How to Read NFL Odds
If you’re new to football betting, understanding NFL odds can be a challenge. But don’t worry, they become clearer with time. Here’s a breakdown of NFL odds and some tips to help you get started on your journey as a sports bettor.
What Does -110 Mean?
If you’re wondering about the meaning of -110 in NFL odds, you’re not alone. It’s a common question for beginners. The standard price for a point spread or over/under bet is usually -110. This means you would need to risk $110 to win $100, or $11 to win $10. The reason the odds are not even money (+100) for two evenly-matched teams is because sportsbooks include a 10% profit margin in each standard bet.
What does -1.5 Mean?
A number like this next to a wager is referencing a point spread. When you see a team -1.5, it means they are favored to win by 1.5 points. If you see an NFL team is +1.5, it means they are underdogs and expected to lose by 1.5 points. If a team is -1.5, they need to win the game by at least two points for your bet to win. In football, point spreads of 3 and 7 are considered “key numbers” because those are the two most common numbers that NFL games are decided by.
Popular Types of NFL Betting
NFL odds do not stop at the point spread and OVER/UNDER. There are numerous ways to bet on NFL football these days, including the NFL moneyline, futures (NFL postseason), first-half and second-half betting lines and football spreads.
Throw in fun fantasy-style player prop bets (“Will Justin Herbert throw for 300-plus yards this week?”) and live NFL bets (wagering on the next play and on NFL football odds that change all game long) and the importance of understanding how NFL odds work at Super Bowl betting sites has never been greater. Check out the best NFL betting lines and be sure to bookmark our NFL odds page for more updates and NFL lines enhancements in the coming weeks.
Moneyline bets
NFL moneyline betting continues to gain popularity as football fans and bettors understand the value of moneyline bets, especially in betting the long shots. In this type of bet, your team needs only to win the game “straight up” (SU) and there is no requirement for how many points they need to win by. The juice is the only number you have to pay attention to with the moneyline, as a negative value indicates the favorite (-140) and a positive one means they’re an underdog (+120).
For example, if you want to pick that -140 favorite, you’ll need to risk $140 to win $100. To bet on the +120 underdog we mentioned above, you’ll need to bet $100 to win $120 – assuming the ‘dog wins outright.
Why would you bet on negative NFL odds? Well, just because a plus-money underdog would pay out more, it doesn’t mean they’re going to win. The bigger minus-money favorite a team is, the more likely it is oddsmakers think they’ll win the game.
In many cases, betting moneylines offers better value since they can provide a bigger profit for less risk. Check out our NFL gambling guide to learn more about when you should bet a moneyline.
Point Spread Bets
Who doesn’t love a good old-fashioned NFL spread when betting on football? Not only do NFL spreads remain king when it comes to wagering on pro football, it is a favorite in online sports betting among pro bettors and beginners alike.
Also known as NFL football lines and as betting “sides,” a common misconception is that sportsbooks set the pro football spread as a predicted margin of victory. The spread is actually the number NFL oddsmakers predict would be a good balance between people who want to bet the underdog and those who want to bet the favorite.
For example, a negative value (-11.5) next to a football team means that they are favored by that many points. So you must deduct 11.5 points from their score to determine if they won the game or not.
On the other hand, a positive value on the same game (+11.5) means the underdog starts with an 11.5-point lead before the game even begins. In NFL online betting, the favorite must win by 12 points or more to cover the NFL spread; the ‘dog is able to lose by 11 points and still cover the spread.
When you see a moneyline value associated with the spread, it is the percentage amount you must pay in order to book the bet. Also known as the “juice” or “vig,” if you see NFL Vegas odds of -11.5 (-115), it means you have to bet $115 to win $100 — a 15 percent commission for the sportsbook. The underdog may see a value such as +11.5 (+105), which means you’ll have to bet $100 to win $105 if your team successfully covers.
If you see the line move, let’s say from -9 on Tuesday to -10.5 on Friday, this is known as a line move. It often occurs when there is a surplus of bettors wagering on the same side of the game, so NFL betting sites move the line and spread to balance the action.
That means encouraging more people to bet the other way by making the line more appealing for the upcoming Sunday night football game. This reduces risk for the sportsbook, which wants to have an equal handle on each team.
Over/Under (Total) Bets
Also known as NFL OVER/UNDER betting, the total is the number set by sportsbooks that estimates the total combined amount of points scored by both teams. Bettors then must predict whether there will be more or fewer points than the NFL “total.” If you bet UNDER 37.5, you are hoping for a defensive battle and predicting the offenses to struggle. If you bet OVER 37.5, you are hoping this will be a high-scoring NFL game.
NFL totals betting has become fairly popular in many football games, especially in ones where the spread is very tight. It also becomes more popular if the matchup points to a certain style of game. The weather can play a huge factor, and rain, wind and cold temperatures can sway the total, and make betting the spread a little less reliable.
There are also over/under bets that can be placed on halftime or quarter outcomes as well.
Parlay Bets
Parlay bets are very popular because of their often eye-popping payouts. Parlays are bets which combine two or more outcomes and every outcome needs to win in order to win your wager. If it does win, then the payout is a lot more than if you’d bet the games individually and they all won. However, the obvious downside is that the bet is less likely to win because you need multiple things to happen.
Parlays are known for being highly profitable for sportsbooks.
Player awards
A form of futures betting, betting on NFL player awards is a wager on which individual player or coach will win a particular award at season’s end. While NFL’s Most Valuable Player is the most well-known player award, there are many others to bet on such as Coach of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Offensive Rookie of the Year and Comeback Player of the Year.
Player Props
NFL player props can range from yardage totals to the number of touchdowns scored, field goals kicked, etc. A player prop bet is simply a “proposition” wager written by bookmakers related to a player’s performance. Player props can be in the form of over/unders: For instance, betting on if Josh Allen will have more or less than 300 yards passing. Player props can also be in the form of “yes/no” wagers, such as, “Will Josh Allen score a rushing TD?”.
Live Odds Betting
NFL live betting takes place while a game is being played. NFL odds are continuously updated throughout the game based on what is happening in the moment. For instance, if the Chiefs are favored to beat the Bears by 10 points, but the Bears jump out to a 10-point lead in the first quarter, then the live NFL odds will update so that the Chiefs are a much shorter favorite than when the game started.
Note that live betting point spread odds are often more expensive than the standard -110 price for games “pre-flop” or before they begin.
Futures Odds
NFL futures are for the football betting fanatics who wish to wager long in advance on noteworthy NFL events throughout the NFL schedule. NFL future odds focus on the major individual and team achievements every NFL season.
From the offseason, and through the preseason, NFL bettors can bet on NFL division winners, conference winners, the Super Bowl and season win totals. “Player futures” center more on predicting beneficiaries of prominent NFL awards like Most Valuable Player, Offensive Rookie of the Year and Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Stay up-to-date on the NFL’s latest lines, NFL playoff games, Super Bowl odds, and learn how to bet on NFL games with our National Football League betting guide and NFL betting trends.
Understanding Line Movements
Once lines are set by sportsbooks, they are constantly changing up until kickoff. Stereotypically, professional bettors put their bets in earlier in the week (Sunday night and Monday) and recreational bettors tend to wait until shortly before kickoff.
Sportsbooks move lines for many reasons. For instance, a line move may happen based on breaking news like a QB injury. Lines can also move because sportsbooks are getting a lot of money from sharp bettors with winning reputations good enough to move lines. The most common line movements occur when bookmakers have liability on one side of a bet and adjust to avoid losing money.
If the NFL odds move after you put your bet in, your original bet is still honored.
Plus and Minus Odds
If you see a plus number (+200 for instance) next to a team or total, that means that the outcome is a 2-to-1 underdog and will pay $200 on a $100 wager (and you get your $100 back). If you see a minus number (-300 for example) then that means the outcome is a 3-to-1 favorite and it will cost you $300 to win $100 (and you get your $300 back).
True Odds vs. Implied Odds
True odds are the actual chances that an event occur; for instance, a 50% chance of a coin toss landing on heads or tails. However, because sportsbooks need to build in a profit margin, you will be more likely to see a -110 number on a coin toss odds. Implied odds take into account the bookmaker’s profit, and true odds do not.
You can use our odds calculator to assess implied NFL odds.
Biggest NFL betting events
The NFL season is loaded with betting opportunities on various marquee events. Read below to learn more about them.
Season openers
The Week 1 betting lines are already out and will continue to move right up until kickoff. Season openers include moneylines, point spreads and totals.
NFL Draft
The NFL Draft allows bettors to place wagers related to where certain players are drafted, or which positions will be drafted in certain spots. For more information about NFL draft betting.
NFL Pro Bowl
The NFL Pro Bowl is the NFL’s All-Star event that takes place after the regular season and playoffs, but before the Super Bowl. The Pro Bowl has changed a lot over the years, partly because of fan disinterest, player injury concerns, and players not taking the game seriously.
In its old form, the Pro Bowl pitted the best players in the AFC against the best players in the NFC. More recently, the Pro Bowl has featured flag football and skills events.
NFL Playoffs
Since 2020, 14 teams make the NFL playoffs each season. The playoffs consist of four division winners and three wild card teams in each conference. The team in each conference with the best overall record (or the best team based on tiebreakers) is awarded a No. 1 seed and gets the first week off.
Because the NFL playoffs occur in the winter months, weather is often a factor in these games.
Conference Finals
The Conference Finals are essentially the “Final Four” of the NFL. It’s the last step to determine who will meet in the Super Bowl. Two AFC teams square off to see who represents their conference and two NFC teams play to see who will represent the NFC. The winner of each game advances to the Super Bowl.
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the most heavily bet game of the season as it crowns the league champion. Betting the Super Bowl comes with an almost overwhelming variety of options as there are additional prop bets available for the Super Bowl that aren’t available throughout the season.
Biggest NFL Team Rivalries
Watching and betting on rivalry games is a lot of fun. Fans are more jacked up and players and coaches aren’t far behind. Because of familiarity and legitimate disgust for their opponents these games are often highly entertaining.
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Baltimore Ravens
This rivalry features two of the NFL’s best and longest-serving head coaches in Baltimore’s John Harbaugh and Pittsburgh’s Mike Tomlin. These games are known for being highly physical, lower-scoring games.
These two teams each beat each other once last season and the Steelers lead the all-time series 33-25.
Green Bay Packers vs. Chicago Bears
Because of Aaron Rodgers’ trash-talking in which he claimed to own the Bears, this age-old rivalry has gotten more attention in recent seasons. However, Rodgers is now on the Jets (and injured), so it will be Jordan Love vs. Justin Fields in this rivalry.
The Packers again swept the Bears last season and are 105-95-6 lifetime against their division foe. The last time the Bears beat the Packers was 2018.
New York Giants vs. Philadelphia Eagles
These two NFC East rabid fan bases don’t like each other, and these games have produced several entertaining results over the years – most notably, the “Miracle at the Meadowlands II” when Desean Jackson returned a punt for a touchdown as time expired.
The Eagles beat the Giants three times last season (including the playoffs) and are 92-87-2 lifetime against the G-Men.
Oakland Raiders vs. Kansas City Chiefs
These two AFC West squads have historically featured some of the best players in league history, including Marcus Allen, Bo Jackson, Joe Montana, Howie Long and Tim Brown to name a few. The modern-day rivalry also packs star power with names like Patrick Mahomes, Maxx Crosby, and Davante Adams.
The Chiefs lead this series 72-54-2 and beat the Raiders twice last season.
New York Jets vs. New England Patriots
This AFC East rivalry was cemented as one of the best in the NFL when Patriots head coach and future Hall of Famer Bill Belichick shockingly resigned as Jets coach in 2000 and was eventually traded to the Patriots.
The Patriots lead the all-time series 73-54-1 thanks in part to Belichick’s recent dominance of his old team.
Minnesota Vikings vs. Green Bay Packers
The Packers have won eight of the last 12 NFC North Division titles, but the Vikings took last season’s crown. This rivalry had gasoline thrown on it when former Green Bay Packers legend Brett Favre played for Minnesota after leaving Green Bay. Featuring teams with two of the best home-field advantages in the NFL, this game is always must-see-TV.
The Packers lead the series 65-57-3 and the two teams split their two contests in 2022.
Profit & Payout
Here’s a brief explanation of what your betting journey will look like when it comes to (hopefully) making some cash – these are the basics terms you’ll need to be familiar with to bet effectively on the NFL.
Profit
Your profit is the amount of money you collect on a winning bet, minus your original wager. For instance, if you bet $150 on the Packers -150, you will receive back $250 (including your original wager), but only $100 of that is profit.
Expected Payout
Your expected payout is the total amount you’re expecting to collect on a ticket if it wins. For instance, using the $150 bet on the Packers -150 to win $100, your expected payout is $250 because it includes your original wager.
Bet Slip
Your bet slip, or “ticket” is your contract with the bookmaker who holds your money while the game is being played. When gambling in-person in a place like Las Vegas, it’s a literal piece of paper; online, your bet slip is an electronic reading that summarizes your bet.
Bonuses and Promotions
To entice new customers, sportsbooks will often offer bonuses to new or existing customers who haven’t used their services in a while. These bonuses can include “deposit bonuses” such as a “50% deposit bonus” so when you add $100 to your account, you’ll actually have $150 to wager with. Keep in mind these bonuses usually come with strings attached in the form of “rollovers”, where you have to bet a certain amount of money before you cash out. Recently, sportsbooks have gotten more creative with their bonuses and offer benefits such as a “guaranteed win” promotion where if your initial bet loses, you’ll get your money back anyways.
Where To Bet On Sports
Online sportsbooks and brick-and-mortar sportsbooks both have betting apps for users to deposit, withdraw, shop for betting prices, and place wagers. A major benefit to apps, even while in casinos, is not waiting in long lines to place wagers. Apps also allow bettors to place bets 24/7, even if the sportsbook is closed.
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