Football Betting: Tips & Strategies

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Betting on the NFL is no walk in the park, but you can always make smarter bets by learning more about the teams involved, where they’re playing, their win-loss record, and other statistics.

Due to the immense popularity of football betting, oddsmakers bets have become quite challenging these days. That is why we have compiled some smart tips and tricks that will help you make the most of betting opportunities. 

We’ve rounded up our list of 6 thoughtful strategies for those who want to improve their NFL betting odds.

1. Place Your Bet Based on Where the Game is Played

Before you place your bets, do your research by comparing each team’s record on home and away fields. Certain teams have a stellar home record due to various reasons. In some cases, it has been proven that home-fields provide greater leverage to some teams, and it provides a bigger advantage in certain stadiums. A good example would be Denver who perform exceptionally well at home. In the 2019-2020 season Denver was 5-3 at home and 2-6 away. The NY Jets went 5-3 at home while going 2-6 away, however lately some are asking if there still is a home field advantage in the NFL.

Records like these from last season shed some doubt on it. New England went 6-2 last season both at home and away. Baltimore Ravens are another example as they went 7-1 home and away.I'll say this on the matter; if you have two teams with similar records battling each other, I’m going with the team who is at home: in most cases.

2. NFL Spread Betting 

The most popular and effective form of NFL betting is spread-based bet. This is relatively straightforward, in that, bookmakers set a spread with an underdog and a favorite. To win this bet, one team has to cover the spread and this example is of a game being played at the time of this writing:

Jacksonville Jaguars +13

Los Angeles Rams -13

The Bookmakers figure the LA Rams to be a big favorite and are subtracting (-) 13 points from Los Angeles’s final score, in doing so they are adding (+) 13 points to the underdog’s final score, which is Jacksonville. That means the Jaguars would need to win this game outright or not lose the matchup by 14 points or more. With this point spread of Rams -13, if Jacksonville won the game by exactly 13 points the bet would be considered a push which means bettors who bet on either team would get their money back.

3. Dig Deep into Trends

When it comes to betting on NFL games, following the trends isn’t enough. You also have to uncover the reasons behind each trend. For example, just because a team scored 48 points the previous week doesn’t mean that its offense has improved dramatically. Take a look at how the points were scored. Perhaps the defensive back fell down to allow a long touchdown pass. Maybe the defense scored a few of those touchdowns. The most effective bettors will always dig deeper behind those numbers. Another thing to remember is NFL lines come out a week before the games so remember to check the line frequently because they can change several times during the week.

4. Check Up on Injury Reports

Football is a game where every small change matter and could decide the outcome of the entire match. Make sure you look into things like team injury reports (double-check Twitter accounts of journalists who check up on each team for more verification). Lookup reports on which players missed essential practice during the week, what their status is for the upcoming game, and the role they play on the team.

5. One-on-One Matchups

Football is the ultimate team game. Use this fact to your advantage. For instance, superb edge rushers can easily overwhelm weak offensive tackles. 

Individual matchups do matter. For instance, a weak team coach may have an excellent record against a top team coach. Keep track of such trends as the NFL is full of such facts. 

Using these tactics will help you to deal with NFL betting odds effectively.

6. Bet with Your Brain, Not Your Heart

This may sound obvious, but avoiding emotion when betting remains a challenge for many experienced betters. Everyone has their personal biases going into each game. Whether it’s a team we hate or a team we love, putting aside these preferences is tough enough. But it also happens to be the easiest thing you could do. A winning bet doesn’t always require detailed strategy, only common sense.

Buddy M.

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