NFL Betting Guide

NFL Betting Guide: How to Bet on American Football

TopSport offers a wide variety of betting options to help you dial up the excitement you experience when watching an NFL game. This American football betting guide breaks down the key options at your disposal, including the win, line, over/under, player props and multis.

How to Bet on American Football

You can visit the TopSport homepage and select the “Sport” option on the toolbar menu at the top of the homepage. A list of the sports we cover will then appear on a menu at the left of the page. Click on “American Football” and choose a particular game or a futures market. You can alternatively click on the “In-Play” option on the toolbar menu to find live American football betting options.
Click on any bet you like the look of, and it will be added to the betslip, which will pop up at the right of the screen. You will see the price, and you can type your bet amount in the “Stake” box. The betslip will then tell you the potential return available if your bet succeeds. Click to confirm the bet, and any winnings will be credited to your account balance after the game if the bet wins.
If you click to add more than one selection to the betslip, it will give you the option to place a multi bet or a series of combinations.

American Football Bet Types

Win Bet

This is a simple prediction on which team will win the game. In the USA, they call this a moneyline bet. We weigh up the respective strengths and weaknesses of each team and then issue odds on their chances of winning.
The odds tell you the potential payout you will receive on either team. For example, you might find odds of 1.65 on the Buffalo Bills to beat the Miami Dolphins, and 2.28 on the Dolphins to win the game. In that case, a $10 bet on the Bills would earn a $6.50 profit, while a $10 bet on the Dolphins would earn a $12.80 profit. That means the Bills are the favourites and the Dolphins are the underdogs in this hypothetical American football betting example.

Line Bet

This is the most popular form of American football betting. We give a points handicap to the team that we deem to be strongest – the favourite to win the game outright – which allows us to offer similar odds on either team covering the resulting line. It essentially levels the playing field.
For example, let’s say the Green Bay Packers are on a long winning streak. They have a home game against the Chicago Bears, who are struggling. In that case, we might make Green Bay the – 6.5point favourites. You could then bet on the Green Bay Packers -6.5 at odds of 1.91, or bet on the Chicago Bears +6.5 at odds of 1.91.
If you were to bet on the Packers, they would need to win by 7 points or more for the bet to succeed. If you bet on the Bears +6.5, they could either win the game or lose by up to 6 points for the bet to pay off.

Over/Under

This is another popular NFL betting option. We will set a total points line for each NFL match, and you can bet on whether the total points scored by both teams will go over that line or stay under it.
For example, you might find the over/under line set at 43.5 points in a game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Seattle Seahawks in our American football betting section. If you anticipate a low-scoring game with fewer than 43.5 points, bet on under. If you think it will be a high-scoring clash, bet on over.
You do not need to specify which team will win. If you check out the “Doubles” section of this American football betting guide, you will see that total points can be combined with win markets, but an over/under bet does not require you to predict the result.

Alternate Lines and Totals

You can choose from a range of alternate lines and totals on an NFL match. That allows you to make life harder for yourself in exchange for better odds, or make life easier in exchange for a smaller potential payout.
For example, if the Packers are priced at 1.91 to cover a 6.5-point handicap against the Bears, you might be able to bet on Green Bay -7 at odds of 1.96, Green Bay -7.5 at odds of 2.02, and so on.

Margins

This American football betting market allows you to predict the margin by which a team will win a match. For example, you could bet on the Philadelphia Eagles to beat the New Orleans Saints by 1-6 points or by 7+ points.

Half / Quarter Bets

This American football betting guide would not be complete without mentioning the opportunity to speculate on specific portions of the game. For example, you might be able to bet on the total points in the first quarter or the first half, or which team will cover the line in the first half.
Check out the live betting markets when a game is underway to look out for betting on subsequent quarters and halves.

Doubles

A double is essentially a same game multi. You combine multiple selections from the same game into a single bet. One popular doubles betting option among NFL fans is a half-time / full-time bet. That requires you to specify which team will be winning at half-time and at the end of the game.
You can also combine the win with the total points, or combine the line with the total points to form a double. For example, you might bet on the Pittsburgh Steelers to beat the Cleveland Browns and over 47.5 points in the game. Both predictions would need to prove correct for the bet to win. The profit from the first correct selection rolls onto the second half of the bet, so you receive a compounded profit if successful.

Multis

A multi allows you to make predictions on more than one match and combine them into a single bet. For example, you might decide to bet on the Tennessee Titans, the Indianapolis Colts, the Las Vegas Raiders and the Denver Broncos all to win on a particular day.
All four then need to win their games for the bet to pay out. If one team fails to win, the multi bet fails. However, if you guess correctly, you can earn substantial profits, because the profit from each prediction rolls over to the next leg, ensuring the payout snowballs.

Player Props

A player prop focuses on a particular aspect of an individual’s performance. For example, you could bet on the total yards a quarterback will throw during a game, the number of receptions a player will make or a player to score a touchdown. It is different to a game prop, which homes in on a specific aspect of the overall game.

Futures

This is a long-term prediction on the team that will win the Super Bowl, the team that will win a particular conference and so on. You might like to bet on whether a team will make the playoffs, or which player will win an individual award. Futures bets are not dictated by the result of a single match.

American Football Betting FAQs

What is line betting on American football?
This is the most common form of American football betting. The oddsmakers at Topsport.com.au will give the team they deem to be strongest a points handicap. This creates a point spread, and you can bet on either team to cover it, such as the LA Rams -3.5 or the Cincinnati Bengals +3.5.

What is over/under betting on an NFL game?
This is a prediction on the total points that both NFL teams will score during the game. We will set a total goals line, and you can bet on whether the total scored will stay under that line or go over it. You may also find over/under betting on a particular team or a portion of the game, such as the first quarter or the first half. Our American football betting guide goes into this NFL betting option in greater detail.

Where can I place a bet on American football?
You can visit Topsport.com.au to place a bet on American football. We cover every NFL game of the season, with a wide variety of betting options available, plus futures betting on the winner of the Super Bowl. If you want to learn more, check out our American football betting guide.

What is a multi bet on NFL games?
This American football betting option allows you to make multiple selections and combine them into a single bet. For example, you could bet on the Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers all to win on the same weekend. All four teams would need to win for the multi bet to pay out, but you will earn a strong cumulative profit if you are successful.

Ready to place a bet on American Football? Visit TopSport’s American Football betting page for a full list of the markets available.