The CFB stands for Canadian Football League, and it’s one of the most popular and most lucrative betting markets in the world. Since the CFL is the only professional football league in Canada, and because Canada is such a large country, the odds are invariably in your favour when betting on this league. The other sportsbooks also have good odds on this game, which makes it a popular choice for those looking to dive into betting on sports. If you’re new to this world of sports betting, this article is a good place to start so that you have a basic understanding of the terms and conditions related to CFL betting. Here’s a brief glossary of the most commonly used terms in relation to the CFL betting world.
Over/Under
This is the total amount of points that will be scored in the game. For instance, if you’re betting on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers vs. Hamilton Tiger-Cats game, you’ll have to decide whether or not the over will be 21 points or less. Similarly, if you’re betting on an Edmonton Eskimos vs. Saskatchewan Roughriders matchup, you’ll have to decide whether or not the under will be 14 points or less.
Point Spread
This is the amount of points that will be scored by the home team. In the example above, the point spread is –3, because the home team, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, are 3 points ahead of the visiting team, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. As a general rule, the favourite will win by a point or more, while an underdog will struggle to win by more than a couple of points.
Home Team
This is the team that you’re rooting for, whether it’s your team or not. Every sports betting market has a favourites list, where you’ll find the teams that people are backing to win the game. In the CFL, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats are currently 7/1 (7 to 1) favourites to win the game against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers this Sunday. This means that they will win the game if the Over/Under is 21 points or more.
Away Team
This is the team that you’re rooting against, whether it’s your team or not. The opposite of the home team. In the CFL, the Saskatchewan Roughriders are 3/1 (3 to 1) underdogs to beat the Edmonton Eskimos this Sunday. This makes them good value at 4.60 (4.60), while the over/under is set at 21 points.
Money Line
This is the line that you’ll find when you browse through a bookmaker’s website. It’s usually the first line on a sports betting page. For example, if you’re looking at best odds at sportsbook.com, you’ll see this line at the top:
Winnipeg Blue Bombers +3,000 – moneyline
This basically means that if you’re betting on the Blue Bombers to win, you’ll need to stake $3,000 as a down payment. You’ll then need to lay $3,000 to win $6,000. Since this is a positive number, the odds are in your favour. You’ll also notice that the amount of money you need to stake is highlighted in red, while the amount you’re entitled to win is highlighted in green.
Total Points
This is the total number of points that will be scored in the game. For example, if you’re betting on the Toronto Argonauts vs. Calgary Stampeders game, the Total Points will be 45. The Total Points include any possible overtime in the game, which means there will be 16.5 additional points in the Total Points. The Total Points are thus 48, making it the most popular choice among bettors because you can never have enough football.
O/U Separation
This is the difference in points between the Over and the Under. This is usually the part of a straight-up wager where you’ll notice a drastic difference. For example, if you’re betting on the Toronto Argonauts vs. Calgary Stampeders game, and you believe that the Under will win by 3 or more points, you’re setting up a perfect opportunity to make a payday. In that case, you’ll need to back the Under at -1200 (under 12.20). Similarly, if you’re looking at the Over/Under and you believe that the Over will win, you’d better lay the Under at +1200 (over 12.20). If you think they’re going to match, you can wait until the third quarter to hit your ticket. It’s a good idea to keep an eye on the NFL and the NCAA football scores as well, which are often precursors to the CFL games.
Point-by-Point Analysis
This is similar to the Over/Under, but it covers the complete game. Simply put, it’s the total points scored over the entire length of the game. This can be found by adding up the total points in each quarter. This is a more comprehensive number than the Over/Under, which only covers the final score, and it gives you a better indication of how the game will play out. Bear in mind that since this is an all-or-nothing proposition, you’re either going to win or lose the entire amount you stake. This is why it’s popular among those who like to lay large quantities of cash on one bet. If you want to back the Toronto Argonauts in the upcoming Calgary Stampeders game, for example, you’ll need to lay $100 on the Over/Point-by-Point at sportsbook.com. You’ll also notice that this option is only available to people who bet via mobile phones or computers, as it involves some complex mathematical formulae that aren’t easy to follow on a small mobile phone keypad.
Over/Under Midpoint
This is the equivalent of the Over/Under, but it’s calculated based on the average of the two teams’ scores. If you’re betting this week’s CFL game between the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the Edmonton Eskimos, for example, you can find the Over/Under Midpoint at (Saskatchewan Roughriders + Edmonton Eskimos) / 2.5. This means that if you’re betting on the game, you’ll need to stake $2.50 on either the Over or the Under. You’ll then win $5.00 if your team scores more than the average, or you’ll lose your $2.50 stake if your team scores less than the average. This might not seem like a big difference, but trust us, it is.
Line Movement
This is the area that you’ll usually find when you click on the Review button on a sportsbook website. It shows you the changing odds for the selected game. For example, if you’re looking at the lines on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers vs. Hamilton Tiger-Cats game, and you notice that they’ve gone down, that’s a good sign that the odds have shifted in your favour. It’s a good idea to check this area frequently, as it will give you an idea of whether or not the bookies are adjusting their odds in accordance with the current betting line.
Win Probability
This is a number that you can use to determine whether or not you’ll win a bet based on the number of points you’ve tallied up thus far. Simply put, the higher the number, the better your chance of winning. For example, if you’re betting the Winnipeg Blue Bombers vs. Hamilton Tiger-Cats game and you’ve got a win probability of 55 percent, that means that you’ll win $55 for every $100 you staked (55 percent chance of winning). Win probability is sometimes abbreviated to “probability”, but it’s always a good idea to look up the definition because it can vary slightly from case to case.
Money Line Odds
This is the moneyline odds, which simply means the odds set by the bookmaker for the selected game. The higher the number, the better the value, since the odds themselves are multiplying your money multiple times. As a general rule, the favourites will be paying out 2 to 1 or more, while the underdogs will be paying 12 to 1 or more. In the case of the Saskatchewan Roughriders vs. Edmonton Eskimos game this week, for example, you’ll notice that the moneyline odds are 18/1 (1.8), while the Over/Under is set at 21 points.