Although American football has become more popular worldwide, it is still the most dominant sport in the country that it originated in. The NFL, in particular, is the main league that spans the US, and its franchises have now become household names globally, only contributing to the rise of this sport’s notoriety on a larger stage.
As a result, NFL betting has mirrored the upward trajectory of this league, with more and more sportsbooks and online bookmakers now offering a plethora of adjacent markets. If you are someone who is unfamiliar with the sport and the betting options, though, our OddsMonkey NFL betting guide breaks down everything you need to know regarding the league.
NFL Betting Explained
Before diving into any of the specifics and technicalities regarding NFL betting, we will first detail how the NFL works. That is assuming you are familiar with the sport of American football. If that is not the case, this involves two teams on a rectangular pitch who aim to score touchdowns by progressing the oval-shaped ball into their opposition’s end goal. This can be achieved by throwing and catching the ball or simply running with it, evading any opposition players who aim to tackle the carrier. In essence, that is how a game plays out (obviously with a lot more strategy and tactical nuance).
The NFL is the top league of American football in the US, with this simply being an abbreviation of the National Football League. The league features 32 different teams, with these being divided into two different groups equally. These are the American Football Conference and the National Football Conference, with this being decided on a franchise’s regional placement.
Each team in the NFL plays 17 games each, and at the end of this regular season, the top 7 teams from each division progress into the playoffs, with this being a knockout stage where teams gradually progress until the final 2 face off in the Super Bowl to see which team can be crowned champion.
NFL Betting Markets
Within NFL betting, there is a collection of varied betting markets available, each of which will relate to a different portion of the sport. However, we will be starting out with the most popular and straightforward market, that being ‘Match Winner’ bets. The name of this market should give away exactly how it works, with these bets allowing bettors to predict which NFL team they think will win a match outright. In the NFL, regular season games can end in a tie; however, this is not the case in playoff matches, as games go to playoffs to determine a winner.
If you want to bet on who will be crowned champion at the end of the season and playoffs, though, you could even place outright bets. Instead of relating just to a singular game, this NFL betting market involves bettors placing stakes on a team they think will come out victorious following the final Super Bowl game.
Each team, before a season begins, will have its own distinct NFL betting odds, and these are often the highest before the first fixtures begin. As a season progresses, the odds of each team typically fluctuate based on standings, with this especially being the case when the playoffs begin and the knockout stage of the league season begins.
Another market tied to NFL betting is Draft betting. Each year before the season begins, teams take their turns selecting the hottest prospects across the country. Due to the coverage college football also sees, many of these up-and-coming stars have become global names. As a result, bettors can now place stakes on which teams they think these players will join.
Circling back to games, there is a wide collection of over/ under NFL betting markets available, each relating to a specific total related aspect of the game. For example, you can predict whether a team will have over or under a certain number of points scored, touchdowns or interceptions in a game, as well as a whole host of other aspects, all of which are displayed in intervals of 0.5.
Similarly, player markets often include over/under-related betting markets; however, instead of being a reference to a team’s performance, these are based purely on a singular player. Bets that could be based on a player could include the number of touchdowns scored, touchdown throws, interceptions, rushing yards, passing yards, catches, sacks or even turnovers, all of which have their own NFL betting odds in accordance with their playing style, form and their averages.
Quarter and half-time winner markets are also popular options in NFL betting, with these pretty much working as you would expect. With these, you can place stakes on what you think the result will be after the end of each quarter and a half instead of just the match as a whole.
One market which arguably has some of the highest base NFL betting odds is correct score markets. This is down to the fact that these are often the hardest things to predict correctly, with both totals of each team needing to be exact to be deemed a winner. You could even place winning margin bets based on what you think the total difference between the two sides will be at the end of a match.
Things To Consider With NFL Betting
NFL betting as a concept is relatively simplistic, but despite this, there is still a collection of things you could consider before making any selections or decisions. Although some may seem like relative no-brainers, it is still important to be fully aware of what some of these are, as they could help you make more informed decisions.
A team’s form is one of the first aspects we will touch upon. Like with most other sports, NFL betting odds are influenced by a number of performative factors, with a team’s overall form being one of the key things bookmakers consider. A team’s previous performances are often good indicators of how a team may play in an upcoming match, and this is not just in relation to out-and-out results.
Noting the manner in which they performed, the margins within games and other statistics could help decisions be more data-driven and informed overall, something that is applicable to any branch of sports betting. In terms of NFL betting specifically, though, the number of touchdowns, interceptions, running yards, throwing yards and field kick conversions are just some of the factors that tie into all of this.
When it comes to the playoff portion of an NFL season, taking into consideration bracket formats is also valuable. This can give theoretical paths for a team’s progression, and pairing this with teams they could potentially face are key pieces of analysis for your NFL betting. By doing this, you could compare previous matchups between specific sides, as well as being able to dive further into the player side of things.
Speaking of players, considering any star players a team may have is crucial as not only can these be options for certain player markets in NFL betting, but they can also influence a team’s performance and results overall. Similarly, noting any potential injuries or weaknesses a team has could also work in a similar way, as missing a key quarterback or wide receiver could be the difference in a team scoring or not scoring any touchdowns in a match.
Choosing to take note of all these pieces of analysis, as well as a whole host of other important aspects, could help make more informed decisions. It could also help you identify any good value NFL betting odds if a bookmaker has underpriced a certain selection or market.
Best NFL Betting Offers
As the popularity of NFL betting continues to grow, so does the number of promotional offers given out by online sportsbooks. Each bookmaker has its unique bonuses; however, there are some standout variations that you may come across.
If you are a first-time sign-up to a sportsbook, you can likely claim a welcome bonus. These can come in the form of matched deposits, where your initial deposit is matched 100% up to a certain amount, or even free bets when staking an initial qualifying bet. Reload offers are also popular in NFL betting, with sportsbooks still giving offers to existing players, often in the form of free bet credits.
Regardless of the NFL betting offer, which you may claim, though, it is crucial that you are aware of any terms and conditions these may come coupled with. For example, these bonuses may have wagering requirements or time limits attached; therefore, understanding any tangibles is key, especially if you wish to utilise these with matched betting.
How To Start NFL Matched Betting
Due to the various free bets and other sportsbook promotions out there, NFL matched betting is certainly a possibility. If you wish to start applying this strategy to America’s biggest sporting league and sport as a whole, there are a number of things we recommend you set up before delving into it fully.
One of the more important things to start off with is signing up with all the different sportsbooks and online bookmakers. This is in order to be able to claim all the different promotional offers each of these presents, as these are critical when it comes to applying the matched betting strategy effectively.
When signing up for these sites, though, one thing we recommend is opting into marketing communications. Even though many other sites use this to flood your inbox, this can be valuable in regards to matched betting endeavours, as sportsbooks often keep you updated with any annoying promotions and offer exclusive bonuses via these channels.
As you are likely to have various different promotions and funds across different online sportsbooks, it is key that you understand how to manage your bankroll in the most effective manner. When NFL matched betting, it is vital that you keep track of where everything is located in order to stay efficient when placing bets, as well as having a defined quantitative number in relation to any profits.
To improve the accuracy in which you place matched bets using all the offers you have claimed, familiarising yourself with the collection of different betting calculators out there can be invaluable. These are easy-to-use pieces of software that only require certain pieces of information related to your matched bets in order to automatically and accurately determine any potential returns your selections could garner.
The matched betting calculator itself is arguably one of the most useful available; however, there are many alternative options that can be used for specific markets or even on other sports, not just for the NFL.
NFL Matched Betting At OddsMonkey
Should you wish to take your NFL betting to the next level by applying the no-risk matched betting approach, we here at OddsMonkey are specialists in everything regarding this technique that is becoming one of the most popular side hustles out there. To have a full understanding of how matched betting works and to reap the rewards of this innovative approach, we have a whole variety of resources available on our site.
Whether that be the informative video tutorials and specialist matched betting tools, our sports betting guides or dedicated matched betting blog, we have everything you may need to maximise the effectiveness of your NFL betting.
