If the sportsbook is busy with action, it should be football season sabu. Whether it’s the NFL or NCAA, football betting action is fast and furious through the season. For the newbie sports bettor, it can seem a bit confusing, but football bets really come down to two types-straight bets and parlay bets.
Football Betting – Straight Bets
Here’s the workhorse for just about any winning football bettor. A straight bet simply means you’re betting using one football game. If you bet on several game on a single ticket, it’s a parlay, and we’ll talk about that in a minute.
When you create a straight football bet, you will be betting on a side or total. To put it simply, when you bet a side, you “pick a side” in the game. For instance, let’s say the New England Patriots are playing the Seattle Seahawks. If you’re likely to bet a side, you’d bet on either the Patriots or the Seahawks.
Every game has a point total (except NCAA football, that is most games). This is the level of points scored between both teams. Once you bet a total, you’re betting under or over that total. For instance, suppose the total is 47 and you also take the over. To win, both teams must combine for 48 or more points (47 will be a push, which means you get your bet back).
Football Betting – Parlays
Okay, so you know about straight bets, that is where you bet on just one single thing per ticket. When you wish to bet on several thing, it’s a parlay. It is possible to bet on 2 – 20 things (depends on the sportsbook).
For instance, let’s say without a doubt on the Seahawks and on the total on your ticket. That might be a 2-team parlay (despite the fact that technically there’s only 1 team on it).
The more items you placed on the ticket, the more income you’ll win if they all hit. Naturally, the more items on the ticket, the harder it is to win.
With parlay bets it’s an all or nothing thing. If one pick fails, the ticket is dead. Some sportsbooks will run specials so you can get close, but that’s very rare.
If you enter making football bets via parlay tickets, you may have a look at “teasers,” which are parlay tickets with added points for you. For instance, rather than taking the Packers -10, you can find them at -3. Of course, the payouts are a less because the risk is minimized.
Football betting is really a blast and there’s nothing better than hitting the sportsbook with a big winning ticket. I hit straight football bets and parlays all season long. I anticipate the NFL and NCAA football seasons.