NFL Betting Guide Basics for Every Gambler

Let’s start with NFL betting odds, and what a beginner needs to know if they want to make money with sports betting. The NFL is mostly viewed in the US so you’ll deal with American odds format. These have numbers with either a minus (-) or a plus (+) sign in front of them. These tell you who’s the favorite, who’s the underdog and most importantly, how much you can win if you put your money on the line.

By the way, I’ll be using the Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints throughout this NFL betting guide to really drive home all the knowledge you’ll need.

If you need additional insight into how sports betting odds work, feel free to check out our piece on it. We go deep into its nuance, so it’s a solid read for newcomers.

First, you gotta understand the value behind the odds. Beginners like to bet on the favorite because they’re most likely to win, but you need to figure out if the odds offer good value. Would you bet $150 on the Cowboys to win $100 on a tight game? I probably wouldn’t bother, and neither should you.

Betting on favorites is an acceptable strategy, but you really gotta try to find the most value for your money, which is something we talked about on our NFL betting strategy piece. Don’t worry, more on that later.

NFL Line Shopping

Sportsbook usually offer slightly different odds for the same game, so you need to place your bet on the platform that offers the best possible return. A key lesson in this NFL betting guide is: don’t underestimate small differences, they can be the difference between a big payout and a bust.

Now that we know what all of these numbers mean, let’s look at different NFL bet types.

Let’s go over each type of NFL bet you’ll need to succeed in your gambling arc:

Moneyline Betting in NFL

Moneyline betting in NFL is the simplest of all bets: you bet on who wins the game, and if you’re right, you get the fat green. Here’s an example with a real-world matchup so you can see why these are perfect for beginners.

Let’s say we’ve got the Dallas Cowboys taking on the New Orleans Saints. Since the Cowboys are the favorites, their Moneyline odds might look like this:

Moneyline Pros and Cons

• Pros: Simple and straightforward. This makes it an ideal choice for beginners.
• Cons: Smaller payouts, especially when betting on favorites.

Also, you don’t have to worry about the spread or anything else for that matter, just the final match result. We started off our NFL betting guide with moneylines because they’re the most basic bet you’ll find.

By the way, if you’re wondering what the “spread” is, don’t worry, we’ll tackle that next.

NFL Point Spread Betting is easily one of the most popular NFL bets. You basically pick a favorite to win by more than the “spread”, or if the underdog will lose by less than the spread (or just upset the favorite).

The spread, also known as Point Spread, is a number that the sportsbook assigns to each team. The underdog gets an artificial head start on the scoreboard, while the favorites start with a negative point handicap.

For instance, if the spread is -6.5 for Team A, they must win by at least 7 points for your bet to cash. This equalizes games that would otherwise would be very one-sided, and makes an average game a very interesting matchup.

Let’s get back to our Cowboys vs Saints example, and see how a spread bet would work here. The spread bet would look something like this:

Spread Betting Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Evens the playing field between two mismatched teams.
• Bigger payouts compared to moneyline bets

Cons:

• More complex than moneyline betting, requires an understanding of spreads.
• Harder to predict

You’ll start noticing a trend emerge throughout this NFL betting guide: the tougher a bet’s outcome is to predict, the bigger the risk, and the bigger the payout. Measuring the exact playing-level difference between two teams by points is harder than predicting who’ll win, but there’s also a bigger payout waiting.

NFL Over Under Betting are also known as NFL Totals bets, so instead of betting on who’ll take the match, you bet on how many points both teams will score in total (hence why they’re known as totals).

In our example match between the Dallas Cowboys and the New Orleans Saints, the sportsbook might set the total at 48.5 points. The odds might look like this:

Over/Under Bets Pros and Cons

Pros

• Good bets for very tight games where it’s difficult to predict a clear winner.
• Great for high-scoring games between two offensive teams. Or two defensive teams.

Cons

• Last-minute weather conditions could ruin your bet
• An outstanding offensive or defensive performance by a team can make you lose your money

Either way, with NFL Totals Bets you’ll be rooting for both teams to either keep scoring, or to keep their defensive game on-point. It’s easily one of the most fun bets you’ll find in our NFL betting guide, even though they’re not usually the highest-paying ones.

NFL prop betting is a bit higher in terms of skill ceiling, but they’re incredibly fun! You basically bet on specific things to happen during the match, or on player performances and metrics.

Here’s the bet: CeeDee Lamb to have Over/Under 85.5 receiving yards. The odds might look something like this:

Prop Bets Pros and Cons

Pros

• Incredibly fun, and there’s a tremendous variety of outcomes you can bet on.
• Good for fans and bettors that follow a specific player and wish to bet on them

Cons

• Difficult to predict, since these can be very niche outcomes
• They’re a money trap for fans who are too biased about a player’s capabilities

Prop bets can come down to the wire, especially if they’re focused on a player’s performance. Each yard Lamb hits draws us closer to that big payout, so you get to celebrate even the smallest of yards gained. Plus, you don’t even have to stick around to the end of the match if the player hits the mark early.

In a nutshell, Parlay betting in NFL is taking multiple individual bets and rolling them into a single big bet. Each individual bet is a “leg”, and you need to get all the legs right if you want to see some green. However, the odds also get combined so the payouts can be massive, and I mean massive. These are easily the highest-paying bets you’ll find in our NFL betting guide.

Let’s say we’re making a parlay bet on an NFL game between the Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints. We’ll throw in a few legs that we’ve already reviewed to spice it up.

Parlay Pros and Cons

Pros

• Fantastic payouts.
• Good for gamblers that combine 2-3 legs that potentially feed off each other.

Cons

• All legs have to hit, so they’re hard to predict and win.
• They’re a money trap for greedy gamblers that combine 4+ legs.

Teaser bets are similar to parlay bets, but with a twist that makes them potentially safer. You can, for instance, adjust the point spreads or totals in your favor, at the cost of a smaller payout. Because of how football works, these are actually way better bets than NBA teaser bets, which are substantially harder to predict.

Let’s say we’re doing a 6-point teaser bet for two games, including the Dallas Cowboys vs. New Orleans Saints. Here’s how it works:

Now that we know all the NFL types of bets, and how to actually read the odds for each, let’s go a step further. Let’s figure out how to actually make money with all the tools we’ve acquired.

Tip #1: Get an NFL Betting Strategy

This is where it all starts: adopting an NFL betting strategy that turns your newbie betting sprees into a deliberate, smart-betting system. This is all easier said than done, since you first need to recognize the making of a smart NFL bet.

We’ll go over some of these on a surface level, since there’s already a lot of information to digest here, but I highly suggest you check out our NFL betting strategy. We shared all the factors that you need to consider before you start betting, as well as an entry-level betting strategy that will teach you the ropes.

Once you have a good NFL betting strategy that fits your personality and budget, it’s time to take a second look at your bankroll, and establish some ground rules on how to manage it.

Your bankroll is, essentially, the sum of your gambling funds. Your gambling funds are your blood supply. Therefore, your bankroll is your lifeblood, as long as you got gambling funds, you can gamble and can come back from even the crappiest of losing streaks.

First, you need to define your gambling budget, which is comprised of only money you can afford to lose. Nobody is planning to fail, nor are we going to read an NFL betting guide just to make bad bets, but the fact is, luck will always play a factor here. If for some reason you lose, you can’t lose anything you can’t afford to lose. Makes sense, right?

Next, you need your discipline, because rules are nothing without an iron will to follow them. These are your rules, so you need to be strict with yourself. No gambling outside of your initial budget, period.

Third, you need to divide all your gambling funds into betting units. Betting units should be around 1-2% of your bankroll, and you can’t commit many units into a single bet. You can hedge your risk by never committing a large percentage of your budget into a single bet, so why not do that?

There’s no shame in admitting you’re new to something, and it takes courage to be openly bad at something before you start to get good. We’re playing for money here, so my advice is, don’t rush the learning phase: be bad, and don’t bet money until you’re good.

Nobody says you can’t write your bets down and do analysis on your spare time without actually betting. You can start building your spreadsheets with all the factors that you need to consider for effective bet analysis, without committing a single penny just yet.

Track your success rate. Don’t track your potential winnings cause you might end up wanting to punch yourself, but you can track your success rate percentage and see if you’re getting bets right. Find flaws with your system, and improve it.

Once you got a grasp on how things work, then feel free to start strong the next season. This advice, right behind bankroll management, is one of the most important pieces of knowledge you’ll find in this NFL betting guide.

One of the most important skills in sports betting in general, is understanding how line movement works. Why? Well, think about it: sportsbooks set these lines and these companies are running a business, so they know a thing or two on how to predict likely results.

Once you understand all the factors that cause line movements, you’ll figure out how to make good bets. We also talk about this in our NFL betting strategy guide because it’s a fundamental skill for any gambler worth their salt.

Also, learn how to shop for the best lines. Comparing odds across multiple sportsbooks to find the best possible value for each bet is something you’ll be doing for a long time, so might as well start now.

1. How do I start betting on NFL games?

First, check out our NFL Betting Guide and NFL Betting Strategy pieces, then sign up for a sportsbook and deposit funds so you can join the action.

2. What is the easiest type of NFL bet to place?

For beginners, moneyline bets are the easiest, as you simply choose which team will win the game outright.

3. Can you make a living betting on the NFL?

It’s certainly possible, but difficult. Consistent success requires deep knowledge, sharp strategies, and excellent bankroll management. Each season is different too, so you can’t just coast off past knowledge.

4. How do sportsbooks set NFL odds?

Sportsbooks use a combination of team statistics, betting volume, and professional opinions to set NFL odds. Line movement often reflects how the market perceives the game.

5. What is the difference between sharp and public money?

Sharp money refers to bets made by professional bettors, while public money comes from casual bettors. Sharp money often moves the line, while public money follows trends.