If the sportsbook is busy with action, it must 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 little confusing, but football bets really drop 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 using one football game. If you bet on several game on a single ticket, it’s a parlay, and we’ll discuss that in a minute.

When you create a straight football bet, you could be betting on a side or total. Simply put, when you bet a side, you “pick a side” in the game. For instance, let’s say the brand new England Patriots are playing the Seattle Seahawks. If you are likely to bet a side, you’d bet on either the Patriots or the Seahawks.

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

Football Betting – Parlays

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

For instance, let’s say you bet on the Seahawks and over the total on your ticket. That might be a 2-team parlay (even though technically there’s only one team on it).

The more items you placed 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 for getting 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 personally. For instance, instead of taking the Packers -10, you might get them at -3. Needless to say, the payouts certainly are a less because the risk is minimized.

slot is a blast and there’s nothing better than hitting the sportsbook with a large winning ticket. I hit straight football bets and parlays all season long. I look forward to the NFL and NCAA football seasons.