How To Read Football Odds
Sometimes, all the numbers, plus and minus signs and other figures on a betting board or sheet can look like some sort of rocket science to the naked eye. The good news for beginners is that it’s not rocket science, although all the elements can be confusing. All it takes is a simple explanation of the basics for you to understand how to read odds. Once you learn the language, so to speak, the sports betting world is yours for the taking. Football is by far the most popular sport for gambling novices, so we’ll focus on how to read football odds in the hopes that you’ll be fully prepared by the time the next kick-off is launched into the air.
When learning to read football odds, one of the most important factors is to make sure you use the proper means to communicate the pick you desire. This is especially important in Nevada sports books, where a failure to communicate can result in the wrong bet being written on your ticket. If you gamble online, double-check that your wager accurately reflects the choices you’ve made.
The key elements of reading football odds are the point spread, the over/under total and the assigned number that corresponds to each team. On a casino betting board or an online page, the odds for a football game will look similar to the following:
719 Chiefs +7 44 +200
720 Chargers -7 44 -250
In this example, the San Diego Chargers are a 7-point favorite over the Kansas City Chiefs. If you wish to bet on the Chargers and “lay the points”, they must win by more than 7 points for your wager to become a winner. If they lose the game or win by less than 7 points, your bet loses. For his bet, you would pays odds of -110, which means you would wager $110 to win $100.
If you wish to bet the Chargers without using the point spread, you can do so by using the money line, which is represented by the -250 figure. In this example, you would need to wager $250 to win $100. The money line odds are indicative of the Chargers being made a 2.5-to-1 favorite over the Chiefs. To place a wager on the Chargers, you would state in a sportsbook that you would like to bet on number 720; you would check the box next to this number in an online sports book. You would indicate the type of wager, using the point spread or money line, and the dollar amount you wish to bet.
Conversely, you could “take the points” by placing a wager on the Chiefs. This gives you two ways to win; if the Chiefs win the game outright or simply lose by fewer than 7 points, your bet would be a winner. If the Chargers win by precisely 7 points, all point-spread bets are considered a “push,” and the wagers are returned. If you wish to bet the Chiefs without using the point spread, the money line of +200 represents 2-to-1 odds on your money. In this instance, a bet of $100 on the Chiefs would net a win of $200 and a total return of $300 if they manage to win the game.
Another option for bettors is wager on the over/under number, also known as the “total.” In this game, the total is 44 points; you can place a wager on this number if you believe the teams will score more or fewer than 44 points combined in the game. You would ask for this bet by using the same number that corresponds to the teams, but you would verbally indicate that you are betting on the total instead of a side, and whether you want the over or the under. In an online sports book, there are usually separate boxes to check that indicate wagers on the over or the under.
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