Betting on sports is a multibillion-dollar industry, and football is by far the most common sport for bettors. Every team returns to play, and sportsbooks follow suit with a comprehensive collection of betting odds for all games.

Point spreads, total lines, and money lines are the three basic ways to bet on football games, but the action doesn’t end there with various betting odds for football futures, as well as team and player props.

Betting on Football

The most common way to bet on football is to use the point spreads set by the oddsmakers. The favorite and underdog in each matchup are divided by a fixed number of points, commonly referred to as the “betting line.” Since the two most basic scoring units in football are three points for a field goal and seven points for a touchdown and an extra point, all of the game’s point spreads are based on these two numbers or multiples of them.

When two teams are evenly matched, it is normal to see the home team with a three-point advantage. There can be a double-digit point spread in a game where a strong favorite is playing a major underdog. Betting on football point spreads is a very straightforward method.

If you wager on the favorite, they must win by a margin greater than the spread. If you bet on the underdog, they must either win outright or lose by less than the spread to win. If the game ends in a tie with the spread, the wager is a PUSH, meaning no money is won or lost.

Betting on Total lines

Along with a point spread, the oddsmakers have set a cumulative line for football games, which corresponds to both teams’ estimated combined score. You will bet on the total line by determining if the actual combined score stays “over” or “under” the total.

Although betting on the entire line is also very straightforward, there are a few things to keep in mind. Things like key injuries, ground conditions, and environmental conditions can all affect scoring, so they must be considered when making your selection.

Betting on Money lines

Football money line bets are not as famous as point spread bets, but they can profit from the games. The basic principle of a money line is to compare the risk of betting on the favorite with the potential profit from betting on the underdog. The line is based on a value of 100 in a no-points straight-up bet.

Football Futures and Props Betting

Sportsbooks will announce odds for futures and props for betting odds for the games themselves. The odds set for each team to win their division and conferences are a clear example of football futures. These betting odds are normally set well ahead of the start of a new season and are changed based on the amount of money paid to each team. There is no limit on the number of prop bets that can be included in a football game.