Football season is peak season for both gamblers and Las Vegas. With so many college games and of course the NFL, there is almost always a game to bet on from September through January.

As sportsbooks recognize the appetite for betting on soccer, there is no shortage of ways to bet on soccer.

Betting the point spread
Betting on the point spread is by far the most popular way to bet on soccer.

The point spread is a number that the odds makers put up to level the playing field for the two opposing teams. Basically, the favorite team will see the underdog a certain number of points. For those who bet on the favorite to win their bet, the favorite must win the game by more than the point spread. If the favorite wins the game by fewer points than the point spread or loses the game entirely, those who bet on the underdog would win their bet.

This is an example of how to bet the point spread on a soccer game. Let’s say the Colts are a seven-point favorite against the 49ers. If you supported the Colts (-7), they would have to win the game by at least eight points for your bet to win. Conversely, if you bet on the 49ers (+7), the 49ers would need to lose the game by no more than six points to win the bet. If the 49ers ended up beating the Colts outright, the 49ers bet (+7) would also be a winner. Finally, if the Colts won the game by exactly seven points, the wager would be considered a “push” and the wager would be refunded or “forgotten”.

bet the whole

Also known as over/under, the ‘total’ is a predicted number of combined points between two opposing football teams. You have the option to bet on ‘over’ or ‘under’. If you bet on ‘over’, the two teams must combine to score more points than the stated ‘total’ for the bet to win. If you backed the ‘under’, the two teams cannot combine to score more points than the stated ‘total’ to collect.

For example, a sportsbook has the ‘total’ for the Ravens vs. Steelers game at 38. If the two teams combine to score 39 or more points, “over” bets will win while “under” bets will lose. However, if they combined for less than 39 points, the “under” bets would win while the “over” bets would lose. If the final combined total points fell by exactly 38 points, both ‘over’ and ‘under’ bets would be graded as ‘push’, resulting in bets being ‘not processed’.

money line bets
A third popular option for betting on soccer is the money line. When you bet on the money line, you are betting that one team will win the game outright, the final score does not matter.

Although this concept is as easy as it sounds, understanding the odds associated with money line betting is very different than point spread. The favorite team will have a minus sign (-) in front of a three-digit number, while the underdog will usually have a plus sign (+) in front of a three-digit number.

Here is an example of how to bet on a football money line. The Dolphins are listed as -160 favorites against the Jets, who are listed at +130. If you were to back the favorite Dolphins, you would win $100 for every $160 wagered, provided the Dolphins win. On the other hand, if you saw value in the underdog Jets, you would win $130 for every $100 you wagered, provided they win the game outright.

Combined games and teasers

There are many other ways to bet on soccer, including parlays and teasers.

Parlays – An attractive type of bet for punters looking to make a bigger profit from a small to moderate bet, parlays are always a popular bet during the football season.

A parlay is a single bet that incorporates numerous games or selections. All selections must win for the parlay to be graded as a winner. Since all picks must win, the payouts get more and more generous as more picks are added.

For example, let’s say you parlay $100 on the Chargers -7 with the Patriots -3. If both games cover in your favor, you would win $260, considering that the usual payout for a two-team parlay is 13:5.

As mentioned, the higher the number of teams in the parlay, the higher the payouts. A ten-team parlay, for example, pays around 700:1 depending on the sportsbook. So for a $2 dollar bet, you could win $1400 if all 10 picks are covered.

Teasers – Another word you will hear every week from those who bet on football is ‘teaser’.

Teaser bets are one-time bets where you choose at least two games and are allowed to change the spread or total in your favor by a certain number of points.

Let’s say you want to tease 6 points with the Raiders +10 points and the Bengals -3 points. By provoking each game by 6 points, you will now have the Raiders +16 points and the Bengals at +3 points. Since this is considered a single bet, both taunt spreads must cover for you to win the bet.

Depending on the sportsbook, 6, 6 ½ or 7 point teasers are generally allowed for soccer. Additionally, they often allow anywhere from two team teasers to as many as 15 team teasers; again, depending on the sportsbook.

There you have it, sports fans, you now know the basics of how to bet on soccer.