American Football is one of the sports that is only really played in North America but is watched all around the world. As with any sport, American football is one of the newer sports to be added to sportsbook betting websites. Today, we’re going to take a look at how you can place bets on American Football, according to Casinobaltics website betting expert, Kristaps Gauja.
American Football Rules
American Football to people who haven’t played it before might be quite confusing to understand. American football is a game where two teams aim to score more points than the opposition. For a team to score points, the ball must get to the opposing team’s “end-zone”, or kick it through their goalposts that are elevated at either end of the ground.
To score points, a team must take the ball to the end-zone and score a touchdown. A touchdown is worth 6 points, and a further point for conversion when kicking the ball through the goalposts. In terms of the rules of American football, the main rule of the game is the 10-yard rule.
The 10-year rule is where the team with the ball must try to move the ball (and team) up the field to the opposing side. The team with the ball has only four attempts to move the ball 10 yards. If they can’t move the ball 10 yards during these 4 attempts, then the ball is surrendered to the opposing team. If they can make the 10-yard play, then another attempt begins, where they have another 4 chances.
An American football game (typically) lasts for four quarters, each of them being 15 minutes in length. If the score at the end of the game is a draw, then the game goes into overtime. The overtime is a tense matchup, where the next point scored wins the game, similarly to a golden goal in football/soccer.
How Does American Football betting work?
American football betting is just like any other sport. To place a bet on American football, you must first sign-up to a casino or sportsbook that offers American football as a market or bet line. Once you’ve signed up, you can then find some matches to bet on.
In most cases, people will bet on clear-cut lines such as the Moneyline (the winner), the total points (how many points a team or the game will have), or the handicap (the difference between the points on either team).
We would suggest you do some research into the game and the teams you’re betting on before you make any bets, to give you the best chance of winning your bets!
Handicaps & Spreads
Something that you’ll come across on 99% of the betting sites, is handicaps and spreads. There are usually three main bet types. These are the Moneyline, total points, and handicap (or spread) markets.
The Moneyline market is simply the betting line you can use to place bets on the winner of the game.
The points total market is where you place a bet on how many points are made in a game. This can be under X, or over X, and can often be exact too. There are usually many options for the point total market, so be careful which one you choose!
The handicap market is where one team is given a point advantage so that both the teams are close points-wise. This is a massive part of the American football betting market.
Avoiding the American Football Noise
Before you place a wager on any NFL or American football match – you may be tempted to google the teams, or listen to some of the news. We would tell you not to do that. The NFL, and in general with American Football is to generate a tone of hype around games, which are usually quite biased.
For example, there may be two massive teams playing in the NFL, and although one team is much better than the other – the media around it will likely play to their strengths and keep the odds relatively even. This is the noise associated with American football.
What you should do instead is look into the facts. Searching the football team, you’re placing the bets on, and figuring out who is likely to score touchdowns, what team is more likely to win etc. The facts of previous games won’t lie and are possibly the best way of figuring out what team or player to place your bets on – to give you the best chance of winning.
American Football Player Wagers
American football player wagers are different to the normal lines as we’ve mentioned above. American football player better is where you can bet on who will achieve the most points or achievements for their role. For example, a wide receiver is one of the main American football roles to score points (or touchdowns). You may get a bet line or market for a wide receiver on one team, to score first, last, or over/under a specific number of touchdowns.
The same goes for a defensive player who may get under/over a set number of tackles during a game. These player lines are usually per-player, meaning they could be over 22 betting lines during a game.
American Football Outright Wagers
Unlike player wagers, you can bet on outright betting. For example, the NFL Championship is one of the biggest American Football tournaments out there. Before the event even starts, you can place a bet on the outright winner, the NFL MVP, or the last game of the season.
American Football has more outright bet lines and markets than any other sport during a season, so be sure to check out how to place some bets during the American Football season.
So, how do I place bets on American Football?
According to our website betting expert Kristaps Gauja, placing bets on American Football can be quite simple and easy, as long as you understand the best practices and tips to do so. Are you looking to place bets on American Football? Why not take a look at some of our top-rated American Football sportsbooks and place your bets today!