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NFL Betting: What Point Spreads To Avoid?

26 Aug 2022 News
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In the world of professional sports, especially American Football, there are plenty of bets you can make. Out of the hundreds of bets usually offered by sportsbooks, one of the most popular options is NFL point spreads.
A point spread is a great alternative to the traditional and sometimes boring money line bet, and sometimes they provide a better chance of winning some money.
Point spreads are designed to level the playing field between two not equally matched teams. Basically, the favorite team is given an advantage for the win, and the underdog has a goal to chase. This means that bettors can make a profit even if their team loses, as long as the loss is less than the spread.
Since NFL point spreads are very popular, we decided to highlight some of the best strategies to use when making such bets, and highlight all the point spreads you should avoid.

How Does NFL Spread Betting Work?
Even though it might sound complicated, the whole idea behind NFL spread betting is quite simple to understand. The simplest explanation is when a sportsbook sets a point spread (a number that signifies points in the game) and the favorite has to win by a higher number than the spread, or the underdog
has to win or lose by a lower point difference than the spread.
However, even though it might look simple in the eyes of bettors, there are many different strategies that can help you make the right bets.
Let’s go through some of the strategies that can help you increase your winning chances with NFL point spread betting, and give you a hint on which point spreads to avoid.

Strategies for Point Spread Betting
Key Numbers

If you are just entering the world of football, it is really important to understand the point system in the game in order to increase your chances of winning a point spread bet. Since the points are the key
element of point spread betting, you need to familiarize yourself with football scoring.
The points are given for each element in football fall into three different categories. First of all, we have a field goal that gives three points to the team, then we have a touchdown that gives six points to the team, and an extra one point after the touchdown.
Because of the point system in NFL, the betting spreads are usually around these key numbers: 2.5, 3,
3.5, 6, 6.5, 7, 7.5.
So, depending on which side you bet on, it is best to place bets around these key numbers. Any other point spread bets that are outside of these numbers should be avoided. For example, choosing an underdog at +3.5 rather than +3 is a better choice, or choosing a favorite at -6.5 instead of -7.

Home Advantage

Another important factor to consider, especially in a game between two equally matched teams is the home advantage. Based on data, the home-field advantage in NFL normally accounts for around three
points.
So, if both teams have an equal chance of winning the game, the home-field advantage should offer 3 points spread to the home team. If the point spread between such teams is higher than 3 points, you should avoid betting on a such game unless there isn’t another advantage for the home team.

Follow the Betting Lines
The betting lines on point spreads move as bets are made. In other words, the odds for the team that collected the majority of bets are usually lower.
So, if you are new to point spread betting in NFL, it is best to wait a couple of days after the point spreads are available, just to see in which direction will the betting go. If the odds are deducting, this means that most people think that that is the most likely scenario, which will be the best chance for your bet.

Injury Reports
Even though bookmakers take injuries into account when setting the spread for NFL matches, sometimes certain unexpected injuries or missing players can have a huge impact on the game.
This means that it is best to avoid point spreads if you are not familiar with all that is happening behind the scenes. Additionally, if you see a huge movement in the NFL odds, make sure to do a bit of research and find out what caused a such shift.

Current Form
Another important thing in the point spread NFL betting is the current form of the team that is competing. Often bettors make the same mistake of not knowing the current form of the team, which leads to inaccurate predictions in point spread betting.
The form of the team has a big impact on the game. Sometimes, a team from the bottom side of the table can have impressive results against a stronger team if they are in a good form.
So, make sure to avoid making point spread bets without checking a previous couple of matches just to know their current form.

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