College sports remain hugely popular across the US, and this is easy to see when you think of the loyal following the Mountain West conference has. This is especially true for the army of fans who like to follow MW college football and teams like Air Force, UNLV, Wyoming, and Nevada who compete in it.
Fans of Mountain West college football are also football fans in general and like to keep tabs on the pro game too. This sees them catching the latest NFL games and freshest NFL news in the media. Many like to add more interest to pro games by placing bets on them. If you plan to do this in the coming season, it’s crucial to know what you are doing first—before putting any money down!
To help with this, our basic guide for NFL betting in the coming year is the perfect place to start.
Choose where to bet carefully
Any decent guide to betting on NFL games in the coming season should always start here. Although it’s tempting to skip ahead to other aspects of football betting, you cannot afford to ignore how crucial where you wager is.
Most NFL punters like the convenience that online betting offers, and this means that finding a safe, secure, and legitimate digital sportsbook or sports betting app is a must. By doing this, you will stay away from scam sites and only bet with platforms that offer the best experience.
bet365 are a good option to consider and are a fully regulated place to bet on NFL matches. With excellent customer support and a range of bonuses, they also have a selection of well-known payment methods to use. Betfred are another highly rated place for betting on the NFL and combine an easy-to-use interface with a huge choice of markets to dive into.
Understand how odds work
Just as you would need to understand how Mountain West college football worked before following it, NFL bettors need to know how odds work before diving in.
Odds simply show the probability of a certain event happening in a game, according to the bookmaker. The lower the odds, the more chance of that event happening, and vice versa.
This is key to know because bettors are then able to look at odds given by a sportsbook and see how likely something is to happen. This, in turn, can help when selecting which bets to make and which to avoid. Odds also show how much potential return you will make on a wager and whether the bet in question offers good value for money.
Types of NFL bets to make
Moneyline are the most commonly seen bet NFL type and also the easiest to grasp. This essentially sees you betting that one team will win the game. These odds have a + or – symbol next to them. This indicates who is most likely to win the match, with a – symbol marking out the favorite.
You might, for example, see the Chiefs given Moneyline odds of -200 to beat the Chargers in the coming season. This means that the Chiefs are favorites to win, and you would bet $200 to win $100. If the Chargers were shown as +300 to win though, you would win $300 from betting $100.
Other common types of NFL wager include
- Point spreads—this type of bet sees you predicting that a team will win or lose by a certain margin.
- Over/Under—this bet involves predicting that the final score will be over or under a pre-defined threshold.
- Parlays—this sees multiple individual bets bundled up into one large bet for bigger payouts (as long as all the selections win!).
- Props bets—this kind of wager involves predicting that a certain event will or won’t happen in a game. You might, for example, bet that Josh Allen for the Bills might throw for at least three touchdowns in their opening match of the coming season.
- Futures bets—these wagers involve betting on something that is happening way in the future. You may, for example, place a bet before the season starts for the Ravens to win the Superbowl in 2025.
NFL live betting
One of the most popular ways to bet on NFL games now is live betting. This is different from making pre-match bets as it allows you to get involved once play has started. All the best sportsbooks and apps now carry live NFL markets to check out.
But why has this way of betting become so popular for leagues like the NFL? Much of this comes down to how live wagering lets bettors see how a game is going first before backing one team to win. It can also help you see which players are performing well, before you make props bets on them.
Research bets before making them
Once you know where you will be betting, how odds work, and the various types of bets to make, you are ready to start wagering on NFL games. One key thing to remember here though is that you must fully research any bets before making them.
Researching bets in advance is vital because it means you can operate from a fully informed position and with all the relevant knowledge to decide which stands the best chance of winning. Digging into any wagers before making them also means you bet rationally and make any decisions based on facts. This is much better than betting emotionally or placing a wager based on assumptions.
You may think that the Dallas Cowboys are a cert against the Commanders in the coming year, based on what happened last season. But what if the Cowboys are in a poor run of form or have their best players missing? All of a sudden, you could be in for a nasty surprise and stuck with a bet that might not look so good after all!
Bankroll management for NFL betting
If you plan to bet on the NFL this coming year, properly managing your bankroll is essential. This will help you to bet in a more sensible way and avoid any losses wiping you out. A good tip to start with is only risking a small percentage of your overall betting bank on each bet (around 2% is advisable). It’s also worth getting into the habit of withdrawing a portion of any winnings you make regularly, so you are not tempted to wager them away.
Gamble responsibly
Any modern guide to betting on the NFL must include a section on responsible gambling. This is rightfully a hot topic in the betting world and something you must pay attention to. The best sportsbooks/apps now have some useful tools to encourage responsible betting, and these are worth using when needed.
Setting deposit limits, for example, is a great way to stay on top of what you spend wagering on NFL games in the coming season. It’s also key to pay attention to how you feel when betting and stop if it’s not fun anymore.
Basic guide for NFL wagering in the coming year
With the new NFL season not far away now, all football fans will be eagerly looking forward to what it brings. People who like to bet on pro football games will be especially keen for the action to start and the matches to start coming. If you plan to bet on this sport yourself once the new campaign begins, getting to grips with the basics above is a must.