If the sportsbook is busy with action, it should be football season. Whether it’s the NFL or NCAA, football betting action is fast and furious through the season. For the newbie sports bettor, it could seem a bit confusing, but football bets really come down 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 on one football game. If you bet on multiple game on the same ticket, it is a parlay, and we’ll discuss that in a minute.

When you make 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 are going to bet a side, you’d bet on either the Patriots or the Seahawks.

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

Football Betting – Parlays

Okay, so you know about straight bets, which is where you bet on just one single thing per ticket. When you want to bet on more than one thing, it’s a parlay. It is possible to bet on 2 – 20 things (depends on the sportsbook).

For instance, let’s say without a doubt on the Seahawks and over the total on your ticket. That would be a 2-team parlay (despite the fact that technically there’s only 1 team on it).

The more items you put on the ticket, the more 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 have a look at “teasers,” which are parlay tickets with added points for you. For instance, rather than taking the Packers -10, you can find them at -3. Superhoki89 Of course, the payouts are a less because the risk is minimized.

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