Football Betting >The Rules

By: THE GRADUATE

Football Betting Rules
If a player wagers on the favorite, that team must win by more than the amount of the point spread. On all straight bets, if the favorite wins by the exact point spread, the wager is a push, tie or "no action" and all bets are credited back to the player's account.

The numbers listed directly under the O/U Game is referred to as the total (over/under). Players can wager that the combined score of both teams will be either over 47 in this example (betting the over) or under 47 (betting the under). So if the combined total score of both teams is over 47 points, then the "Over" bettors will win the amount they wagered in the proportion of 10 won for every 11 wagered. If the combined total score of both teams is under 47 then the "Under" bettors win the amount they wagered in the proportion of 10 won for every 11 wagered. Once again if the combined final score of both teams falls exactly on the posted total, the game is considered a push and all bets are refunded.

While most straight wagers are placed on the side and total for the entire game, there may be a few other straight wagers available. Please note the following.

First half wagering: A bettor may wager a straight bet on which team will win the first half of action in just the same fashion as if he were placing a side bet for the entire game, only in this case, the event "ends" at the conclusion of the first half. A bettor may also place a similar wager on the total points scored in the first half of a given game, just like wagering on the total of a full game, only in this case the event ends at the conclusion of the first half. When placing a first half wager, ONLY the first half of action matters in determining the outcome of the wager.

Halftime wagers: Halftime lines are posted by the line manager soon after the completion of the first half of play. A player may then place a straight side wager on which team will win the second half and the player wins or loses solely on the scoring done after halftime as what happened in the first half is irrelevant to that wager. A bettor may also place a similar wager on the total points scored in the second half of a given game, just like wagering on the total of a full game, only in this case the outcome of the event is determined by only considering those points scored in the second half. When placing halftime wager, ONLY the second half of action plus any overtime scoring matters in determining the outcome of the wager.

Quarter wagers: Some sportsbooks will also offer first quarter, second quarter, third quarter and fourth quarter wagering on select football games. When wagering on these events, only points scored in the selected quarter count towards the outcome of the wager. Points scored in any overtime period(s) will NOT count on a fourth quarter wager.

Matchups: Sportsbooks also offer straight wagering on select head-to-head matchups involving individual teams and/or players. For example, you will be able to wager on who will score more points on a given NFL weekend, such as the St. Louis Rams or the Indianapolis Colts. Often, this will not be a standard 11-10 wager as one team may be favored by a wider margin, such as the Rams -150 and the Colts +130.

Football Betting >Pick Tips

From: The MUSCLE

Football Betting Tips for Making Your Weekly Picks!

There are a lot of variables in football - some you can factor in to your game analysis - many you can't. Successful football picks, even for the pros, are hard to come by. Remember, in a very good season a good handicapper will only win 58 out of 100 bets. He bets big though!

A good place to start is early in the week watching the 'NFL wrap' style programs readily available on the TV. Listen to what coaches are saying, what players are saying and assess their levels of motivation. Of course you need to analyse this on the field too on game day.

Through the week, as you get closer to the Sunday kick off, you will get a clearer picture regarding injuries to players, the weather, staff and management changes, rivalries, and NFL gossip (remember the T Owens affair and what a bad effect it had on the Eagles?) Try to understand how these issues might affect the result.

Many more knowledgeable punters like to make their football picks earlier in the week - when the lines first go up. The reason for this is that they can pick up the value. Indeed the sportsbooks expect this early action and it helps them to even out their spreads.

Very often it can pay to get onto a favorite early because that team, especially if it is a popular team, will often have their spread deteriorate during the course of the week e.g from -2.5 to -3. Conversely, it can pay to get on to an underdog later in the week because in order to draw some action on an unfashionable team the sportsbook may move out the line from e.g +9 to +10 or +11.

Of course the danger of getting in your football picks early is that a key participant could be ruled out of the game later in the week, or the weather could change dramatically, which often effects the Totals (over / under) market.

Sometimes, even when virtually all the information points to the favorite winning and covering the spread - you may well still take the opposing team from a value perspective. This likelihood of the favorite winning could already be 'in the price' and you need to know when to leave teams alone. The best way is to have an idea of the spread or odds in your head after you have gathered your information and before you look at the posted line!

Other points, less obvious than some, are also worth looking at. Is the game you are looking ot bet on, a Monday night game going out live to the whole country? You'd be surprised how a dog team can pick themselves up under the spotlight. Also look at whether or not one of the teams has been humiliated by the other in the previous game? Is it likely to happen again - perhaps the spread is skewed due to that last game?

Hopefully the above had proven somewhat helpful and help you to decide on your own football picks and what factors to consider.

Football Betting Lines

By: THE PLAYER

Football Betting Lines
Football betting lines come in many shapes and sizes and give us many different betting opportunities. I’ll explain the many football betting lines you are likely to see, and give you examples of each of them so you understand what you will be looking at. Let’s begin by going over the various football betting lines you are likely to encounter.

The first basic football line lists the side and the total and looks like this: 101 New England Patriots -3 102 Miami Dolphins 41

You are risking 110 for every 100 dollars wagered on either the side or the total. If you like New England, you must win the game by more than three points to collect your bet. If you like Miami, you must either win the game outright, or lose by less than three points to collect. If the Patriots win by exactly three points you get a tie, or what is called a push, and your money is refunded. The total number of points is 41 and you can wager the game to go over or under that amount.

The next betting line is called the moneyline and looks like this: New England -160 Miami +140

The moneyline wager is just a bet on who will win the game outright, no points involved. If you like New England you are risking 160 for every 100 dollars wagered. If you like the Dolphins, and they win, you win 140 dollars for every 100 dollars wagered.

The next most common football betting line you are likely to see is the halftime line. It looks like this: New England PK -140 Miami 19

If you like the Patriots for the second half you are risking 140 for every 100 dollars. If you like the Dolphins you get 120 for every 100 wagered. The take back on the Dolphins is 20 dollars lower than the price on New England; therefore, it is called a 20-cent line. The total of 19 is the amount of points for the second half and you can wager over/under that amount risking the traditional 110 for every 100 dollars bet.

At some sportsbooks you can also bet the first half. The line would look very similar to the example listed above for the second half. You may also find individual quarter bets in the NFL and they would look like this: New England PK -120 Miami 7

That could be the example of a first quarter line and it is the same as the previous examples. Those are the basic football betting lines you are likely to see. Now let’s take a look at another possibility for a football betting line you might see during the season.

Future odds are very common in football as odds are posted for NFL teams to win their individual divisions, conferences, and ultimately the Super Bowl. Odds to win those events are very simple and straightforward and look like this: New England 7-1 Miami 15-1

Those are two examples of odds to win the Super Bowl. You would win 700 for every 100 dollars wagered if New England won the Super Bowl and 1500 for every 100 dollars risked on Miami if the Dolphins won the Super Bowl.

The odds look the same but are lower for winning the conference and individual divisions. College football has similar odds to win the National Championship and the separate conferences. Those are the basic football betting lines you will see during the football season. If there is any line you don’t understand, ask your sportsbook, and they will be happy to explain it to you.

Football Betting >Money Management

From: MR. BLING

Money Management Basics
Gamblers or prospective gamblers beware! Most gambling hype you read, see, or hear in regard to gambling sports is misinformed, erroneous or simply designed to take your money before you even place a bet.

In order to be successful sports bettor, you have to have skills in money management, play selection, a good attitude, and reasonable expectations as to what you can expect to win if you are successful. Let me give you a method of money management as an eye opener:

Size of Bet	Initial Bankroll
$20-$30	$1000-$2000
$40-$50	$2000-$3000
$100	$5000
$500	$25000

Most players start the season with absolutely no clue as to how much capital it takes to withstand the ups and downs of a typical football season. You should give yourself enough money to have a chance all year. Sport gambling is nearly always full of streaks. Even with great handicapping, you are still going to lose 40 percent of your bets, so be prepared. You have got a bankroll, so what is next? Divide it up as follows:

Bankroll	Average Bet	College	Pro	Reserve
$1000	$25	$400	$400	$200
$2000	$50	$800	$800	$400
$5000	$100	$2000	$2000	$1000
$25000	$500	$10000	$10000	$5000

Here is the important part - Never risk more than 25 percent to 30percent of your bankroll on any week. In other words, if you like 5 pro games you will bet 6 percent of our bankroll on each game. On the best plays you will bet 8 percent and maybe 2 to 3 times a year you will find a game that's worth 10 percent of your bankroll. If you love a lot of action, simply drop your bet size (2 percent to 3 percent), but never risk more than 33 percent of your bankroll in one day.

If you win one week, your bankroll is larger so you'll automatically increase your bets as you win and conversely decrease your bets as you lose. The purpose of the reserve is to re-capitalize one of your bankrolls if the season starts out cold and you hit an early losing streak. In a typical year you should be cautious weeks 1 - 4, be bold weeks 5 - 12, and then revert to caution until the play-offs and bowl games.

This is a simple money management scheme and we will coach you on taking profits or when to use your reserve as the season progresses. There are more sophisticated methods of money management available, but for most people this method should work just fine. This should give you a start in the right direction.

Football Betting >The Basics

From: THE MUSCLE

FOOTBALL BETTING BASICS
Football betting offers a wide range of wagering based on spread betting. To succeed at football betting, you first need to learn the standard types of wagers and understand how betting lines work. Next, you need to know the football terms used at Sportsbooks, thus our Football Glossary. Lastly, and most important, is money management. This is the art of balancing your desire to win with the presevation of your capital.

Always remember, capital preservation is #1 and the need to win is #2.

To start with, check out these basic football betting tutorials..

Football Betting Types
Football Betting Lines
Football Wagering Rules

Tips for Making Football Betting Picks
Football Glossary
Betting Bankroll Management

After that, our advanced lessons take you to the next level.