American football betting odds explained for UK bettors

We’ve found punters often need American football betting odds explained. After all, the US uses a completely different pricing system for their betting sites.Also, there are three main markets for an American football game - a spread, a moneyline and a total – which can cause some confusion, but each one addresses a different aspect of the same contest.In this guide, we’ll explain those different bet types and how the odds figures work – we’re not offering NFL tips.Read MoreWhy American football odds look different on US vs UK betting sitesProbably the first thing a UK punter will notice if they visit a US site for American football betting is that a different odds system is in use.An American football price will likely be a three-figure number with either a plus or minus sign in front of it – you will not see odds displayed as a fraction or decimal as on a UK or European betting website.Plus odds show the underdog, minus odds the favourite.Put simply, a number with a plus figure shows how much profit a stake of $100 will return, while a minus number is what a bettor needs to stake in order to win $100.As with the general explanation of UK betting odds, the number will change as money arrives and the market moves.Let’s take a closer look at those three main NFL markets.American football betting odds: Point spreadThe spread is essentially the market a UK punter probably already knows as the handicap – in American football it is based on the points each team will score.The market gives one team a head start, which is then applied to the final score of the match before bets are settled.For example, Team A are favourites to win the match and the spread line is set at 6.5. Team B get a 6.5-point start – this is shown as +6.5 on the coupon (Team A have -6.5 next to their name). As in most handicap markets, the odds on the two options will be pretty much equal.Team A duly wins the match 27-21. When the handicap is applied, Team B have 6.5 points added (making the ‘score’ 27-27.5) so they are settled as market winners.As you can see, NFL spreads usually remove the draw. The half-point lines prevent a tie and a potential ‘void’ or ‘push’ bet, which would see stakes returned.American football betting: The moneylineMoneyline betting deals only with the result of the match – which team wins. The margin of victory does not matter.UK punters may know it was the match win market, found on football betting coupons for decades.The key to this market is the sign in front of the odds figures – the minus shows which team is the favourite and the plus highlights the underdog or outsider.Maybe the best way of looking at NFL betting odds is that the lower the number (including the minus or plus sign), the more likely it is that the outcome occurs. In that sense, it is no different to UK fractional odds.A team that is -1000 is more likely to win than one which is -200. For the record, the equivalent of these prices in UK fractional odds is 1/10 and 1/2 respectively. By the same token, a team that is +150 is more likely to win than one which is +250. Here’s a reminder of what the bookmaker's margin does to a price.It is worth noting that a moneyline and a spread can disagree in how confident they look about how the match will unfold.American football betting odds: TotalsWhen it comes to American football odds, the totals market is all about how many points will be scored in a specific game. It may also be known as the over/under market.As the name suggests, it is about the total number of points scored in the match. Who wins the actual game is irrelevant.The total points line is set by the market maker – for example, it could be 45.5. The bettor then must decide whether there will be more or less than 45.5 points scored. If they go with more, they back the ‘over’ option; if less, they choose ‘under’. Sometimes these are displayed as ‘O’ or ‘U’.The total-points number (in our case 45.5) tends to move during the lead-up to the game, as opposed to the odds themselves. How a sportsbook sets and moves a price is down to several factors - weight of money, team news, weather forecast etc.It is worth noting that this market is settled on the entire match, including overtime. Therefore, if the match in question ends in a tie, your bet will not be immediately settled. If will run on until overtime is finished with any points scored in the ‘extra’ period taken into account. This is a notably different approach to UK football/soccer markets which usually discount extra time and settle based on what occurs in 90 minutes only.Super Bowl betting marketsThe three main American football markets described above will be shown throughout the season on all games but the list will lengthen around big matches, such as the Super Bowl.Then you will see props bets priced up, based on something other than the result of the game. For example, how many passing yards will a player gain (over or under a set amount) or even how long will it take to sing the national anthem!When more markets are offered, bettors get the option of a ‘same game parlay’ which combines several prices from the same match into one bet – it is the same as a Bet Builder in the UK. This combination means the price becomes larger and, potentially, more attractive.Read MoreResponsible gamblingBettors are reminded to always gamble responsibly by using the safer gambling tools available on betting sites.We also recommend setting a budget, taking regular breaks, and not chasing losses when gambling.Betting on the NFL should only be viewed as a source of entertainment, never as a reliable income.Free support is available 24/7 from one of the following organisations: GambleAwareGamCareGamblers AnonymousNHS gambling support American football betting odds explained - FAQsWhat does +200 mean in betting odds?Any odds with a plus figure show what a stake of $/£100 would return in profit if the bet won. Therefore, +200 means that a $/£100 bet would yield a profit of $/£200 (you would also get your 100 stake back, for a total return of 300). The equivalent odds in traditional UK fractional prices are 2/1.As you can tell from our example, any odds with a plus sign in front indicate the option is considered less likely to occur. UK parlance would describe plus odds as ‘odds-against’.What do the plus and minus signs mean?A minus sign in NFL odds shows the option is considered more likely to occur than not. In the UK, it would be described as ‘odds-on’. In a market with only two options, the minus sign therefore marks the favourite, with a plus sign showing the underdog.The figure next to the minus sign shows the stake required in order to return a profit of 100. The figure next to the plus sign shows the profit to be made on a winning bet with a stake of 100.A punter using American odds must always consider the +/- signs, not just the numerical figures. If you don’t, you may consider 150 to be better odds than 120. However, -150 is certainly not a bigger price (or number) than +120.When it comes to American football betting odds being explained, this can be confusing for UK bettors as they are used to seeing the price on a favourite being the shortest figure.Can you explain how betting odds work for NFL games?You usually get three prices on an NFL game – the spread, the moneyline and the total. Each is a separate market dealing with a different element of the contest.The spread deals with the margin of victory, the moneyline is about which team wins, and the total concerns the combined number of points scored. All carry the same in-built margin for the sportsbook. We aim to offer every online gambler and reader of The Standard a safe and fair platform through unbiased reviews and offers from the UK's best online gambling companies.Gambling can be addictive, always play responsibly and only bet what you can afford to lose. Gambling sites have a number of tools to assist you to stay in control, including deposit limits and time outs. If you think you have a problem, advice and support is available for you now from BeGambleAware or Gamcare.Any offers or odds listed in this article are correct at the time of publication but are subject to change. Terms & Conditions apply to all offers.