Football Betting Odds

Football betting odds what does this mean to you ?

FOOTBALL BETTING ODDS

Definition time.

“Odds”, when it comes to college and pro football games, technically refers to the somewhat arbitrary designation of the number of points the pros in Vegas think a team will win by. Picking the favorite means you think that team will win by MORE than the designated pointspread and picking the underdog means that you think they won’t. The cool think about the underdog is that your team can lose the game and you can still be a winner. WARNING: this is very small comfort if it’s your favorite team!

What the “odds” really mean.

Yes, they’ll TELL you it creates a “level playing field” from a wagering point of view. After all, it’s no big challenge to say that New England will probably beat the Saints in a January snowstorm. But will the Pats will by more than 10? That’s the theory, anyway. But the brutal truth is that the spread number is set solely to make more people on both sides bet the game. For example, no one in their right mind would bet the Saints to win the game straight up in our example. So Vegas handicaps the Patriots by a certain number of points, hoping to get some underdog wagers.

Using the odds.

Knowing this can help you find the “good deals” when it comes to a football bet. The easiest example is watching the spread for any local team. If your favorite website is located in San Francisco, chances are good that the 49ers will be favored a little higher there than anywhere else (OK! so these days, maybe they just wouldn’t be the underdogs by quite as much). Last year, the New York Giants were favored by 9 points in their playoff game in the New York area, but only by 8 points everywhere else. That’s because the oddsmakers know that local wagerers will be more likely to go with the home team even in the face of higher odds. So, cruise around a little and compare. You could find a spot with that .5 point difference!

Keep it legal.