American Football Betting

American football is, without a doubt, the most popular sport in the US, and this includes both the college and professional versions of the sport. According to a 2014 survey involving American sports enthusiasts, 35% of respondents listed the National Football League (NFL) as their desired league, while 11% opted for college football. Based on that data, more than 45% of sports fans in the country prefer football to all other sport games.

The professional version of American football comprises 32 teams split into 8 divisions, with all the teams playing 16 games each during the normal season, 8 at home and 8 away. As such, the NFL season is one of the shortest, when compared to other major sports leagues, which run from early September all through to February.

This shortness in time span can be a challenge for punters who enjoy betting on the league due to the limited number of games that makes evaluating a team’s or player’s real potential pretty hard. But then again, it is also a challenge to bookmakers for the same reasons and can, in turn, be to your advantage if you’re prepared.

Betting on college football comes with the same challenges, with the teams having just a dozen games to play through the regular season. But unlike the NFL, which only has 32 teams, first division NCAA football comprises 100+ teams, including renowned colleges like Alabama, Ohio State, Florida State, Nebraska, Michigan and Notre Dame, among others.

The recent boom in online sports betting coupled with the popularity of fantasy sports has propelled American football into the gambling spotlight. And as more states legalize sports gambling, the betting scene will only become bigger. So if you’d like to join millions of bettors worldwide by betting with one of the best American football betting sites, this guide is for you. Keep reading for more insight.

Online American Football Betting Strategies

American football is one of the hardest games worldwide to bet on and make profits from, but that doesn’t mean that it is impossible to rack up wins through the season. As mentioned earlier, the shortness of the NFL and college seasons, together with the level of player alterations in every season, can make establishing the team/player potential rather challenging.

Regardless of these challenges of betting on American football, you can still earn profits betting on both professional and college football. Below we show you some useful strategies and tips that you can use to boost your chance of winning in online American football betting.

• Place bets only when there’s value: Sporting value is crucial to any kind of sport. If you can find a given football betting market that has great potential, don’t let the opportunity slip. If you make the right moves at the right time, you’ll be well on your way to boost your betting on American football.

• Bet on the markets you’re well-acquainted with: American football offers a wide range of betting markets (we’ll discuss the most popular bet types later in this guide). Get to know your markets and only put your money on a market that you really enjoy and you understand the most.

• Register with several sportsbooks: Not every bookie will offer the best odds for your bet, whether you are looking for prematch odds or live odds. Having at least two different bookmaker accounts will ensure you get the most bang for your buck, as you’ll always be comparing the odds before placing your wagers. Some bookmaker sites also have an oddschecker to help bettors calculate betting odds in American football and other sports.

• Keeping records is also vital: Having a clear record of all your previous bets allows you to understand where you might have made a mistake in the past. Moreover, records also offer you a clear understanding of the markets you plan to bet on in future games.

Do your research: With more knowledge about the NFL or any other league that you follow, you stand a higher chance of winning your American football bets. Analyze the previous head-to-head matches of the teams, find out which teams have reinforced their squad with new signings and which ones have lost key players. Also, analyze the recent form of each team and that of individual players.

Types of American Football Betting Markets

There are many different kinds of betting options that you’ll encounter when betting on American football. The most popular options include:

• Moneyline: Also called the match-winner bet, Moneyline is a bet on the winner of the match.

• Parlay: A parlay is a wager that comprises two or more bets. As a result, a parlay’s payout is bigger.

• Outright: An outright wager is where you predict the outcome of an entire league or tournament.
• Totals (Over/Under): Here, you'll be betting on the total number of points scored in a match, which will be higher (over) or lower (under) than a given number set by the bookmaker.
• Handicap: Also called spread betting, handicapping involves betting on a given team to win, then either maintain a points advantage or overcome a disadvantage.
• Props: Prop bets are bets on particular outcomes within American football matches, usually not attached to the winner or the final score. For instance, you could bet on the number of touchdowns in a match, which quarter will have the most points, who will be the Most Valuable Player in a tournament, and so on.

Understanding the American Football Betting Odds

American football betting odds come in three different types: decimal odds, fractional odds and American (Moneyline) odds. American football oddschecker sites will help you greatly in calculating odds.

Moneyline/American Odds

As you would expect, American players are used to the money line or, rather, the amount of money you must stake to win $100.

If say, the Green Bay Packers were playing versus the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the odds on offer were -150 (negative) for Pittsburgh Steelers and +150 (positive) for the Green Bay Packers. This indicates that for you to win $100 by backing Pittsburgh Steelers, you’ll have to wager $150. On the other hand, a bet worth $100 on the Green Bay Packers would earn you $150 if Green Bay Packers emerge winners.

Fractional Odds

Fractional odds are commonly used in the UK. Odds of 9/2, for instance, suggest that you’ll win the denominator (2) by betting the numerator (9). To calculate your payout using fractional odds, multiply your stake by the numerator, then divide by the denominator.

Decimal Odds

Decimal odds denote the return you receive based on one betting unit and are the most popular American football odds used in Europe. If, for example, you have decimal odds at 1.85, that shows what you’ll earn for every unit. Thus, if you wager $200, you’ll win a total of $370, which implies a $170 net profit, i.e., $200 x 1.85 = $370.

GGBet - The Top Online Bookmaker for American Football

GGBet is an incredibly reliable sportsbook. Our online sportsbook offers an unlimited amount of American football betting markets on both the NFL and NCAA. It’s no wonder why we're up there as one of the best online sports betting sites.

Besides the bevy of American football lines, the other standout feature on our platform is the odds, which are better than average, and you can even bet live while the game is on. To top it all off, at GG.Bet, we pride ourselves on offering outstanding bonuses and promotions, including new player promotions that offer you lucrative opportunities right out of the gate.

Time to Play Catch!

For beginners, American football betting might seem very complex, but then, as soon as you know the basics of how it works, from the American football lines to the types of bets and odds, the game becomes very simple to bet on.

Throw in the tips we’ve discussed here today and then apply the knowledge at GG Bet, the finest sportsbooks for betting on the sport, you’re in for a good time. Create your GGBet account today, make a deposit and get into action. Good luck!