As the NFL Season Draws Near
By Simon M Skinner

Now that the NFL season is drawing near once again and teams' training camps get into gear, the time has come for you to review your online football betting know-how.

And it makes a lot of sense to bet on football via the Internet. Internet sports betting "casinos" are convenient; you are much more in control than you are with telephoning some seedy bookie; the best names (which are usually publicly traded companies) are very safe; the customer service is great because Internet casinos are very hungry for your business; you don't have to be a high stakes player to be wanted; sports betting sites want everybody's business and they go out of their way to be great for you in order to get it; and, they have more options to offer you.

Now when it comes to strategy: If you're going to be placing online bets on NFL games, you'll want to be familiar with NFL key numbers. NFL key numbers have to do with the fact that the majority of all NFL games end with the same margin of victory. What this means for you is it's very important to study this angle so you can smartly cover the point spreads.

17% of all NFL games end with a three-point victory. Another 10% end with a 7-point victory. 6% end with a 10-point victory and 6% of victories are of six points. 4% of NFL games are won by four points. Thus, 43% of all NFL games will end with just one of these five point margins, and all of those margins fall within the range of what matters for sports betting winning or losing when the factor of point spreads is factored in.

It's important to understand that these point spreads are most important in the most widely used form of NFL betting, which is the side bet. In these, the team that bookmakers consider to be the underdog get the better point spread, so that the team that's expected to win also has to win by at least a certain amount of points for you to win your bet. So, for instance, if you bet on the team that does win the game, but the point spread was 5.5 and they only won by five points, you lose your money. (They had to win by at least six points to cover the spread.)

But you can also bet on total points. When you do this, you estimate how many total points you think both teams will score in the game, regardless of who will win or lose. The bookmakers will also do this and they will set the total points number for the game. You bet on whether or not the point total will be Under or Over that total. But this same kind of betting can get more complex and varied with what are called "proposition" bets. With a "prop" bet you can wager on a wide array of factors: what will be the score at halftime; which starting QB will throw for more yards; who will have the most tackles; etc.

For a more long term approach to NFL betting you can try the futures market. With this kind of betting, you wager at the start of the season on who will win a certain division, who will win the AFC/NFC, who will win the Super Bowl.

So as the new NFL season draws near, start contemplating your online betting! It's fun, and you just may make some serious money.

Simon M Skinner has worked in the online gaming industry since 2000. He has worked for some of the top online sportsbooks and now runs http://www.sportsbook-watch.com which reviews and recommends gambling companies online. He can be reached at [mailto:info@sportsbook-watch.com]info@sportsbook-watch.com

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