How to Bet on Football with bet365

Football is the most bet on sport in the United States, as over 50% of bettors have placed a wager on college football, NFL, and other professional leagues, per Statista.

How do Odds Work in Football?

Odds in football work the same as every other major sport in the United States. One team will be favored, and the payout correlates with who is supposed to win the game.

In the example below, Kansas City (-130) is the favorite to beat Denver (+110). The -130 number implies a win probability of 56.5%, and a $100 bet would profit $77 (total payout of $177) if Kansas City wins. A $100 bet on Denver would profit $110 (total payout of $210).

Team	Odds	Bet Amount	Expected Payout
Denver	+110	$100	$210
Kansas City	-130	$100	$177

Football Betting Markets

From moneylines, point spreads, and totals, to player props and futures, football has plenty of markets to bet on. Is picking Super Bowl winners your specialty? What about knowledge of the NFL Draft? Or are you best at picking touchdown scorers? bet365 has you covered.

Moneylines

A moneyline bet is the simplest bet in sports. It's just picking the winner of the game, just like the example with the table above. The margin of victory does not matter in this market, The team with the minus (-) is favored, while the team with the plus (+) is the underdog.

Point Spreads

The point spread shows by just how many points a team is favored by. If we use the example above, perhaps Kansas City is favored by three points (-3). That would mean that KC would have to win by more than three points for the bet to be a winner. Meanwhile, if Denver wins the game, or loses by less than three points, the Denver point spread bet would be a winner. If KC wins by exactly three, the whole market would "push," meaning that bettors will get their wager back without a loss or a profit.

The point spread market allows bettors to bet on the winner of the game with coin flip odds (typically -110 on each side).

Prop Bets

Football, specifically the NFL, has tons of prop bets for bettors to peruse. The touchdown scorer prop is the most popular player prop in football, with select players listed with odds that represent their probability of scoring a touchdown. Star running backs and receivers may have their TD scorer prop within the odds of -120 to +140, while guys lower on the depth chart will typically be listed from +180 and longer.

Passing yards, rushing yards, receiving yards, tackles, and more are also popular markets. Basically, any stat that gets recorded in the box score would have been available to bet on.

Totals (Over/Under)

Along with a moneyline and point spread, every game will also have a total. Commonly referred to as the "over/under" of the game, bookmakers will determine the line for the total points scored in the game, and bettors can choose whether or not the teams will score over or under the line. This market is also typically a coin flip, with the odds for the over and under listed at -110 most of the time.

Going back to the Kansas City vs. Denver example, let's say the total is set at 42.5. If KC and Denver put up a combined total of more than 42.5 points (24-21 score for example), the over would be a winner. If the game ends something like 21-20, the under would be a winner.

Parlays

Parlays are also very common in football. A parlay combines several different bets into one, but even just two selections would constitute a parlay. All bets (or legs) have to win for the parlay to win. A riskier form of sports betting, the chances of winning are low, but the payouts are tremendous.

Bettors can parlay all the moneyline winners of the week, along with totals, point spreads, and player props.

Same Game Parlays

Same Game Parlays are parlays that are built from...the same game, For example, adding Kansas City to win and Patrick Mahomes to pass for two touchdowns to your bet slip would create a Same Game Parlay (SGP).

Special Football Bets

Football is known for having special markets, and lots that don't have to do with a game itself. The Super Bowl, NFL Draft, coach hirings, and more all significant events in the NFL calendar that feature plenty of special markets.

Super Bowl Specials

The coin toss, the length of the national anthem, the color of Gatorade poured on the winning coach, and more are all special Super Bowl bets.

The length of the anthem, similar to a total, will be set at around 199.5 seconds, with the bettor choosing over or under. The coin toss is 50/50, while there are plenty of Gatorade colors to choose from, all with different odds.

NFL Draft Specials

Bettors can also bet on the NFL Draft. Common markets include: who will be drafted No. 1 overall, No. 2 overall, No. 3 overall, etc. Also, select players will have an over/under on their draft position, letting bettors bet on if they think a specific player will be picked before or after the line listed.

Coach Specials

Another special that the NFL offers has to do with coach hirings. If someone gets fired, a market will be created on who will become the team's next permanent head coach.

There were 10 open positions this past offseason, offering plenty of opportunities for bettors.

Tips for Betting on Football

Having a strategy to bet on the NFL and college football is essential for all bettors. Below, we've outlined some common tips to keep in mind when placing your bets on football.

Know the Common Scoring Methods

In football, by far the most common method of scoring is by either a touchdown and extra point (seven points), or a field goal (three points). Therefore, a spread of -2.5 compared to -3.5 is a massive difference due to a three-point field goal being so common as the difference in the game. The same logic applies for a spread of -6.5 compared to a -7.5 spread.

Research Before Placing Your Bet

Finding out which teams are weak at defending the pass or run, or offenses that struggle against certain coverages will give you a big leg up when betting football.

Researching can also help you find player props. Look for receivers, running backs, or quarterbacks that are in advantageous matchups for touchdowns or yards.

Responsible Gambling on Football

Football is a sport with plenty of unpredictability, as drops, fumbles, and other forms of mishaps are common and volatile. Before placing big wagers, test your research and theories with smaller units to see if your return of investment is positive or negative.

For more on responsible gambling, bet365 has a dedicated resource page that can be found at https://responsiblegaming.nj.bet365.com/us.

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Football Betting FAQs

Below, you'll find some common questions and answers about betting on football.

1. How do I Bet on Football With bet365?

To bet on football with bet365, navigate to the bet365 Sportsbook and click on "Football" on the left-hand side toolbar. This will show the leagues with games available on bet on, futures, and promos for football.

2. Is Fantasy Football Betting?

It depends. Fantasy football is season-long activity in which people can draft and trade NFL players to create the best team possible. People are put into groups (typically consisting of 10-16 people), and it's up to the group commissioner on if there is a buy-in or not.

3. What Does it Mean to "Cover the Spread?"

Covering the spread simply refers to if a team wins against the point spread set by the bookmaker. If Kansas City is favored by three and they win by four or more, they cover the spread.

4. What is an Octopus in Football Betting?

An "Octopus" is a rare event where the same player scores both a touchdown and the two-point conversion in the same possession, totaling eight points for the team (an Octopus has eight tentacles).

5. What is DFS (Daily Fantasy Sports) in Football Betting?

Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) is somewhat similar to fantasy football, however the team (usually consisting of nine players) expires at the end of the week. Each week bettors draft a new team based on which players they think are in an advantageous matchup for that week.

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