NFL Betting Lines: Everything You Need to Know

Thanks to online betting sites, which have made it possible to bet on every event, ranging from politics to sports, placing wagers is now a 24/7 business. And it is a massive business too. Every year, billions and billions of pounds and dollars are bet on different sports. And what is more, punters can place bets from anywhere, anytime, and they have lots of markets and types of bets to choose from. 

That being said, sports such as NFL always have different markets and types of wagers that punters need to know. One of these is the NFL betting line. If you love placing wagers on NFL events, then you are lucky today. This article has useful information for you, including what NFL betting lines are and how they work. Before you can learn more about the NFL betting lines, it is important to find a reputable gambling site that offers the best NFL odds. Read on to discover more.

What is an NFL Betting Line?

Before you can know how NFL betting lines work, it would be helpful for you to understand what they’re. Well, we will try to make it as simple as possible for you to understand them better. NFL is a league of giants and minnows, so the sportsbook operators had to think of a perfect way to get a lot of punters placing bets on lesser ranked teams. 

With this type of bet, sportsbooks are likely to generate more profits, regardless of the result, but only if there’s an even spread of wagering across two competing teams. This is where NFL lines come in. Basically, these lines encourage punters to place wagers on the underdogs. Below is an example and the different types of NFL betting lines available.

An Example

Los Angeles Rams:  +6.5 +160 38.5

San Francisco 49ers: -6.5 -180 38.5 

In this example, you can see some numbers to the right of the two teams. These numbers represent the different betting lines that are available on the Los Angeles vs. San Francisco game. The point spread is represented by the first set of numbers for the two teams. The second set is the money line, while the third set represents the over/under. Below are more details about these types of betting lines:

Point Spread

Since most NFL matches are mismatches, bookmakers use point spread to balance out wagering between the two teams. In many games, one team, which is the favourite will be assigned a negative point spread while the other will be given a positive one. So in the example above, the San Francisco 49ers is the favourite with -6.5.

Any punter who places a wager on the favourite team will need it to win with a minimum of seven points. Those placing a bet on the Los Angeles Rams, which is an underdog, would require the team to lose by a maximum of six points to win their bet.

Moneyline

When it comes to the money line, the team you select merely has to be the winner for you to win a bet. But the best thing is that you have an opportunity to win plenty of money by placing a wager on the lesser ranked team than the favourite one. For example, if you place a wager on the Los Angeles Rams team, you will receive £/$160 for every £/$100 wagered.

Over/Under

Of all the three NFL lines, over/under is the simplest. This bet simply involves the two teams going either over/under a given amount of points. In the match between the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco, there are 38.5 points. 

If you bet over, you would be predicting that at the end of the game, the two teams will combine to score a minimum of 39 points. On the other hand, if you place under, you would be guessing that the two teams will score a maximum of 38 points.

Final Thoughts

If you are a punter, then understanding the betting lines is the first step towards making lots of profits. Once you have all the basics, it is advisable to continue learning about the different types of bets and markets available.