Winning Sports Betting Tips on NFL Futures
How to Play NFL Futures
In the realm of NFL sports betting, you’ll find a range of bets from single point spread wagers to exotics where you’re asked to pick which player will score the first touchdown in a game. There’s one type of betting proposition that asks you to do a fortuneteller act—that’s futures wagering.
Although futures are not a good way to make consistent cash when you’re sports betting, futures bets can be a fun prop in which to engage. In this article, we’ll consider how to play the most popular NFL future—the one that offers odds on which team will win the Super Bowl.
NFL Futures Basics
Futures are published about three to four months before the start of the season. Some online sites will post them right after the Super Bowl ends. The odds on futures will change as the season gets closer. You can even wager on futures during the season. As the season goes on and it becomes more certain who is in and who is out, the odds continue to change.
Usually you can bet on who will win the AFC, NFC and Super Bowl. Each team is given odds that can be as low as 8-1 and as high as 200-1. Again, as teams go through training camp, play the exhibition season and then get into the regular, the odds will change.
In our example, the Indianapolis Colts at 17-2 are favored to win it all and four other teams—the Dallas Cowboys, New Orleans Saints, New York Jets and San Diego Chargers—are thought to have a good chance too and are listed at 10-1. The other side of the spectrum sees the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at 150-1 and the Detroit Lions and St, Louis Rams at 100-1. Then there’s the rest of the clubs listed anywhere from 11-1 to 80-1. (See the futures chart below for all teams.)
How to Bet Super Bowl Futures
Here’s a basic formula regarding Super Bowl futures. First, you should simply expect to lose these bets. These are sideline bets at best. They are not the main show.
The main thing to do is to try to cover yourself by wagering on one favorite, two teams that are somewhere in between and a long shot. Thus, you’re making four bets. How much you bet is up to you. What you need to do is make the bet and forget about it until the season is over.
For the sake of this example we’re going to take 10 units with each unit being worth $10. Thus, you’re going to bet $100 total on futures. Do it in the following manner:
- 2 units ($20) on a favorite.
- 3 units ($30) on a team slightly favored.
- 3 units ($30) on a team that’s closer to a long shot.
- 2 units ($20) on a true long shot.
The idea is that if the favorite comes in you’ve won some cash, about $120. If any of the other wagers hit, you can make a decent amount of cash. Here’s how this might look with the final sum being your profit.
- New Orleans Saints 10-1 = 10 x $20 = $200- $80 wagered = $120.
- New England Patriots 12-1 = 12 x $30 = $360- $70 wagered = $290.
- Seattle Seahawks 50-1= 50 x $30 = $1,500- $70 wagered = $1,430.
- Detroit Lions 100-1= 100 x $20 = $2,500- $80 wagered = $2,420.
The fact is with NFL sports betting futures, you probably won’t win any of these bets, but if you do you will have managed to make your $100 investment payoff to one degree or another.
Check Out Various Sportsbooks
As with any sports betting odds, you should check out various sportsbooks so you can get the best odds. If you can find the Lions listed somewhere at 150-1 at another book, then take it. It’s the same team and the same bet but with richer odds. Remember that futures are really a novelty bet and should be played as such.