{"id":7029,"date":"2022-10-06T17:04:54","date_gmt":"2022-10-06T17:04:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aceperhead.com\/blog\/?p=7029"},"modified":"2025-06-06T15:36:07","modified_gmt":"2025-06-06T15:36:07","slug":"how-do-odds-work-in-football","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aceperhead.com\/blog\/pph-guide\/how-do-odds-work-in-football\/","title":{"rendered":"How Do Odds Work in Football?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>American football is easily the most popular sport in the US, but it also has international fans. About&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/worldpopulationreview.com\/country-rankings\/most-popular-sport-by-country\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">390 million to 410 million<\/a>&nbsp;people across the globe enjoy this sport. This makes sense since there are 32 teams to cheer for when you follow the NFL, so there&#8217;s something for everyone!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Because of its popularity, millions of Americans bet on NFL season every year. But how do odds work in football? How can you <a href=\"https:\/\/aceperhead.com\/blog\/bookie-101\/how-do-bookies-make-money\/\">make money as a bookie<\/a> by working with football bettors?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Read here to answer these questions by learning the basics of football odds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How Do Odds Work in Football?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Sports betting odds aim to find the hypothetical likelihood of a certain event&#8217;s outcome. These statistically-motivated figures come from an assessment of previous game scores, wins vs losses, and new factors that may contribute to the team&#8217;s success or failure (new players, player injuries, coach turnaround, etc).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Odds are used for two things:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Setting well-constructed lines based on the probability of each outcome<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Showing how much money a gambler must wager to make a specific profit<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>There are several ways to find and calculate NFL betting odds and set lines. In many cases, bookies will hire a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/aceperhead.com\/blog\/pph-guide\/upsides-of-having-professional-linemakers-for-your-sportsbook-website\/\">professional linemaker<\/a>&nbsp;who is experienced in setting competitive lines. However, some passionate budding bookies will assess statistics on their own from past information, third-party firms, and other betting websites like BetMGM.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to Read Football Betting Odds?<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-medium\"><a href=\"https:\/\/aceperhead.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/nfl-software-bookies.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"160\" src=\"https:\/\/aceperhead.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/nfl-software-bookies-300x160.jpg\" alt=\"NFL Betting Software\" class=\"wp-image-751\" title=\"Real Football Odds\" srcset=\"https:\/\/aceperhead.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/nfl-software-bookies-300x160.jpg 300w, https:\/\/aceperhead.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/nfl-software-bookies.jpg 750w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>The goal of line setting is to show the projected margins of a team&#8217;s victory or loss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For the sake of argument, let&#8217;s say that there is a hypothetical matchup between the Chicago Bears and the Dallas Cowboys. If the Cowboys seem likely to win by an average of 3 points, a line may look like<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>Dallas Cowboys +3<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>Chicago Bears -3<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>This means that those who bet on the Bears&#8217; -3, the Bears would need to win by 3+ points in order for the better to cash out. If another person bet on the Cowboys +3, the Cowboys could either win&nbsp;<em>or&nbsp;<\/em>lose by less than 3 points in order for the bettor to win money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Cowboys are the&nbsp;<em>favored&nbsp;<\/em>team while the Bears are the&nbsp;<em>underdog.&nbsp;<\/em>This means payout will likely be higher for those that bet on the Bears, though those gamblers will have a lower chance of winning than those that bet on the Cowboys.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This simple hypothetical is essential for understanding the three possible ways to read football odds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">American Odds<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>American odds are an extremely popular way to present football wagers, which makes sense considering its popularity in the US. These odds are based on a hypothetical $100 bet, but they shift based on which team is favored\/likely to win.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If a bet looks like it will win, you will see negative odds with a (-) sign before them. You would need to risk a specific sum of money to win $100.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If a bet looks like it will probably lose, it will have a (+) sign before it. You would need to wish $100 to win a profit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, in our very hypothetical Cowboys vs Bears game, let&#8217;s say that the lines look like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>Dallas Cowboys -150<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>Chicago Bears +120<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>A player would need to wager $150 on the Cowboys to win $100.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If they were inclined to go for an underdog bet, they would need to risk $100 in order to win $20 if the Bears made it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Decimal Odds<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Decimal odds are another type of scalable figure. They&#8217;re shown as a single number that represents how much a player can win if they wager $1 and their team is victorious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Consider the following decimal odds:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>Dallas Cowboys:&nbsp;1.52<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>Chicago Bears:&nbsp;3.0<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>If someone wagered $1 on the Cowboys and won, they would get $1.52 back. This sum is made up of their original $1 wager and 52\u00a2 worth of winnings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If they wagered $1 in the Bears and won, they would receive $3 back. This is a $2 payout in addition to their $1 wager.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Odds between 1.0 and 2.0 mean that the team is a favorite. If they are higher than 2.0, you are betting on an underdog. This is because favorites have higher odds with a lower payout while&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/theathletic.com\/2552980\/2022\/01\/27\/what-is-an-underdog-in-sports-betting\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">underdogs have lower odds<\/a>&nbsp;with a higher payout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Fractional Odds<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Fractional odds are exactly what they sound like: odds are shown as fractions. They may look like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>Dallas Cowboys 1\/3<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>Chicago Bears 3\/1<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>A $1 bet on the Cowboys means that you would profit 1\/3 of whatever you wagered. So, if you placed this bet and the Cowboys won, you would get $1.33 back &#8211; a 33\u00a2 profit plus your original $1 wager.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A $1 bet placed on the Bears would give you a profit of 3x whatever you wagered. You would get back $4 if they won. This is a $3 profit and your initial $1 wager.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Top-heavy fractions indicate an underdog while bottom-heavy fractions indicate a favorite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Setting Sports Betting Odds for NFL Season<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>So, how can you set the best possible lines for the <a href=\"https:\/\/aceperhead.com\/blog\/pph-guide\/how-much-do-sport-betting-software-cost\/\">sports betting<\/a> season? It&#8217;s actually a pretty simple process if you know what steps to take! You must:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Understand the different types of odds (American, decimal, and fractional)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Research past scores of different teams to see who tends to win more frequently<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Assess the margins by which the favorite usually wins vs the margins by which the underdog generally loses<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>See whether there are any new factors that may contribute to a team&#8217;s success or failure (injuries to top players, talent level of substitutes, previous hiccups during the current season, home vs away advantage, etc)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>List out all the facts and statistics to make notes of common trends<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Look at the lines that your competitors have set (to ensure that you&#8217;re more competitive than other bookies &#8211; you need players to actually come to you)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Test your own lines out to make sure they&#8217;re effective<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>When you do this, you&#8217;ll have an easier time setting profitable lines that still keep you competitive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">If you are looking to start your own <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/bookiebusiness?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#bookiebusiness<\/a> then the good news is that it is very simple. Gone are the days when a <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/bookie?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#bookie<\/a> needs to do everything on his own. Instead, anyone can start their own in a matter of minutes. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/vDTBG7AkoW\">https:\/\/t.co\/vDTBG7AkoW<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/8Q1Ytif8pk\">pic.twitter.com\/8Q1Ytif8pk<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Ace Pay Per Head &#8211; Best Software for Bookies (@aceperhead) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/aceperhead\/status\/1564375965920333824?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 29, 2022<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Reel in Some Cash&nbsp;With Ace Per Head<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>So, how do odds work in football? As it turns out, there are several different ways to read and set lines. Now that you know what they are, it&#8217;s time to upgrade your sportsbook, create top-notch lines, and find players.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ace Per Head is committed to providing you with a fully-managed <a href=\"https:\/\/aceperhead.com\/blog\/pph-guide\/best-sportsbook-software\/\">sportsbook platform<\/a>. Our experts will handle day-to-day software issues so that you can focus on researching teams and setting competitive odds.&nbsp;Create your package&nbsp;for a free six-week <a href=\"https:\/\/aceperhead.com\/features-and-screenshots.php\">pay per head demo<\/a> of our services!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>American football is easily the most popular sport in the US, but it also has international fans. About&nbsp;390 million to 410 million&nbsp;people across the globe enjoy this sport. This makes sense since there are 32 teams to cheer for when you follow the NFL, so there&#8217;s something for everyone! Because of its popularity, millions of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7066,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7029","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pph-guide"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/aceperhead.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7029","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/aceperhead.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/aceperhead.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aceperhead.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aceperhead.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7029"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/aceperhead.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7029\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10666,"href":"https:\/\/aceperhead.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7029\/revisions\/10666"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aceperhead.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7066"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/aceperhead.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7029"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aceperhead.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7029"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aceperhead.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7029"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}