If the sportsbook is busy with action, it must be football season. Whether it’s the NFL or NCAA, football betting action is fast and furious during the season. For the newbie sports bettor, it can seem a little confusing, but football bets really drop to two types-straight bets and parlay bets.

Football Betting – Straight Bets

Here’s the workhorse for any winning football bettor. A straight bet simply means you’re betting using one football game. In the event that you bet on more than one game on the same ticket, it is a parlay, and we’ll talk about that in a minute.

When you create a straight football bet, you could be betting on a side or total. Simply put, once you bet a side, you “pick a side” in the game. For example, let’s say the brand new England Patriots are playing the Seattle Seahawks. If you’re going to bet a side, you’d bet on either the Patriots or the Seahawks.

Every game includes a point total (except NCAA football, which is most games). This is the level of points scored between both teams. Once you bet a complete, you’re betting under or over that total. For instance, let’s say the total is 47 and you take the over. To win, both teams must combine for 48 or even more points (47 will be a push, therefore you get your bet back).

Football Betting – Parlays

Okay, so you find out about straight bets, that is where you bet on just one single thing per ticket. When you wish to bet on more than one thing, it’s a parlay. You can bet on 2 – 20 things (depends on the sportsbook).

For instance, let’s say you bet on the Seahawks and over the total on your ticket. qq dewa That would be a 2-team parlay (even though technically there’s only one team on it).

The more items you placed on the ticket, the additional money you’ll win if they all hit. Naturally, the more items on the ticket, the harder it is to win.

With parlay bets it’s an all or nothing thing. If one pick fails, the ticket is dead. Some sportsbooks will run specials so you can get close, but that’s very rare.

If you enter making football bets via parlay tickets, you might check out “teasers,” which are parlay tickets with added points for you. For instance, instead of taking the Packers -10, you might get them at -3. Needless to say, the payouts are a less since the risk is minimized.

Football betting is a blast and there’s nothing better than hitting the sportsbook with a big winning ticket. I hit straight football bets and parlays all season long. I anticipate the NFL and NCAA football seasons.