If the sportsbook is busy with action, it should be football season. Be it the NFL or NCAA, football betting action is fast and furious during the season. For the newbie sports bettor, it can seem a bit confusing, but football bets really come down to two types-straight bets and parlay bets.
Football Betting – Straight Bets
Here’s the workhorse for just about any winning football bettor. A straight bet simply means you’re betting using one football game. In the event that you bet on more than one game on the same ticket, it is a parlay, and we’ll talk about that in a minute.
When you make a straight football bet, you could be betting on a side or total. To put it simply, when you bet a side, you “select a side” in the game. For example, let’s say the New England Patriots are playing the Seattle Seahawks. If you’re going to bet a side, you’d bet on either the Patriots or the Seahawks.
Every game has a point total (except NCAA football, which is most games). This is the level of points scored between both teams. When you bet a total, you’re betting under or over that total. For instance, suppose the total is 47 and you also take the over. To win, both teams must combine for 48 or even more points (47 will be a push, which means you get your bet back).
Football Betting – Parlays
Okay, so you know about straight bets, that is where you bet on just one thing per ticket. When you wish to bet on several thing, it’s a parlay. You can bet on 2 – 20 things (depends on the sportsbook).
For instance, let’s say without a doubt on the Seahawks and over the total on your ticket. That might be a 2-team parlay (despite the fact that technically there’s only one team on it).
The more items you put on the ticket, the additional money you’ll win if they all hit. Naturally, the more items on the ticket, the harder it is to win.
With parlay bets it’s an all or nothing thing. If one pick fails, the ticket is dead. Some sportsbooks will run specials for getting close, but that’s very rare.
If you enter making football bets via parlay tickets, you may check out “teasers,” which are parlay tickets with added points for you personally. For instance, instead of taking the Packers -10, you can find them at -3. Needless to say, the payouts are a less since the risk is minimized.
Football betting is a blast and there’s nothing better than hitting the sportsbook with a big winning ticket. slot hit straight football bets and parlays all season long. I look forward to the NFL and NCAA football seasons.