1. Online sports betting have become very popular throughout the world. People can bet on a variety of different sports events through an online betting site. To get a better idea of what makes online sports betting so popular it helps to know how it works. It deals with not only getting a bet placed but also with signing up for betting services.
2. Online sports betting have change into very popular all through the world. Individuals can bet on quite a lot of completely different sports occasions by a web based betting site. To get a better idea of what makes on-line sports betting so standard it helps to know how it works.

If you’re new to football betting and keen to get involved
then you’ve just come to exactly the right place. On this page
we will teach you all the basics of betting on football, and
make sure that you are on the right track from the moment you
place your first wager. If you feel like you’re ready to dive right in, here are the top football betting sites we recommend:

Sports books list each NFL team with corresponding odds to win the Super Bowl. For example, the Ravens may be 5-1, the Redskins 12-1, the Cardinals 100-1, etc. If you place $10 on the Redskins and they go on to win the Super Bowl, you collect $120 plus your $10 back for a total payoff of $130. Online sports betting offers gamblers access to thousands of internet sportsbooks worldwide. Our guide will help you learn how to calculate sports betting odds in different formats and compare them against each other, and improve your gambling with our sports odds calculator. How Do Odds Work?

In our opinion this is one of the most useful beginner’s
guides to football betting you’ll find anywhere on the internet.
It covers everything you need to get started, and yet you don’t
need to worry about getting overwhelmed with detail as we keep
our explanations as simple as possible.

For those who are only really interested in wagering for a
bit of fun, you’ll be ready to go as soon as you’ve finished
reading this page. For those of you with ambitions of making
long term profits, we also point you towards a wide range of
additional information and advice that will help you to achieve
such goals. We’re not promising that we’ll make you an instant
expert, but we’ll certainly give you the chance to become one.

If you’re simply just looking to bet on football games right now we have
listed our top recommendations for online betting sites below. These
are sites that we have found to be trustworthy with our money and
offer football bettors true value.

We recommend reading through this whole page from start to
finish, but we’ve listed the various topics we cover below if
you’d prefer to skip straight to something specific.

How to Bet on Football: Page Contents

Before You Start: Recommended Reading

If you’re already familiar with how sports betting works, and
know a thing or two about football, then please feel free to
skip this section. If, however, you’re completely new to sports
betting and/or not much of a football fan, then there are a few
things you should learn before you start placing bets on
football games.

Firstly you really need to understand the basics of what
sports betting is all about, and what’s involved with placing
wagers. These basics are relatively straightforward, so
thankfully it doesn’t take long to get up to speed. It’s
definitely advisable to familiarize yourself with them though.
Our beginner’s guide to sports betting is the perfect resource
for this. Here’s a selection of some of the topics it covers.

In addition to knowing the basics of betting, you should also
know at least the basics of football too. It’s likely that most
people reading this are big sports fans, and fully understand
it, but that’s not necessarily the case for all our readers. We
like to cater for everyone, so we’ve written the following two
articles explaining all about the game at both professional and
college level.

Different Types of Football Bets

One of the first things you should understand about betting
on football is the fact that there are several different types
of wagers that can be placed. You won’t necessarily use all the
different types, depending on what strategies you employ, but
it’s still advisable to learn at least a little about each one.

Below we look at the two most popular types of wagers, some
of the other commonly used options, and the various options for
wagering on multiple games with a single bet.

The Most Popular Types of Football Bets

There are two types of football bets that are used far more
than any other. Many people who bet on football place only the
following wagers.

• Point Spreads
• Totals

Some readers will already know all about these and how they
work, but we’ll explain a little about them for those that
don’t.

Point Spreads

A point spread is effectively a handicap that’s used to
create a 50/50 wagering proposition. For example, a bookmaker
may offer the following point spread on a football match between
the San Diego Chargers and the Indianapolis Colts.

What this spread means is that, for the purposes of wagering,
the Chargers will have 3.5 points deducted from their final
score. For a bet on them to be successful, they would therefore
have to win by four points or more. The Colts, on the other
hand, will have 3.5 points added to their final score. A bet on
them would be successful if they won the game, or lost by 3
points or less.

You can read more about point spreads on the following page.

Totals

Totals are just as easy to understand. With these, the
bookmaker posts an expected total for the amount of points
scored by both sides. On the previously mentioned match between
the Chargers and the Colts, for example, they might set the
total at 48.50. You then have to decide whether to bet on the
over or the under.

A wager on the over will win if the combined score from the
two teams is 49 or over (e.g. Chargers 29, Colts 24). A wager on
the under will win if the combined score from the two teams is
48 or less (e.g. Chargers 19, Colts 17).

We explain totals in more detail on the following page.

Before we go onto explain some of the other types of wagers
you can place, there’s some very important information that we
need to mention.

The basic principle of point spreads and totals is that you
have roughly a 50% chance of winning, so technically a “fair”
return on these types of wagers should be equal to the amount
staked. However, they are usually priced up by bookmakers at
odds of -110 (1.91 in decimal odds format, 10/11 in fractional
odds format), which means for every $110 staked you stand to win
$100. You don’t have to stake as much as $110 of course, but the
point is that a successful wager will only return 90% of the
amount staked (plus the initial stake of course).

This is because bookmakers are in business to make a profit,
so they effectively charge a commission for taking wagers. This
commission is known as the vig, short for vigorish, and it’s one
of the ways that bookmakers stay profitable. They don’t charge
it just for points spreads and totals either, as it’s built into
the odds for every wager that they offer.

If you have any ambitions of being a
successful bettor, we strongly recommend reading our article
explaining vig and how bookmakers make money.

Other Common Football Bets

In addition to point spreads and totals, there are three
other types of bets that are commonly used for wagering on
football. These are as follows.

• Moneylines
• Props
• Futures

We’ll now provide a brief overview of each of these, and
point you towards some additional information on each one too.

Moneylines

A moneyline wager is very simple. It involves simply backing
a team to win a match, with no point spread involved. The odds
for moneyline wagers are based on each team’s relative chance of
winning. For example, the moneyline on a game between the San
Diego Chargers and the Indianapolis Colts might look like this.

Online Sports Gambling Tennessee

The Chargers are the favorites here, and the odds of -175
mean that a stake of $175 is required to win $100. To put it
another way, every $1.75 staked stands to win $1 if the Chargers
win. Initial stakes are returned too of course.

The Colts are the underdogs, so backing them means the
potential for higher payouts relative to the amount staked. The
odds of +155 mean that every $1 staked stands to win $1.55 if
the Colts win (i.e. a $100 wager stands to win $155 if the Colts
win). Again, initial stakes are also returned.

For more information on moneylines, and the strategy involved
in placing them, please see the following article.

Props

Props, short for propositions, are wagers on outcomes that
are decided during a football game, but are not necessarily
directly linked to the final result. Some examples include the
following.

• The first team to score.
• The distance of the longest touchdown.
• The total passing yards of a quarterback.
• The number of field goals kicked.

These are just a very small selection of some props. Many
bookmakers offer dozens of different options, particularly on
high profile matches. Props are generally considered a fun type
of bet rather than a way to make money, but it is possible to
make consistent profits from them. We explain more about props
on the following page, where we also offer some strategy advice.

Futures

Futures are wagers on how teams, or individual players, will
fare over the course of an entire season. A wager on a team to
win the Super Bowl, placed at the start of the season, would be
considered a future. So would a wager on a team to be the
National Football Conference champions, or a wager on a player
to win the Most Valuable Player award.

There isn’t a lot more to explain about futures, and there
isn’t really much in the way of specific strategy for them
either. We do go into a bit more detail on them on the following
page though.

Betting on Multiple Football Games

A lot of people like to bet on multiple games at once, as
this can provide the potential for big payouts. It’s not
something we particularly advise beginners to get involved with,
but it doesn’t hurt to understand the options available. The
main ones are as follows.

• Parlays
• Teasers
• Pleasers

Let’s take a quick look at what these are all about.

Parlays

A parlay basically combines several different wagers into
one. For example, a parlay could be made up of five point spread
wagers on five separate games. The payout for such a wager could
be very attractive, but only if ALL the wagers were correct.
Just one wrong pick would mean the whole wager failing. That’s
why these are considered quite risky. They’re a bit more complex
than the previous wagers mentioned, but we won’t go into any
more detail here. We do on the following page though.

Teasers & Pleasers

Teasers and pleasers are essentially types of parlays that
use modified point spreads or totals. With teasers, the spreads
or totals are moved in the bettor’s favor. With pleasers, they
are moved in the bookmaker’s favor. There’s plenty more to
explain about these wagers, which we do on the following pages.

Where to Place Your Football Bets

Now that you know about the different wagers you can place on
football, the next step is actually placing them. The question
you’re probably asking now is “how and where can I do this?”
There are a few options, which we list below, but please be
aware that not all of these are available in all parts of the
world.

• Casino Sportsbooks
• Bookmaking Shops
• Telephone Betting
• Online Sports Betting Sites

Casino Sportsbooks

Many casinos around the world contain a sportsbook. They
usually feature several big screen TVs showing any live sports
action currently taking place, and computerized odds boards
displaying all the latest odds. There are typically cashier
windows where you can place your wagers with a real person, but
some books have interactive machines instead. Either way, these
are great places to place some bets and watch the games at the
same time. The problem for Americans, though, is that they are
only legal in Nevada. There are plenty of sportsbooks in Las
Vegas casinos, but not in other parts of the country.

Bookmaking Shops

Bookmaking shops are mostly like sportsbooks, they’re just
not inside a casino. They also generally have lots of TVs
showing sports, and a counter where wagers are placed. These
shops can be found in many countries around the world, but
they’re not legal in the United States.

Telephone Betting

A lot of bookmakers offer telephone betting services, and
they are usually very straightforward to use. It’s a simple
matter of calling the relevant number, telling the operator you
reach which wagers you want to place, confirming the odds, and
then providing your credit card details. Some bookmakers take
other payment methods too, and some even offer credit lines to
select customers.

This is another option that’s not available to Americans. Not
legally at least, as the Federal Wire Act of 1961 made telephone
betting illegal. You might be getting disheartened by now if you
live in the US, and wondering exactly how you’re ever going to
place any wagers. Don’t worry though, as we have one more option
to tell you about.

Online Sports Betting Sites

Using an online sports betting site is far and away the best
way to bet on football, or any sport for that matter. It’s the
most convenient and accessible option, and there are several
other advantages too. Best of all, it’s legal in the United
States. There are some laws against online gambling in the US,
but these mostly apply to companies and individuals providing
gambling services. There’s no law that states it’s illegal to
use a gambling site of any kind, so Americans are at liberty to
place football bets online if they so choose. We’ve written the
following page explaining things in more detail for those
interested, or you can just keep reading for a quick guide to
getting started online.

Using Online Betting Sites

Using sports betting sites to bet on football online is
relatively straightforward. It’s super easy to open accounts at
most sites, and the majority of them are very user-friendly.
Finding and placing wagers generally takes no time at all, and
can be done from the comfort of your own home with just a
computer and internet access. You can even use most sites from a
smartphone or tablet these days.

Please make sure that you use the right sites though. Most
places are pretty good, but there are some that are best
avoided. It’s vital that you use a safe and trustworthy option,
and you also want to use somewhere that is suitable for
football. We suggest taking a look at the following sites.

Our Top Ranked Football Betting Sites:

One of the fundamental, appealing aspects of sports betting
is that it’s possible to consistently make a profit. You need
to know what you are doing and apply the right strategies, but
it can be done. However, most bettors lose money in the long
run. There are several reasons why this is the case, one of
which is the fact that bookmakers use certain techniques to make
sure they are always at an advantage.

Successful sports betting is basically about overcoming this
advantage. Bookmakers are essentially your opponents, and you
have to learn how to beat them. Before you can do this, you need
to understand exactly how they are ensured to make money.

In this article, we explain the methods bookmakers use to
give themselves the advantage. We also look at the other main
reason why they make money: most bettors
make bad bets.

So, How Exactly Are the Bookmakers Making Money?

Bookmakers make money by the following:

1. They set the right bet prices (the vig)
2. Setting and changing the betting lines
3. Balancing the Book – Eliminating Risk
4. Counting on Bettor Emotions and Lack of Knowledge

Basic Principle of Bookmaking

The basic principle of bookmaking is straightforward and
pretty obvious. A bookmaker takes money in whenever they lay a
bet to a customer, and they pay money out every time one of
their customers wins a bet. The idea is to take more money in
than pay out. The art of bookmaking is in making sure this
happens.

Bookmakers can’t control the outcome of sports events, but
they can control how much they stand to win or lose on any
particular result. They set the odds for all the wagers they
lay, which ultimately enables them to ensure a profit.

Charging Vigorish/The Overround

The main technique bookmakers use to put the odds in their
favor is the inclusion of vigorish. Vigorish, or vig, is also
known as juice, margin, or the overround. It is built into the
odds bookmakers set to help them make a profit. In essence, it’s
a commission charged for laying bets. To best explain vig, we’ll
use a simple example of a coin toss.

The toss of a coin has two possible outcomes and each is
equally likely. There is a 50% chance of heads and a 50% chance
of tails. If a bookmaker were offering true odds on the toss of
a coin, they would offer even money. This is 2.00 in decimal
odds, +100 in moneyline odds, and 1/1 in fractional odds. A
successful $10 bet at even money returns $20, which is $10
profit plus the initial stake back.

Let’s say this bookmaker had 100 customers all betting $10 on
the toss of a coin, with half of them betting on tails and half
of them betting on heads. The bookmaker would stand to make no
money at all in this scenario.

As you can see from the above image, the bookmakers are
taking in a total of $1,000 in wagers, but they also have to pay
out a total of $1,000 in winnings whatever the result. Since
they are in business to make money, this is obviously not a good
scenario.

This is precisely why they build in the vig to the odds. They
can thus guarantee, theoretically at least, that they will make
money regardless of the outcome. When two outcomes are equally
likely, it is common for them to use odds of 1.9091 (-110 in
moneyline, 10/11 in fractional).

Continuing with the coin toss example, the odds on heads and
tails would still both be the same, but they would now be at
1.9091. This means that a successful $10 would return a total of
$19.09 ($9.09 in profit, plus $10 original stake).

Let’s see how that looks for the bookmaker now, with 50
customers betting on tails and 50 customers betting on heads.

As you can see, the change in odds has made a big difference,
and the bookmaker is now making a guaranteed profit on every
toss of the coin. The total amount they pay out is always going
to be $954.50 against the $1,000 they have received in total
wagers. Their built-in profit margin of $45.50 is the vigorish,
or overround, and it’s usually expressed as a percentage of the
total wagers received. In this case, the vig is equal to roughly
4.5%.

This is a very simplified example, but it does serve to
illustrate how bookmakers set the odds to give them an
advantage. Things get a little more complicated when it actually
comes to sports events, as the possible outcomes aren’t usually
equally likely. There are more than two possible outcomes in
many betting markets, and bookmakers aren’t always going to
take in exactly the same amount on all possible outcomes.

For these reasons, making money as a bookmaker isn’t as
straightforward as simply charging vig. Other techniques are
required to ensure consistent profits, and this is where the
role of odds compilers comes in.

The Role of Odds Compilers

Odds compilers set the odds at bookmaking firms. They are
also known as traders, and their role is absolutely essential.
The odds they set eventually determine how much in wagers a
bookmaker is likely to take in, and how much money they are
likely to make. The act of setting the odds for a sports event
is known as pricing the market.

There are a number of aspects involved in pricing up markets
for sports events. The primary goal is to make sure the odds
accurately reflect how likely any particular outcome might be,
while also ensuring that there’s a built-in profit margin.
Determining the likelihood of outcomes is largely based on
statistics, but very often a certain amount of sports knowledge
must be applied as well.

Compilers therefore have to be very knowledgeable about the
sports for which they are pricing markets; thus, they often
specialize in just one or two. They also have to have a solid
understanding of various mathematical and statistical
principles.

Let’s look at how a compiler might price up a market for a
tennis match in which Novak Djokovic is playing Andy Murray.
These two players are very close in ability, so the compiler
would have to take a number of factors into consideration. They
would look at current form, for example, and each player’s known
ability on the relevant playing surface. They would also take
the results of past meetings into account.

How Does Legal Online Sports Betting Work

Based on all these factors, they might reach the conclusion
that Djokovic has roughly a 60% chance of winning the match and
Murray roughly a 40% chance. The odds that approximately reflect
these chances are Djokovic at 1.67 and Murray at 2.50. These
odds don’t include any vig, which would also need to be
considered.

Generally speaking, compilers have a target margin. This may
vary quite significantly for any number of reasons, but let’s
assume in this case that the compiler wants around a 5% margin.
They would reduce the odds for each player by 5%, giving 1.59
for Djokovic and 2.38 for Murray.

A bookmaker’s margin can be calculated by adding the
reciprocal of the odds for all possible outcomes and converting
it to a percentage. In this case, there are two possible
outcomes, and the following equation would be used.

As you can see, the compiler has achieved the target of a 5%
margin. However, the job doesn’t end there. Compilers also have
to try and make sure that a bookmaker has a balanced book.

Creating a Balanced Book

When a bookmaker has a balanced book on a particular market,
he stands to make approximately the same amount of money
regardless of the outcome. With an imbalanced book, the outcome
would affect how much is made, and it could even result in a loss. A
balanced book is usually the preference, for obvious reasons,
and is what odds compilers typically aim for.

Continuing with the above tennis match example, a balanced
book would look something like this.

As you can see, based on $10,000 in total bets, the bookmaker
stands to make roughly $500 regardless of the outcome. This is
the target 5% margin. Let’s look at what would happen if that
$10,000 in total bets was spread evenly on both players.

In this scenario, the bookmaker has an imbalanced book. He
will make a profit if Djokovic wins, but will lose money if
Murray wins. It’s usually a scenario to try and avoid.

This is why you see odds on sports events fluctuate over
time. Odds compilers will continually adjust them to make sure
their book is balanced. For example, in the above scenario, they
could increase the odds on Djokovic to encourage more bets on
his winning, or they could reduce the odds on Murray to
discourage further bets on his winning. They could even do both.

There’s no guarantee that adjusting the odds will always
create a balanced book, but it usually helps. This is one reason
why the volume of bets is so important to bookmakers. As a
general rule, more money coming in means they are more likely to
get the balance right. It’s actually quite rare to get markets
perfectly balanced; the goal is simply to get as close as possible.

It’s worth noting that sometimes odds compilers will actually
want an imbalanced book. If they have confidence in a particular
outcome, they will try to create a situation where they stand to
make the most profit if it happens. If they are very confident
that Djokovic could win the match against Murray, for example,
they might decide to push the odds out on Murray to get more
action on that side of the book.

Summary

It should now be clear why bookmakers have a mathematical
advantage over their customers. They don’t always win money on
every single market they price up, but this advantage does help
to ensure they win money in the long run.

The advantage can be beaten, however. It’s not like casino
games where the odds are always stacked against you no matter
what you do. That being said, the mathematical advantage isn’t
the only reason why bookmakers make money. Their success also
comes down to the simple fact that most bettors place more bad
than good bets.

To avoid being one of those bettors, you need to understand
what actually makes for a good bet. Contrary to what many
believe, a good bet isn’t simply betting on what you think
might happen. Although this approach can be successful if you
are accurate often enough in predicting the outcome of sports
events, but the reality is that most people are not.

For the best chance of making money on sports betting, you
need to be skilled in identifying betting opportunities that
represent good value. This is the real key to consistent profits
and something we explain more about in the next article.