Betting Tips American Football

American football is one of the most popular sports in North America and is gathering more of a following in Europe every passing year.  The game evolved from Association Football or soccer, as it is known in America, and rugby.  It’s believed the first American football match was played in 1869, between two college teams and college football is still very big in the USA today.

It wasn’t until 1892, when professional American football came into being, as William “Pudge” Heffelfinger was paid to play in a match.  Some 30 years later, the National Football League (NFL) was established but played second best to college football for some time and the American Football League also challenged the NFL for popularity in the 1960’s.  In fact, it was the AFL which introduced many of the things we see in today’s NFL, such as names on the jerseys of players and official time on the scoreboard.

The AFL and NFL agreed on a merger, which took place in 1970 and the final match of the season, was no longer a game between the winners of the two leagues but instead was an NFL Championship game, which became known as the Super Bowl.  This one game, has become the most valuable sporting event in the world and there was $115.9 million bet on the game last year, in Las Vegas alone.  Throughout the world, there was an estimated $4.2 billion bet on the game, an incredible amount of money and the NFL continues to grow as a sport popular sport among gamblers.

Not only is it possible to bet on the Super Bowl, it’s possible to bet on every match in the National Football League(NFL), National Collegiate Athletic Association Football (NCAAF) and Canadian Football League (CFL).  Therefore, betting tips American football have become very popular, especially online.

Betting Tips American Football – Why and Who You Should Bet on

As with all sports, the golden rule is to only bet on American football when there is value.  For example, the New England Patriots maybe strong favourites to win at the Cleveland Browns but the odds are so small, is it worth backing them?  To do so and make a good profit, will require a large bet and this still carries a risk because in sport, anything can happen.  So, stick to betting when there is value.

However, in terms of American football and the NFL in particular, it’s possible to bet on almost every match, with a good degree of certainty, thanks to the huge number of analysists on the sport.  The number of betting tips American football available, both on television and online is huge and they leave no stone unturned.

When You Should Not Bet on American Football

If there is one time to avoid betting on American football, then it is during the pre-season games, especially week one.  It’s difficult to predict the amount of time specific players will have on the field, despite what coaches may say beforehand and even the bookies themselves can struggle to make lines during this period.  If you are unsure, it’s best to give the pre-season a miss, especially during the early weeks.

Popular Bets and Markets

There are several interesting markets available on which to bet in American football and these can differ from other popular sports in betting, such as football (soccer), tennis and golf.  The most popular American football betting markets include:

• Spread Betting
• Moneyline
• Quarter Lines
• Half-time Lines
• Over/Under
• Parlays
• Futures

Markets such as the Moneyline and Over/Under are very straight forward and refer to betting on which team will win the game outright and the number of points scored in the game, respectively.  The Quarter Lines and Half-time Lines are used to predict which team will win a specific quarter or half of the game.  Finally, Spread Betting is a form of handicap betting and refers to the points given to the underdog, to level up the odds with the favourite, thus providing a more level playing field.

Betting Tips American Football – 3 Easy Principles to Increase Your Winnings on American Football Betting

Principle 1 – Bet at the Right Time

If you are considering a bet on an underdog, you should always wait and place the best as late as possible.  This is because people who like to bet on the favourites, tend to bet late and with plenty of action on the favourites, this can lead to better odds for the underdogs, than were available earlier in the week.  If you want to bet on the favourite to win a game, it’s best to do it earlier in the week, when fewer people will be doing the same.

Principle 2 – The Impact of Weather

American football is game which is played in all weather conditions.  If there is snow and ice, often, the game will still take place.  Therefore, always check the forecast on the day of the game and see which teams struggle in specific conditions, such as the cold, wind and rain/snow.  The betting tips American football which are available online, may have been written in advance and will have failed to consider the current weather.  Also, remember some stadiums are domes and not subject to the elements, which makes the weather irrelevant.

Principle 3 – Player Injury

Every team, in all sports, has players which make them stronger or weaker with their presence or absence.  However, in American football there is one player who is key and that is the quarterback.  Many teams will base their whole offence around this player and if he is injured, it can lead to massive disruption and a drop in performance level.

Most Popular Events to Bet on in American Football

We have already mentioned some of the best events for American football betting and these include:

NFL

The National Football League is the biggest American football league in the world and is the best competition for American football betting.  It features the best players and has the most markets, plus with the regular season running from September through to January, the NFL gives plenty of opportunity for betting.

NCAAF

National Collegiate Athletic Association Football is US college football but that doesn’t mean it’s not popular.  On the contrary, in 2014, the NCAA made $989 Million in net revenue, making it one of the highest of any sports organisation in the world.  College football carries the same markets as the NFL and runs from August to December, culminating in the College Football Playoff National Championship.

Super Bowl

This is the biggest single sporting event in the American calendar and is the annual Championship game of the NFL.  Due to the high viewing figures, advertising air time is the most expensive of the year and many major brands create specific adverts, only to be used during the Super Bowl.  The money bet on the Super Bowl is incredible, going into the billions of dollars and it is one of the most exciting events in the world, on which to bet.