With NFL sports betting being one of the biggest gambling avenues on the planet, you would be right to assume that the betting tactics far outnumber those found in other sports. With so many different team formations and strategies that can come into play during a game, NFL betting markets have responded to this by introducing several bet types of their own.
And with multiple betting types come multiple betting tactics. Taking stock of all of them can feel like a chore, but it’s worth every effort for the most dedicated of sports betting fans. Here are some to consider:
Prop bet tactics
Prop betting is short for proposition bets. Though they differ from traditional bet types, they are relatively popular, especially among football fans. Prop bets normally focus on the performance of a specific individual or team, tracking their progress and performance throughout a game via stats.
Prop betting is a great choice for both beginners and veterans to NFL betting, as you only have to focus on one aspect of the game. For beginners, this is good news, as it lowers the barrier to entry for betting, in terms of knowledge and tactics. For veterans, it’s a great opportunity to dive into a player and examine their history and habits with a fine-tooth comb.
To gain a quick understanding of what prop bets tend to look like, there are many Ravens player prop bets to watch out for these days that will show you how to engage in their many forms. Be sure to focus on favourable odds, and bet on athletes that have good short-term and long-term stats.
Choose a reputable sportsbook
One of the most important things to do in NFL betting – or any form of sports betting in general – is to register with a respectable and licensed online sports book. Much like shopping around for insurance or fuel prices, different sports books will have their own unique attributes and quirks.
For one thing, sportsbooks don’t all have the same odds. Even though betting odds around the internet are often based on similar reasoning and data, owners of sportsbooks are allowed to set them to whatever they wish, within reason. This means that the odds for a bet on one site may be much different on a different site.
If you’re set on betting on a particular team, look at their odds across multiple platforms. It’s an invaluable strategy and it won’t be very time-consuming as you are only checking for one team, not every competitor in the NFL this season.
A good sportsbook will also help you to engage in responsible sports betting, with features such as self-imposed weekly limits and time-out periods.
Don’t bet on every match
Though it may seem like a way to gain experience, especially for beginners, it’s generally best to choose your battles very carefully, so to speak. In other words, you should not be betting on every match of a season, or every match that your preferred team plays in.
For one thing, it will save you a decent amount of cash in the long run. That extra money can be used for bets in which you have a lot more confidence. Some people may choose to bet smaller amounts on matches they may feel iffy or ambivalent on, but generally speaking, it’s best to avoid such matches altogether.
You should select your matches based on the most relevant factors, and if they seem to be in your favour that day. This includes recent injuries, team formations, any history between the two competing teams and even something like homefield advantage.
Specialize in a couple of bet types only
The most successful people in NFL betting arenas are not the jacks of all trades, but the masters of one or two. Anyone who isn’t either extremely lucky or a mathematical genius should stay far away from the idea of placing as many different bet types as possible.
It simply isn’t feasible to be constantly winning in all betting domains, from live betting and prop betting to point spreads and moneylines. Pick one or two and focus on them for a time. Discover their intricacies and research them as much as possible, and try to become somewhat of an expert in them over time, especially when it comes to your favourite players or teams.
Though it is important to not put all of your eggs in one basket, it is just as important to not diversify so much to the point where your betting strategy is almost random.
Research previous matches
One of the best types of resources available to all NFL sports bettors are the weekly articles put out by sites like ESPN, where they give you a full rundown on a match’s odds, injuries and other valuable information. These don’t just give you stats and spreadsheets, but comprehensive summaries and overviews of what went down in a match, play by play.
There is a lot to learn from these weekly updates that you can use to improve your sports betting, but you have to know what to look for. Look at a player’s success rate on run plays and see if it has remained stable or if it has declined. See if any records or other personal bests were set during the week, regarding yards per carry, combined yards etc.
Sometimes you might even get a hit of inspiration by reading some of the fantasy football strategies that emerge after a real-world match. If a match was so decisive and so worthy of discussion that even fantasy bettors are changing up their betting tactics, consider looking at the trend changes and see if you can incorporate any of them into your own strategies.
