Football is one of the most popular sports around the world. Many people look at it as a way to escape the hustle and bustle of the real world. There are a number of terms and phrases that go along with football betting, making it difficult for newcomers to understand exactly what is going on. This can make it difficult to place successful bets, especially when trying to use online betting exchanges, where beginners are often targeted by scammers.
Know The Line
Bettors must always know the line, or at least have a good idea of what it is. This is especially important when placing bets on NFL games, where the lines can change literally by the minute. Knowing the line is key to knowing if your bet is worth taking or not. If you don’t know what the line is when you make your bet, it’s often best to leave it alone. You can look up the line for a particular game easily enough using online tools, but doing so takes time and could potentially delay your betting activity. The more you know, the better, even if it’s just something like ‘the Cardinals are a 1.5 point favorite over the 49ers’, you can use that to your advantage. Having an idea of what the line is should never be a hindrance to a good bet.
Know The Teams
When you bet on NFL games, knowing the teams is even more important. This is partially because knowing the teams allows you to determine the point spread, which would otherwise be difficult to do. The other problem is that sometimes teams change from one week to the next, which can make it difficult for a bettor to determine exactly what is going on. In those cases, it’s usually best to just guess and hope that you get it right. It doesn’t matter if you’re right or wrong, your guess is as good as anyone else’s.
Know The Score
One of the most important things to know when betting on a game is the score. There are a number of ways in which this can be useful. The first and most obvious is that it allows you to determine your line. If you know that the score is 42-7, you can quickly see that the Broncos are up 42 points and have 7 minutes left in the game, which would make them a 2.5 point underdog against the Seahawks. This can be a substantial amount, depending on how much you wager. The second use for knowing the score is to determine how much you should wager. If you’re playing against the spread and don’t know the score, you can use this to your advantage by risking less. If you know that the score is close, it’s often best to just put money on the side, as you’ll almost certainly gain or lose based on the final score. This is why it’s important to know the score before making any kind of wager. It’ll either increase or decrease your winning or losing chance.
Watch The Game And Follow The Score
Even people who are not that technically minded have trouble following the sportscasts that involve sports betting. The problem is that there’s so much information that is unimportant to the average viewer. Whether or not a player is injured, how the coach feels about a particular player, or if one team is dominating the other are all information that can be found and followed by anyone, even those who aren’t paying attention to the game itself. The problem is that this is a lot of information to follow, which can make it difficult to keep track of all of it. It’s not that followers can’t keep up, it’s that it takes a lot of focus, which could lead to errors in judgment, which can cost you money. It’s not always easy to know what is important and what isn’t.
The solution is to simply follow the score. This is a good place to start, as it won’t require much effort and can still provide useful information. You don’t need to know all the players’ names or catch every single play to know what happens in the game. You simply need to know whether or not your team is winning at the moment. If it is, you’ll know that all the action is going well and that you can still expect to win, regardless of what happens from this point forward. If it’s not, you might want to consider backing off or taking a break, as whatever bad luck you’re currently experiencing might continue to plague you.
Learn The Lingo
There are a number of terms and phrases that go along with sports betting. Knowing these terms and using them appropriately can make a significant difference in your ability to place winning bets and gain profits from doing so. Some of these terms are pretty self-explanatory, like ‘point spread’, which is used to describe the difference in point values between two teams. It’s also important to know the terms used to describe the different types of bets you can make, like’moneyline’ and ‘prop’. Some of these terms can be a bit more difficult to understand, so it’s important to know where to look for help when necessary. Here’s a short list of the most important terms and a brief description of what they mean:
Moneyline
This is probably the most basic and most commonly used type of bet. In a moneyline bet, you’re wagering on whether or not the total amount of points that will be scored by both teams will be higher or lower than the amount specified in the moneyline. For example, if the moneyline is -150, this would mean that the two teams combined are -150 points below the bookmaker’s opening line. In this case, you would need to bet on the underdog team (in this case, the 49ers) to win. If the points scored were more than -150 points below the opening line, the bettor wins (the house edge is typically high, so this is a good place for the bookmaker to make money). In most cases, this is the type of bet that is easy to make and can be profitable, as long as you know what you’re doing.
Over/Under (O/U)
An over/under (O/U) bet is similar to a moneyline bet, except you’re wagering on whether or not the total amount of points that will be scored by both teams will be above or below the number specified in the O/U bet. For example, if the O/U is 49 and you’re betting on the over, your bet would be considered a successful one if the points scored were 50 or more. Conversely, if the points were 41 or less, you would lose your bet. It’s important to note that if the points are exactly equal to, or match the number in the O/U bet, you will lose your bet. The advantage of this type of bet is that you don’t necessarily need to know what the line is to make it. Just setting the overs and unders is usually all that is required. This can make it a bit more convenient to place these types of bets, as you don’t have to worry about trying to figure out the line.
Straight Up
A straight up bet is one in which you’re wagering on the outcome of a game without regard to the point spread. This means that you’re willing to bet regardless of whether or not your team is favored. The advantage of this type of bet is that you don’t have to worry about the line changing, as there is no line to consider. You also don’t have to worry about getting the point spread right, as you’re not taking into account what the line is. The disadvantage of a straight up bet is that it’s almost always a losing proposition. Bookmakers love to put up odds that are greatly in favor of one team or the other, and it’s usually difficult to find a game where both teams are not favored by at least a couple of points.
Futures
Futures are wagers on a football game that settle the day after the game. This means that if you win, you’ll get your money and can continue betting on other games. If you want to bet on the Texans vs Broncos game, you would need to do so before the game, as the bets are settled based on the results of the game. It’s important to note that not all bets that settle the day after the game are future bets, as some books will still honor the result of the previous game. The advantage of futures is that you don’t need to worry about getting the point spread right, as the lines are fixed in advance. The disadvantage is that they can be rather difficult to wager on, as most books will only allow you to make one or two futures per week. This can make it difficult for newbies to get involved in this type of wagering, as it requires a bit of experience.