NFL Odds: A Bodog Explanation
Even beyond the Super Bowl and the end of the season, there’s perennial profit potential stirring within the NFL year-round. Understanding how the different bets and their respective NFL odds work at Bodog Casino is the best way for you to dip your fingers in and take some for yourself.
If you’ve an old pro at betting on the NFL, take a minute to get a refresher on how the odds work before you hit “Place Bet”. If you’re new to betting on the NFL, this is your go-to guide for how the odds work and how it’s done, just in time for your Super Bowl betting!
Let’s get to it.
NFL Odds: The Lowdown
Whenever you see payout odds with a minus sign (-), it means that team is the favourite. If the team has a plus sign (+) with their odds, they are the underdogs.
The three primary types of bets on the NFL are the spread, moneyline, and totals.
Moneyline
This is simply a bet on who will win the game outright. The odds are simple as minus (-) for the favourite – i.e. -165, and plus (+) for the underdog, i.e. +165. Nothing more!
Point Spread
In the point spread, the favourite team with negative (-) points must cover those points in order to win your bet, and the underdog team with positive (+) points can lose within that margin, or win the game outright for you to win your bet.
Totals (over/under)
The total points in this bet type represent the final score from both teams added together into one number. You bet on whether you think the final combined score will be over a certain number (o), or under it (u).
Examples of NFL Parlays
A parlay bet means you combine multiple bets, usually from different games, onto one big ticket. The more legs you add to your parlay, the higher your payout odds become. In order to win the parlay, every single leg of your bet has to win. If just one of them loses, you lose the entire ticket.
Here are some examples.
Point Spread Parlay
Kansas City Chiefs: -6.0 (-110)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: -7 (-110)
Green Bay Packers: -3.0 (-110)
Three Team Parlay Odds: +600
If the Chiefs win by more than 6 points, the Bucs win by more than 7 points, and the Packers win by more than 3 points, you would profit $600 for a $100 bet. If, however, the Chiefs cover, the Bucs cover, but the Packers only win by 2 points, you would lose the entire ticket.
Moneyline Parlay
Kansas City Chiefs: -270
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: -310
Green Bay Packers: -150
Three team parlay odds: +202
If the Chiefs win the game outright, as do the Bucs and the Packers, you would profit $202 for a $100 bet. If, however, the Chiefs and the Packers clinched a win, but the Bucs fell a few points short, you would lose the entire bet.
Mixed Parlay
It is also possible to combine different types of bets into one parlay, as long as they’re from different games. Here’s an example.
CLE Browns @ KC Chiefs: o51.5 (-110)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Point Spread: -7.0 (-110)
Green Bay Packers Moneyline: -150
Three team parlay odds: +507
Again, all three outcomes must be a “win” in order for you to profit on the parlay. In this case, that would be $507 on a $100 stake.
Examples of NFL Props
NFL props are side bets that have nothing to do with the outcome of the game itself. You could bet on certain statistics from one player, such as the number of touchdowns or number of rushing yards, you could bet on whether or not a team would score on their first drive, or even an event such as the result of the coin toss.
Here are some examples of popular NFL props bets.
NFL Prop Example #1
Team to receive the opening kickoff
Green Bay Patriots: -115
Buffalo Bills: -115
If you bet that the Bills would receive the opening kick off and they do, you get paid at -115 odds. Any other outcome in the game makes no difference – you’ve won it!
NFL Prop Example #2
Will the Buffalo Bills score on their first drive?
Yes: +140
No: -185
Again, if the Bills do not score on their first drive and you had opted for “no”, you win the bet at -185 odds. This is true regardless of the Bills’ performance in any other aspect of the game.
NFL Prop Example #3
PB Steelers @ KC Chiefs: Over/Under Passing Touchdowns
Mason Rudolph (STE): Over 1.5 (-174), Under 1.5, (+135)
Patrick Mahomes (CHI): Over 2.5 (+140), Under 2.5 (-185)
Let’s say in this case you bet that Mahomes will make 3 or more passing touchdowns, and he makes 4. You would win that bet regardless of whether Rudolph made more or less than him, or regardless of whether or not the Chiefs won the actual game.
Super Bowl Betting
Whether you’re betting on props, the moneyline, the spread, or a combination of all three in a parlay, one thing you can always bet on is that the Super Bowl is the biggest time of year for sports betting.
Each year, as we get closer to the big day of the Super Bowl, the pressure ramps up, and the most popular markets in the NFL start oozing some very tasty odds.
The most popular bets in the Super Bowl are centered around the point spread, moneyline, and totals. Betting on the favourites on the moneyline is probably the most popular bet since it carries the least amount of risk – but don’t be surprised if the underdogs pull through with an upset!
Aside from the standard favourites, fans also love to make predictions on the Super Bowl MVP, as well as the result of the coin toss.
There’s something for everyone at Bodog ahead of the Super Bowl, and our popular Super Bowl Props Sheet is back once again! Print out enough copies for you and your Super Bowl buddies and see who comes out on top. You can even enter the draw to win an Xbox Series X if you tweet your completed slip into our @BodogCA team.
Any time of year is the best time to bet on the NFL. If it’s dough you’re after, the payout pie is always baking, and your slice of the action is just a few clicks away at Bodog Casino.