Football has, without a doubt, become America's
most popular game. And, when it comes to betting on football,
everybody has their own “fool-proof” strategy.
If you've been winning more wagers than you lose, then keep
doing what you’re doing. If, however, you find yourself
on the losing side more often than not, then feel free to
read through the following guidelines. We hope that you’ll
learn to make better pro football picks and perhaps start
putting more money in your pocket in the process. Good luck!
Shop For The Best Odds
We can’t stress this enough.
You can't log into just one sportsbook, check out the lines
on the games you plan to play and simply plunk down your
money. Join several online sports betting establishments
and gain access to a variety of pro football betting lines.
We suggest comparing the lines between 3-5 different books
– try BetUS,
BookMaker
, Intertops
and JustBet
Sportsbook for starters.
Totals - Bet The Over Early And The Under
Late
The vast majority of leisure bettors
wager the over, so it makes sense, especially early in the
season when weather seldom comes into play, to bet the under
later in the week after the totals have been driven up.
This holds particularly true for televised games where the
odds makers intentionally overstate the total, knowing that
the public loves to bet on anything they can watch.
Don't Lay More Than a TD
It may work in college football, but
laying more than 7 points in the pros is a sure fire way
to empty your wallet. The difference in talent between two
college teams is often large enough to warrant giving up
double digits, but NFL matchups are rarely that lopsided.
Be Selective
Be realistic - what are the odds of
you picking every game correctly on a given week? Be selective
and look for the 3 or 4 SOLID games that you feel most strongly
about having picked correctly. Don't try to come up with
a wager on every game, simply for the sake of having some
action going. And don't let the fact that a game is televised
influence your decision to pass on it. It IS okay to watch
a game purely for the enjoyment of the sport
Don't Overreact to Blowouts
Quite often after a rout (especially
Monday Night games), casual bettors can't wait to jump on
the winner and against the loser the following week. Don't
fall into this trap - as the saying goes, "On any given
Sunday ..."
Strength of Schedule
It happens every year - in college
and the NFL - teams post gaudy numbers for several weeks
in a row against inferior competition. Eventually, they'll
meet a tougher opponent, and chances are the line will be
over inflated due to public sentiment based on the team's
previous games. Pay as much attention to WHO a team has
played as to HOW a team has played.
