The National Football League is the most popular sports league in North America.  OddsJet compares NFL odds from several of the best betting sites.  This NFL odds comparison allows OddsJet to display the best NFL odds for every game on the schedule, which helps bettors maximize their potential returns.  OddsJet also displays the different handicap values from each sportsbook for both Point Spreads and Totals to find the optimal wagering opportunity for any opinion on any given game.  If you are looking for NFL Futures, OddsJet also displays the best Super Bowl winner odds for each team to win the NFL outright.   

NFL Odds explained

Money Line

Quite simply, when one is betting on the Money Line, one is betting on the winner of an NFL game - there is no handicap.  Favorites and underdogs are determined solely by the odds pricing.  When one just wants to bet on a team to win a game, ‘Money Line’ is the name of the betting market that you want.

Point Spread

For the National Football League, the Point Spread is the most popular type of handicap betting.  The Point Spread is an effort by the odds maker to set prices that are similar for both potential outcomes.  The Point Spread is a handicap that essentially means that the game does not start at 0-0.  The favoured team must score enough points to overcome this handicap in order to be declared the winner.  From the perspective of the underdog, the Point Spread may be viewed as a head start on points toward winning the game.  For example if the spread is 7.5 points, the favoured team will need to win by 8 points for a bet on them to be considered a winning bet.  The underdog can lose the game by as many as 7 points and but still be considered to have won the bet. 

Oftentimes, one will see Point Spreads that end in 0.5.  In this case, there will always be a winning bet.  However, if the Point Spread is a whole number like 3 points and the game ends with the favorite winning by exactly 3 points, all stakes should be returned as if no bet was placed.

Given that most natural scoring plays are 7 points for a converted touchdown and 3 points for a field goal, many of the crucial decisions in NFL football handicapping surround spreads at 3 points, 7 points, or some combination of the two.  The difference between a spread of 6.5 and 7.5 points is huge.  While only one point in difference, 7.5 points signifies the favorite having to win by more than a converted touchdown or two scores, whereas 6.5 signifies the favorite having to win by exactly one converted touchdown. 

OddsJet helps to find the ideal Point Spread to suit any opinion on any NFL game in addition to the best odds price.  The ‘+’ button associated with each game on the events schedule brings up a window that displays all the different Point Spreads, in order, from all our sportsbook companies.  For example, if one prefers the favorite and the consensus spread is approximately a converted touchdown or 7 points, the OddsJet ‘+’ button and handicap analysis could show that one or two sportsbooks have set their spread at -6.5.  For those that like the favorite, a -6.5 spread is clearly a better proposition than a spread of -7.5 or even -7.  OddsJet helps make the most of such opportunities.

Total or Over/Under

For the NFL, the Total or Over/Under refers to a figure for the total number of points to be scored by both teams through the course of a game.  The sportsbook sets this point total figure and sets odds pricing for the respective ‘Over’ and ‘Under’ outcomes.  Bettors select whether the actual ‘Total’ will be ‘Over’ or ‘Under’ this figure.  Given this point figure handicap, the ‘Over’ and ‘Under’ odds prices will tend to be fairly similar to one another.

The OddsJet ‘+’ buttons also help with Totals in the same way they help with Point Spreads.  The window that pops up will display all the different Total lines for the associated game from our sportsbook sources.  If one likes the ‘Under’ for a given NFL game, one might look for the highest Total line available to have more room to stay ‘Under.’  If one likes the ‘Over’, one could look for the lowest Total so that the teams might overcome the Total line more easily.  If there are several sportsbooks offering a particularly attractive Total line, OddsJet also displays the offered odds prices so one may get the best odds price for the ideal Total figure.  

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NFL Odds expressed in American, Decimal and Fractional Formats

For American odds format, keep in mind the difference between positive and negative expressions.  Odds below even-money are always listed with a negative number.  When negative, the odds price expresses how much one needs to wager in order to return a profit of $100.  For example, if New England is favoured heavily on a Money Line, one might see a figure of -290.  This means that a stake of $290 is required for a potential profit of $100 for a total potential return of $390.  When one sees a positive NFL odds price in American format such as +170, the positive odds price is expressing how much profit one might gain with a wager of $100.  At +170 on Jacksonville, a winning bet of $100 would return one’s stake plus $170 for a total return of $270.  Note that although the American odds format centres on the figure of $100, this is purely for expression and is not a restriction in any way on the amount that may be staked. 

For the Decimal NFL odds format, simply multiply the stake amount by the decimal odds price to see the full amount that would be returned on a win including the stake amount.  For example, if one wagered $100 at a price of 1.90, the total return would be $190, a profit of $90. 

For Fractional NFL odds format, the expressed odds price represents the potential profit return that will be achieved over and above the stake amount.  To calculate the potential profit, simply divide the numerator by the denominator, and then multiply this value by the stake amount.  For example, a bet of $100 at an odds price of 3/4 (said three-to-four) could return a profit of $75 for a total return of $175.  In the case of significant underdogs on a Money Line, the numerator will be considerably higher than the denominator, such as 37/20 (said thirty-seven-to-twenty).  In this case, with the same $100 stake, the potential profit would be $185 for a total return of $285.

Odds comparisons for other American football leagues

NCAA Football Odds

NCAA Football National Champion Odds (US College Football outright winner)

CFL Odds

Grey Cup Odds (Canadian Football outright winner)