To bet on football, tell the ticket writer the bet number of the team you wish to bet, with the point spread, and the amount you wish to wager. The payout, unless stated otherwise, is figured at odds of 10/11. This means that a wager of $11 would win $10 and return $21.

This is called a straight bet. A straight bet is the most common type of football bet.

The point spread: When betting on football, the team you bet on must "cover the spread". This means they must win or not lose by a predetermined margin of points.

Example:

Straight Bet Team Line
101 Jets
102 Patriots -6

Note: The bottom team is always listed as the home team unless otherwise noted.

The point spread is always placed to the immediate right of the team that is favored. If you bet the Patriots, the Patriots must win by 7 points for you to win your bet. If you bet the Jets, any of the following will declare you a winner.
(a) The Jets win the game.
(b) The game ends in a tie.
(c) The Jets lose the game by not more than 6 points.

If the Patriots win by exactly 6 points, the wager is declared a push and all money is refunded.

Point spreads change constantly. The listed point spread at the time you make your bet may be different than the point spread when the game starts. The point spread that is listed on your ticket is your official spread.


Total: Total points scored in a game. Also called the over/under.

You may wager that the total score of the game will be more or less than the number listed. It makes no difference which team covers the spread. Simply add the final score of each team. The payout, unless stated otherwise, is figured at odds of 10/11.

In some cases, bettors have the option to discard the point spread and bet on which team will win. This is called betting on the "Money Line"

The Money Line: Odds for a game based on $1.00. A "minus" (-) preceding the number indicates the team is a favorite. A "plus" (+) preceding the number indicates the team is an underdog.

Bet the Team Total Money Line
101 Jets 40 +160
102 Patriots -6 -180


The Patriots odds are -180, meaning an $18 bet would win $10, for a return of $28. The Jets' odds are +160, meaning a $10 bet would win $16, for a return of $26.

Football Parlays: More than one team on the same bet.

You may combine several teams into one wager. All teams and/or totals must cover the point spread to win the bet. Odds and the number of teams vary from casino to casino. The following are approximate odds:

2 teams 13-5
3 teams 6-1
4 teams 11-1
5 teams 22-1
6 teams 44-1

Any game that results in a push reduces the parlay one team. A two-team parlay would become a straight bet.

Parlays: These offer the potential for huge return while betting as little as two dollars.

Football Teasers: A wager that improves the point spread, but at reduced odds.
Teasers can not be straight bets.

"Teasing" the point spread is done adding points to a underdog, or subtracting points from a favorite. This increases the probability of winning your bet, but decreases the odds of the parlay. Odds and the number of points available to "tease" vary from casino to casino. The following are approximate odds:


Number of teams 6 points 6.5 points 7 points
2 teams 10-11 10-12 10-13
3 teams 8.5-5 7.5-5 7-5
4 teams 3-1 5-2 2-1
5 teams 9-2 4-1 7-2
6 teams 7-1 6-1 5-1
7 teams 10-1 9-1 8-1

3 Team Special Teaser 10 pts 10/11