| If the sportsbook is busy with action, it must be football | | | | Okay, so you know about straight bets, which is |
| season. Whether it's the NFL or NCAA, football betting | | | | where you bet on just one thing per ticket. When you |
| action is fast and furious during the season. For the | | | | want to bet on more than one thing, it's a parlay. You |
| newbie sports bettor, it can seem a bit confusing, but | | | | can bet on 2 - 20 things (depends on the sportsbook). |
| football bets really come down to two types-straight | | | | For instance, let's say you bet on the Seahawks and |
| bets and parlay bets. | | | | over the total on your ticket. That would be a 2-team |
| Football Betting - Straight Bets | | | | parlay (even though technically there's only one team |
| Here's the workhorse for any winning football bettor. A | | | | on it). |
| straight bet simply means you're betting on one football | | | | The more items you put on the ticket, the more |
| game. If you bet on more than one game on the same | | | | money you'll win if they all hit. Naturally, the more items |
| ticket, it's a parlay, and we'll talk about that in a minute. | | | | on the ticket, the harder it is to win. |
| When you make a straight football bet, you could be | | | | With parlay bets it's an all or nothing thing. If one pick |
| betting on a side or total. Simply put, when you bet a | | | | fails, the ticket is dead. Some sportsbooks will run |
| side, you "pick a side" in the game. For instance, let's | | | | specials for getting close, but that's very rare. |
| say the New England Patriots are playing the Seattle | | | | If you get into making football bets via parlay tickets, |
| Seahawks. If you're going to bet a side, you'd bet on | | | | you might check out "teasers," which are parlay tickets |
| either the Patriots or the Seahawks. | | | | with added points for you. For instance, rather than |
| Every game has a point total (except NCAA football, | | | | taking the Packers -10, you might get them at -3. Of |
| which is most games). This is the amount of points | | | | course, the payouts are a less since the risk is |
| scored between both teams. When you bet a total, | | | | minimized. |
| you're betting under or over that total. For instance, let's | | | | Football betting is a blast and there's nothing better |
| say the total is 47 and you take the over. To win, both | | | | than hitting the sportsbook with a big winning ticket. I hit |
| teams must combine for 48 or more points (47 would | | | | straight football bets and parlays all season long. I look |
| be a push, which means you get your bet back). | | | | forward to the NFL and NCAA football seasons. |
| Football Betting - Parlays | | | | |