NFL Betting Advice That Will Up Your Game 100% Instantly

Moneyline bets are the bread and butter of casual bettors and for good reason: all you have to do is pick a winner and you’re good to go. Let’s breakdown a typical NFL moneyline bet and see why this is a good starting point for beginners.

Let’s say the San Francisco 49ers are playing the Arizona Cardinals. The 49ers are clear favorites, especially since the Cardinals last season was pretty terrible. Since the 49ers are favored to win, their Moneyline odds might look like this: 49ers -200 and Cardinals +150.

• What do those numbers mean? The minus sign (-) tells you the favorite, and in this case, you’d need to bet $200 to win $100 on the 49ers.

Since you’re laying down $100, your payout would be $50 (not a big return, but safer). Your total return is $150 (your original $100 plus the $50 profit).

Now, if you were feeling risky and bet on the underdog, the Cardinals at +150, a $100 bet would win you $150. So you’d pocket $250 if Arizona pulls off an upset.

By the way, I’m very briefly going over sports betting odds, but if you’re not exactly sure how all of these numbers work, that’s ok. Check out our how to read sports betting odds and you’ll be good to go!

These are one of the most popular NFL bets, and it’s because they’re just a notch above moneylines in terms of difficulty. Newbies can still find success with spread betting, and it’ll net them valuable experience and analytic insight.

Let’s dive into Point Spread bets using the same NFL matchup: the 49ers vs. Cardinals. A Point Spread bet is all about not just picking the winner, but by how much the favorite is expected to win or how much the underdog might keep it close.

Let’s say the spread looks like this: 

• 49ers -7
• Cardinals +7

The spread tells us that the 49ers are the favorites, and they need to win by more than 7 points for you to win your bet on them. If you bet on the Cardinals, they can lose the game, but as long as they don’t lose by more than 7 points, you win your bet.

If the final score is exactly 7 points apart, it’s a push (or tie), and you get your money back. So there’s a bit of a safety net there (although a very small one).

• If the 49ers win 30-20, they’ve covered the spread, and you win.
• If the 49ers win 27-21 (a 6-point difference), they didn’t cover the spread, and you lose.
• If the 49ers win 28-21 (7-point difference), it’s a push, and you just get your $100 back.

NFL Prop Bets are more intermediate level types of bets, mainly because you’re betting on specific stuff happening within the game—not just the final score or who wins. Player prop bets are very fun, but they’re also more on an intermediate level because newbies are not objective when it comes to betting for their favorite players.

Let’s say you’re eyeing a prop bet on Christian McCaffrey, the 49ers’ star running back, in a game against the Cardinals. A common prop bet might be something like:

“Will Chris McCaffrey rush for over 100 yards?”

Let’s say the odds for this prop bet are:

• Over 100 yards: +150
• Under 100 yards: -130

If you bet $100 on McCaffrey to rush for over 100 yards at +150, and he crushes it with 120 rushing yards, you win $150 in profit. Your total return would be $250 (your original $100 plus the $150 profit).

Potential outcomes:

• If McCaffrey rushes for 110 yards, you win.
• If McCaffrey rushes for 90 yards, you lose.

Totals bets (also known as NFL over/under bets) are also around that intermediate level of game and betting knowledge. You’re betting on whether the total combined score of both teams will be over or under a set number, so you need to know about offensive, defensive stats, weather conditions and much more. We’ll talk about the strategy aspects of things later, don’t worry about that for now.

Let’s use the 49ers vs. Cardinals game again. Say the Over/Under is set at 45.5 points. You’re betting on whether the total score of both teams combined will be over 45.5 or under 45.5.

Example:

• If the final score is 49ers 28, Cardinals 21, the total is 49 points, which means the Over wins.
• If the final score is 49ers 24, Cardinals 17, the total is 41 points, which means the Under wins.

Odds and Payout

Typically, Over/Under bets are set with odds around -110 for both sides. That means you’d need to bet $110 to win $100, but in this case, you’re laying $100. If you win, your payout would be $90.91 in profit, for a total return of $190.91 (your $100 stake + $90.91 profit).

We’ve reached level 4, also known as the stay away zone if you’re new to NFL betting. NFL parlay bets take multiple individual bets and combine them into a single ticket. Right off the bat, you’re dealing with multiple bets (also called legs), and hoping to predict all of them right if you want to see money.

That’s right: if you miss one single leg, you lose. It’s very risky, and it lures newbies in with its incredible payouts (which they rarely see).

Let’s use the 49ers vs. Cardinals game as an example. Say you decide to place a 3-leg parlay, and your bets are:

1. 49ers -7
   • Point Spread: 49ers need to win by more than 7 points)
2. Over 45.5 points
   • Total points from both teams
3. Christian McCaffrey to rush for over 100 yards
   • Player Prop

The odds for each leg might look like this:

• 49ers -7: -110
• Over 45.5 points: -110
• McCaffrey Over 100 rushing yards: +150

These odds multiply, and that’s why the payouts are so insane. Let’s say that the combined odds come out to +600, so If you place a $100 bet on this parlay and all three legs hit, you’d get a big fat juicy $600 in profit. The total return would be $700 (you’re also getting your original $100 back).

Again, just to be clear, here are the possible outcomes:

• If the 49ers win by 10, McCaffrey rushes for 120 yards, and the game total is 47 points, you win the parlay!
• If any one of those bets fails—like if the 49ers win by just 6—you lose the entire parlay, even if the other two legs hit.

NFL teaser bets are right on par with parlays, mainly because they’re the same thing except for one twist: a teaser lets you adjust the point spread or Over/Under in your favor. So you have a bit of a safety net, but you still need to hit all your legs if you want to win.

Calculating how to move the spread or over/under line in your favor also takes significant knowledge, so it’s best left for veterans.

Here’s what an NFL teaser bet would look like in our 49ers vs. Cardinals example match.

1. 49ers -7
   • 49ers need to win by more than 7 points
2. Over 45.5 points
   • Total points scored in the game

Now, with a teaser, you can shift the line by 6 points to make it easier for you to win. After teasing 6 points, your bets would look like this:

1. 49ers -1
   • Now they just need to win by 1 point instead of 7
2. Over 39.5 points
   • Now the total needs to be 40 or more points instead of 46

The teaser makes it easier to hit your bets, at the cost of a smaller payout. . The odds for a 2-team, 6-point teaser are typically around -110. So, if you lay $100, you’d win about $90.91 in profit, for a total return of $190.91 (your $100 bet + $90.91 profit).

If you’re still new to NFL betting, my advice would be to take an existing strategy and start analyzing all the factors that go behind its decision-making process. Our NFL Betting Strategy, for instance, goes over:

• Travel Schedules
• Weather Reports
• Player Analytics
• Match History
• Home-field advantage
• Injury Reports
• Line Movements
• Offensive and Defensive Lineups and Predictions

And much more. You’ll get a feel for how to start making smart bets, and you get to slowly incorporate these into your decision-making process on easier bets. Then you can adjust to more and more complex bets, when you feel the time is right.

What is the best type of bet for beginners in NFL betting?

Beginners should start with moneyline bets and point spread bets, since they’re not as risky as parlays.

How do point spreads work in NFL betting?

In point spread betting, a team must win by a certain margin (the spread) or not lose by more than the spread for your bet to be successful.

What are NFL prop bets?

Prop bets are side bets that focus on specific player or team performance, such as the number of touchdowns a quarterback will throw or which team will score first.

How can I manage my bankroll in NFL betting?

Set a betting limit for each week, never bet more than you can afford to lose, and avoid chasing losses.

Can I bet on NFL games in my state?

This depends on state regulations. Check your local laws to see if sports betting is legal where you live.