If the sportsbook is busy with action, it must be football season. Whether it’s the NFL or NCAA, football betting action is fast and furious during the season. For the newbie sports bettor, it could seem a bit confusing, but football bets really drop 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 . In the event that you bet on several 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 will be betting on a side or total. Simply put, once 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 likely to bet a side, you’d bet on either the Patriots or the Seahawks.
Every game includes a point total (except NCAA football, that is most games). This is actually the level of points scored between both teams. Once you bet a complete, you’re betting under or over that total. For instance, let’s say the total is 47 and you also take the over. To win, both teams must combine for 48 or more points (47 would 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 want to bet on several thing, it’s a parlay. It is possible to bet on 2 – 20 things (depends upon the sportsbook).
For instance, let’s say you bet 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 one team on it).
The more items you put on the ticket, the additional money you’ll win should they all hit. Naturally, the more items on the ticket, the harder it really 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.
If you get into making football bets via parlay tickets, you might have a look at “teasers,” which are parlay tickets with added points for you personally. For instance, instead of taking the Packers -10, you might get 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 large winning ticket. I hit straight football bets and parlays all season long. I look forward to the NFL and NCAA football seasons.