NFL Betting Guide

NFL betting is the largest and most liquid sports betting market in North America, and for good reason. A relatively short 18-week regular season, a game every few days, and a mountain of data make pro football the sport casual and serious bettors gravitate to first. This guide breaks down every major way to bet on the NFL, how the most common markets work, and the concepts that separate informed bettors from those just picking logos.

Whether you're placing your first wager or sharpening an existing approach, start here and follow the links to our in-depth breakdowns of each market.

The core NFL bet types

Almost every NFL wager is a variation on three fundamental markets: the point spread, the moneyline, and the total. Understand these three and everything else — props, parlays, teasers, futures — builds on top of them.

Point spread

The point spread is the signature NFL bet. Rather than simply picking a winner, you bet on the margin of victory. The favorite is listed with a minus number (say, -6.5) and must win by more than that; the underdog (+6.5) can lose by six or fewer, or win outright, and still cover. Because NFL scoring clusters around specific margins, certain numbers matter enormously — a concept we cover in depth in our guide to NFL point spreads and key numbers.

Moneyline

The moneyline strips away the spread and asks one question: who wins? You'll pay a premium to back favorites and earn a bigger payout on underdogs. Moneylines shine in close matchups and when a live underdog offers value, and they pair naturally with totals — both covered in our NFL moneyline and totals breakdown.

Totals (over/under)

The total is the combined points both teams are projected to score. You bet whether the actual combined score goes over or under that number. Weather, pace, and matchup quality all move totals, making them one of the more analytically rich NFL markets.

Beyond the basics

Once you're comfortable with the core three, the NFL menu opens up considerably:

• Player props — wagers on individual performances, from a quarterback's passing yards to an anytime touchdown scorer. See our NFL player props guide.
• Parlays and teasers — combining multiple bets for a larger payout, and the football-specific teaser that lets you move the spread in your favor. Covered in NFL parlays and teasers.
• Futures — long-term bets on the Super Bowl champion, division winners, win totals and season awards like MVP. See NFL futures and Super Bowl odds.

Understanding the odds

American odds are shown as plus or minus numbers. A minus figure (-110) is what you'd stake to win $100; a plus figure (+150) is what you'd win on a $100 stake. Most spread and total bets carry standard -110 pricing, which bakes in the sportsbook's margin — the "vig" or "juice." That built-in edge is why long-term success requires more than just winning more than half your bets; at -110, you need to win roughly 52.4% of the time simply to break even.

A few first principles

No guide can promise winning bets, but a handful of habits give bettors the best chance to bet sustainably:

• Manage your bankroll. Decide in advance how much you're willing to risk, and size individual bets as a small, consistent fraction of it. Chasing losses is the fastest way to trouble.
• Shop for lines. The same game is often priced slightly differently across sportsbooks. Getting -3 instead of -3.5, or +145 instead of +140, adds up over a season.
• Bet the number, not the team. A great team at a bad price is a bad bet; a flawed team at a generous price can be a good one. Value lives in the gap between the true probability and the price offered.
• Respect the key numbers. In a sport where games are so often decided by 3 or 7, half a point can be the difference between cashing and losing.