in the US, and the FBS, formerly Division I-A, is the country’s highest level of competition. It features ten conferences and 133 schools, which enjoy a bigger following than the NFL in some states.

FAQs

What is a ‘push’ in line betting?

Push is a term used in line betting, specifically overs/unders, to refer to a situation where the final game total points are neither over nor under the set amount. Bookies will usually refund your stake in such a case. However, some will avoid the situation by offering total points with decimals, which is impossible in a typical American Football match.

What are the standard American Football bets?

The popular bets in American Football, as described in this post, include:

• Spreads: resembling handicaps in soccer
• Moneyline: which is like an outright bet
• Game total: the total number of points in the game
• Player props: events such as first touchdown scorer and any time TD score
• Team props: events such as team points 2-way, winning margin, and double result

Does the weather make a difference in American Football betting?

Yes, it does. Knowing the weather forecast for the match day can be an excellent advantage. For example, rain and snow may cause more mistakes in the game. These conditions may also contribute to fewer touchdowns.

Last Updated on 26/05/2023 ago by Devak Mukherjee