If the sportsbook is busy with action, it should be football season. 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 little 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 on one football game. In the event that you bet on more than one game on the same ticket, it’s a parlay, and we’ll talk about that in a minute.
When you make a straight football bet, you could be betting on a side or total. Simply put, when you bet a side, you “pick a side” in the game. For example, let’s say the New England Patriots are playing the Seattle Seahawks. If you are going to bet a side, you’d bet on either the Patriots or the Seahawks.
Every game has a point total (except NCAA football, which is most games). This is actually the level of points scored between both teams. When you bet a total, you’re betting under or higher that total. For instance, let’s say the total is 47 and you take the over. To win, both teams must combine for 48 or even more points (47 will be a push, therefore you get your bet back).
Football Betting – Parlays
Okay, so you find out about straight bets, that is where you bet on just one thing per ticket. When you want to bet on multiple 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 over 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 money you’ll win should 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 for getting close, but that’s very rare.
anaktoto If you get into making football bets via parlay tickets, you might check out “teasers,” which are parlay tickets with added points for you. For instance, instead of taking the Packers -10, you can find them at -3. Needless to say, the payouts are a less because the risk is minimized.
Football betting is really a blast and there’s nothing much 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.