If slot is busy with action, it must be football season. Be it the NFL or NCAA, football betting action is fast and furious through the season. For the newbie sports bettor, it could seem a bit confusing, but football bets really come down 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. In the event that you bet on several game on the same ticket, it’s a parlay, and we’ll discuss that in a minute.

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

Every game includes a point total (except NCAA football, that is most games). This is actually the amount of points scored between both teams. When you bet a complete, you’re betting under or over that total. For instance, suppose the total is 47 and you take the over. To win, both teams must combine for 48 or even more points (47 will be a push, which means 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 wish to bet on more than one thing, it’s a parlay. You can 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 would be a 2-team parlay (even though technically there’s only 1 team on it).

The more items you put on the ticket, the additional 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 get into making football bets via parlay tickets, you may check out “teasers,” which are parlay tickets with added points for you personally. For instance, instead of taking the Packers -10, you can find them at -3. Of course, the payouts certainly are a less since the risk is minimized.

Football betting is really a blast and there’s nothing better than hitting the sportsbook with a big winning ticket. I hit straight football bets and parlays all season long. I anticipate the NFL and NCAA football seasons.