How To Bet Football

  • THE POINT SPREAD

    When betting on a football game, the team you bet must "cover the spread." The team must win or lose by less than a stipulated margin of points.

    Example:

    TEAM LINE TOTAL MONEY LINE
    Cowboys 47 +130
    Steelers -3 -150

    In this example, the Steelers are the favorite and must win by at least 4 points for you to win your bet.

    The Cowboys are the underdog getting 3 points. Therefore, the Cowboys would be declared the winner for betting purposes if they win the game outright or if they lose the game by no more than 2 points. If the Steelers win by precisely 3 points, the result would be a "push" and bets on both teams are refunded.

    NOTE: Point spreads fluctuate. The listed point spread at the time of your transaction may be different than the opening or closing point spread on the game. However, the point spread in effect at the time you make your wager is official for betting purposes.

    The "47" in this example is the total (also called the OVER/UNDER). You may wager that the final score of the game will be more than or less than the total. To compute the OVER/UNDER add the final scores of each team. This is an independent wager. It makes no difference which team covers the point spread. The odds are 11 to win 10 unless stipulated otherwise. Overtime counts when betting the game and/or the total.

  • THE MONEY LINE

    On certain games you have the option of disregarding the point spread and wagering on a team to win the game. The Money Line is used to display these odds. In the above example, the Steelers have odds of -150 instead of laying 3 points. You win this bet if the Steelers win the game. The margin of victory doesn’t matter. A $150 wager on the Steelers would win $100 for a payback of $250. If the Cowboys win the game, a $100 bet on the Cowboys would win $130 for a payback of $230.

  • FOOTBALL PARLAYS

    "Straight bet" wagers on a team, against the point spread, are the most common type of football bet. However, you may also combine several teams into one bet. This is known as a parlay.

    In football, you can parlay 2 to 8 teams. All teams and totals in the parlay must cover the point spread to win the bet.

    The odds are as follows:

    2 Teams Payoff 13/5
    3 Teams Payoff 6/1
    4 Teams Payoff 11/1
    5 Teams Payoff 22/1
    6 Teams Payoff 44/1
    7 Teams Payoff 88/1
    8 Teams Payoff 175/1

    Your bet is refunded in parlays in addition to your winnings. Thus, a $50 2-team parlay would win $130 for a total return of $180.

    NOTE: Any game or total resulting in a "push" or tie vs. the point spread reduces the parlay one notch. For example, a 5-team parlay with 4 winners and 1 "push" becomes a 4-team parlay. A 2-team parlay with 1 winner and 1 "push" is considered a straight bet.

  • FOOTBALL TEASERS

    You have the option of "teasing" the point spread up or down a specified number of points on multiple games. In other words, you may modify the point spread by adding points to an underdog and/or subtracting points from a favorite. We offer 6, 6 ½ and 7-point for pro football teasers and 6 ½, 7 and 7 ½ for college football teasers.

    Pro Football Teasers

    6 Points 6 1/2 Points 7 Points
    2 teams 10/12 10/13 10/14
    3 teams 8/5 3/2 7/5
    4 teams 3/1 5/2 2/1
    5 teams 9/2 4/1 7/2
    6 teams 7/1 6/1 5/1
    7 teams 9/1 8/1 7/1
    8 teams 12/1 9/1 8/1

    In case of a tie or no action on a two-team teaser, your wager is refunded. Otherwise, a tie or no action reduces the teaser to the next lowest number of teams.

    College Football Teasers

    6 Points 6 1/2 Points 7 Points
    2 teams 10/12 10/13 10/14
    3 teams 8/5 3/2 7/5
    4 teams 3/1 5/2 2/1
    5 teams 9/2 4/1 7/2
    6 teams 7/1 6/1 5/1
    7 teams 9/1 8/1 7/1
    8 teams 12/1 9/1 8/1

    In case of tie or no action on a two-team teaser, wager is refunded,
    Otherwise tie or no action reduce teaser to next lowest number of teams.


    10-Point College Teaser Special: 3 teams 10 to 12

    For the 10 point college teaser, all teams must win and ties lose.