How To Bet In Vegas Online
Betting on sports in a casino sportsbook isn’t the same as betting with an illegal bookie or online sportsbook. Placing a wager with a ticket writer inside of a casino can be intimidating for new sports bettors. The big board with betting options may be confusing for someone who hasn’t seen anything like it before. Some gamblers avoid the sportsbook simply because of the pressure from other people. In addition, wagering isn’t the same for all sports and, depending on the sportsbook operator, the Las Vegas odds are different in many casinos.
The most popular online bet is on the moneyline along with the total. Baseball also has a run line that acts as a spread. The favorite gives 1.5 runs and the underdog gets 1.5 runs. To win a bet on the favorite, that team must win the game by two or more runs. The top professional hockey league for online betting. Las Vegas Sports Betting 101: How to Bet on Sports in Las Vegas. Every year, thousands of sports enthusiasts flock to Las Vegas to place their bets and closely watch their teams with dollar signs in. How to use 'basic strategy' when betting 2-team NFL teasers. One of the most popular betting options for pro football is the two-team six-point teaser. Longtime bettors know what those are. Online Vegas Sports Betting. While it’s worth it to visit any of the above physical sportsbooks, it’s great to bet online as well, as it’s the most convenient and simple way to do so. Many Vegas sportsbooks offer.
The Best Sports Betting Apps In Nevada
Individual games have can have point spreads, moneylines, totals, various propositions, and even more wagering options during the games themselves. There are futures bets for championships and individual events. Sportsbook operators in Nevada are offering more opportunities to wager in a sportsbook every day which can add to the confusion. There’s a lot of information to take in when contemplating a sports bet.
Mobile sports wagering might actually be an easier way to wager on sports for gamblers who have bet with the best online sportsbooks before visiting a land-based casino. We’ll discuss how to bet in person at a Nevada sportsbook and how to bet online using a mobile device (phone or tablet). All bettors should know the basics before placing a wager in a Nevada sportsbook.
Choose the sport and pick a wager
Not all sports bets are the same. Most wagers for football and basketball are made using a point spread. Baseball and hockey use a moneyline and also offer run or puck lines, respectively. Other events might offer straight odds for a winning wager. Here are the basic ways to wager on games, matches and events for each major sport.
- Football: Point spread
- Basketball: Point spread
- Baseball: Moneyline
- Hockey: Moneyline
- Soccer: Moneyline
- Fighting (MMA and Boxing): Moneyline
- Golf: Odds
- Auto Racing: Odds
- Tennis: Moneyline
- Olympics: Odds
Point totals and alternatives are available for most moneyline and point spread sports. These aren’t the only ways to wager on each sport but this is the starting point for most sports bettors.
Choose the type of wager
Once a bettor chooses the sport they want to wager on, they will need to choose how they want to bet. In addition to the basic wager types, a variety of wagering options could be available for each event.
- Point spread – Choosing the favorite to win by more points than the point spread or underdog to lose by fewer points than the point spread.
- Moneyline – Simply pick the winner of a game or event.
- Totals – Choosing that the total points scored will be over or under for the defined period or game.
- Propositions – A wager made that something will or won’t happen during a game or event. This could be individual players or teams.
- Futures – This is a wager on an event to happen in the future. The occasion can be in the near future or at the end of a season.
Placing the wager
It’s time to place the wager once the bettor knows which event they want to bet. Ticket writers in a Las Vegas sportsbook can usually understand any terminology they’re given. However, it makes their life easier when a bettor uses the basic information for the bet(s) they’d like to place.
- The rotation number that coincides with the team or athlete for the wager. This is the 3 or 4 digit number to the left of each event.
- Amount of the wager.
- Listen when the bet is read back to make sure it’s correct.
- Double check the printed ticket to make sure that’s correct.
For example, “I’d like #123 (team name) for $100.” The ticket writer will read back the wager to make sure they have the information correct. Once approved they’ll print the ticket and the bettor will exchange money for the ticket. Always double check the ticket – even if there’s a line – to make sure the wager is exactly what was asked for.
Getting paid for a wager
Point Spreads – Most point spread wagers pay -110. This means that for every $110 wagered, the bettor will be paid $100. Some games will move to -120 before the point spread changes. This requires a $120 wager to win $100.
Moneyline – The favorite for this game or match will be noted by the minus (-200) sign and the underdog by a plus (+200) sign. For example, the Yankees are -200 favorites against the Red Sox who are +190. In this example, the bettor will wager $200 on the Yankees to win $100. Likewise, the bettor may wager $100 on the underdog Red Sox to win $190.
Futures – These will be noted by a moneyline (+600) or straight odds (6-1). These numbers pay the same thing but may be confusing to someone new to a casino sportsbook.
When a bettor is paid they receive the amount of the winning bet plus the original wager. Using the example above, the bettor will receive $300 if they placed winning $200 bet on Yankees beat the Red Sox. The ticket pays $100 and the bettor receives the original bet amount of $200 back.
Where to bet in Nevada
All sportsbooks in Nevada are created differently. The space devoted to a sportsbook in Nevada casinos depends on the size and customers of the individual property. By nature, one would think that a larger casino would have a large sportsbook. That’s not always the case as sports betting is less of a focus for certain casinos in Nevada.
Finding a sportsbook that meets personal preferences is important when choosing where to bet. Some gamblers prefer quick access to restaurants while others prefer the best viewing screens. Some gamblers want to watch the games on the best TV screens while others just want a place to bet and grab a drink. Reading different sportsbook reviews will help casino guests find the most comfortable viewing experience.
Serious sports bettors always look for the best Las Vegas odds when choosing a sportsbook. Not all Las Vegas sportsbooks offer the same betting odds. Some sportsbook operators are known for having the best Las Vegas odds while others are noted for having odds that are less favorable.
There was a day when shopping for the best Las Vegas odds was easy. The city was small and it was easy to walk from casino to casino to find the best odds. That changed as casinos grew and different sportsbook operators became more spread out around Las Vegas. The internet has made finding the best Las Vegas odds easy once again. Plenty of websites offer live odds and bettors can now wager on sports anywhere in Nevada with a mobile sports wagering app.
Mobile sports wagering
Mobile sports wagering has taken Nevada by storm ever since being introduced. Sports bettors can wager on any games available from a sportsbook operator anywhere in the state. The convenience of betting on sports from anywhere means that someone on vacation can place a bet on a game from a pool or nightclub. Meanwhile, Nevada residents can place wagers from their house.
Sports bettors no longer have to stand in line waiting to place a bet. Mobile sports wagering is so popular that some sportsbook operators see more wagers placed via mobile sports wagering app than in the land-based casinos.
Wagering on sports with a mobile app is intuitive and may be less intimidating for a new sports bettor since bets are not made with other people around. Even though different sportsbooks may have their own software placing a wager with apps is easy and similar to the best online sportsbooks.
Sports wagering apps in Nevada must be set up at a land-based casino initially. Some sportsbook operators use software that will allow users to fund and withdraw from an account without returning to the sportsbook. The Las Vegas odds are the same on the app as they are in the physical casino.
Why you should bet on sports in Nevada
It’s possible to wager illegally with a bookie and online with an offshore sportsbook but nothing is better or safer than betting on sports in Nevada. Casinos and sportsbook operators in Nevada are billion dollar companies in a highly regulated industry. The Nevada Gaming Control Board might have the most strict gaming regulations in the country. Unlike an illegal bookie or sketchy offshore sportsbook the money used to place wagers in Nevada should be considered safe.
If you’re new to football betting and keen to get involved
then you’ve just come to exactly the right place. On this page
we will teach you all the basics of betting on football, and
make sure that you are on the right track from the moment you
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In our opinion this is one of the most useful beginner’s
guides to football betting you’ll find anywhere on the internet.
It covers everything you need to get started, and yet you don’t
need to worry about getting overwhelmed with detail as we keep
our explanations as simple as possible.
For those who are only really interested in wagering for a
bit of fun, you’ll be ready to go as soon as you’ve finished
reading this page. For those of you with ambitions of making
long term profits, we also point you towards a wide range of
additional information and advice that will help you to achieve
such goals. We’re not promising that we’ll make you an instant
expert, but we’ll certainly give you the chance to become one.
If you’re simply just looking to bet on football games right now we have
listed our top recommendations for online betting sites below. These
are sites that we have found to be trustworthy with our money and
offer football bettors true value.
We recommend reading through this whole page from start to
finish, but we’ve listed the various topics we cover below if
you’d prefer to skip straight to something specific.
How to Bet on Football: Page Contents
Different Types of Football Bets
Where to Place Your Bets
Using Online Betting Sites
Essential Advice for Beginners
Improving Your Football Betting Skills
Before You Start: Recommended Reading
If you’re already familiar with how sports betting works, and
know a thing or two about football, then please feel free to
skip this section. If, however, you’re completely new to sports
betting and/or not much of a football fan, then there are a few
things you should learn before you start placing bets on
football games.
How To Bet Vegas Odds Online
Firstly you really need to understand the basics of what
sports betting is all about, and what’s involved with placing
wagers. These basics are relatively straightforward, so
thankfully it doesn’t take long to get up to speed. It’s
definitely advisable to familiarize yourself with them though.
Our beginner’s guide to sports betting is the perfect resource
for this. Here’s a selection of some of the topics it covers.
In addition to knowing the basics of betting, you should also
know at least the basics of football too. It’s likely that most
people reading this are big sports fans, and fully understand
it, but that’s not necessarily the case for all our readers. We
like to cater for everyone, so we’ve written the following two
articles explaining all about the game at both professional and
college level.
About College Football
Different Types of Football Bets
Best Odds In Las Vegas
One of the first things you should understand about betting
on football is the fact that there are several different types
of wagers that can be placed. You won’t necessarily use all the
different types, depending on what strategies you employ, but
it’s still advisable to learn at least a little about each one.
Below we look at the two most popular types of wagers, some
of the other commonly used options, and the various options for
wagering on multiple games with a single bet.
The Most Popular Types of Football Bets
There are two types of football bets that are used far more
than any other. Many people who bet on football place only the
following wagers.
- Point Spreads
- Totals
Some readers will already know all about these and how they
work, but we’ll explain a little about them for those that
don’t.
Point Spreads
A point spread is effectively a handicap that’s used to
create a 50/50 wagering proposition. For example, a bookmaker
may offer the following point spread on a football match between
the San Diego Chargers and the Indianapolis Colts.
What this spread means is that, for the purposes of wagering,
the Chargers will have 3.5 points deducted from their final
score. For a bet on them to be successful, they would therefore
have to win by four points or more. The Colts, on the other
hand, will have 3.5 points added to their final score. A bet on
them would be successful if they won the game, or lost by 3
points or less.
You can read more about point spreads on the following page.
Totals
Totals are just as easy to understand. With these, the
bookmaker posts an expected total for the amount of points
scored by both sides. On the previously mentioned match between
the Chargers and the Colts, for example, they might set the
total at 48.50. You then have to decide whether to bet on the
over or the under.
A wager on the over will win if the combined score from the
two teams is 49 or over (e.g. Chargers 29, Colts 24). A wager on
the under will win if the combined score from the two teams is
48 or less (e.g. Chargers 19, Colts 17).
We explain totals in more detail on the following page.
Before we go onto explain some of the other types of wagers
you can place, there’s some very important information that we
need to mention.
The basic principle of point spreads and totals is that you
have roughly a 50% chance of winning, so technically a “fair”
return on these types of wagers should be equal to the amount
staked. However, they are usually priced up by bookmakers at
odds of -110 (1.91 in decimal odds format, 10/11 in fractional
odds format), which means for every $110 staked you stand to win
$100. You don’t have to stake as much as $110 of course, but the
point is that a successful wager will only return 90% of the
amount staked (plus the initial stake of course).
This is because bookmakers are in business to make a profit,
so they effectively charge a commission for taking wagers. This
commission is known as the vig, short for vigorish, and it’s one
of the ways that bookmakers stay profitable. They don’t charge
it just for points spreads and totals either, as it’s built into
the odds for every wager that they offer.
If you have any ambitions of being a
successful bettor, we strongly recommend reading our article
explaining vig and how bookmakers make money.
Other Common Football Bets
In addition to point spreads and totals, there are three
other types of bets that are commonly used for wagering on
football. These are as follows.
- Moneylines
- Props
- Futures
We’ll now provide a brief overview of each of these, and
point you towards some additional information on each one too.
Moneylines
A moneyline wager is very simple. It involves simply backing
a team to win a match, with no point spread involved. The odds
for moneyline wagers are based on each team’s relative chance of
winning. For example, the moneyline on a game between the San
Diego Chargers and the Indianapolis Colts might look like this.
The Chargers are the favorites here, and the odds of -175
mean that a stake of $175 is required to win $100. To put it
another way, every $1.75 staked stands to win $1 if the Chargers
win. Initial stakes are returned too of course.
The Colts are the underdogs, so backing them means the
potential for higher payouts relative to the amount staked. The
odds of +155 mean that every $1 staked stands to win $1.55 if
the Colts win (i.e. a $100 wager stands to win $155 if the Colts
win). Again, initial stakes are also returned.
For more information on moneylines, and the strategy involved
in placing them, please see the following article.
Props
Props, short for propositions, are wagers on outcomes that
are decided during a football game, but are not necessarily
directly linked to the final result. Some examples include the
following.
- The first team to score.
- The distance of the longest touchdown.
- The total passing yards of a quarterback.
- The number of field goals kicked.
These are just a very small selection of some props. Many
bookmakers offer dozens of different options, particularly on
high profile matches. Props are generally considered a fun type
of bet rather than a way to make money, but it is possible to
make consistent profits from them. We explain more about props
on the following page, where we also offer some strategy advice.
Futures
Futures are wagers on how teams, or individual players, will
fare over the course of an entire season. A wager on a team to
win the Super Bowl, placed at the start of the season, would be
considered a future. So would a wager on a team to be the
National Football Conference champions, or a wager on a player
to win the Most Valuable Player award.
There isn’t a lot more to explain about futures, and there
isn’t really much in the way of specific strategy for them
either. We do go into a bit more detail on them on the following
page though.
Betting on Multiple Football Games
A lot of people like to bet on multiple games at once, as
this can provide the potential for big payouts. It’s not
something we particularly advise beginners to get involved with,
but it doesn’t hurt to understand the options available. The
main ones are as follows.
- Parlays
- Teasers
- Pleasers
Let’s take a quick look at what these are all about.
Parlays
A parlay basically combines several different wagers into
one. For example, a parlay could be made up of five point spread
wagers on five separate games. The payout for such a wager could
be very attractive, but only if ALL the wagers were correct.
Just one wrong pick would mean the whole wager failing. That’s
why these are considered quite risky. They’re a bit more complex
than the previous wagers mentioned, but we won’t go into any
more detail here. We do on the following page though.
Teasers & Pleasers
Teasers and pleasers are essentially types of parlays that
use modified point spreads or totals. With teasers, the spreads
or totals are moved in the bettor’s favor. With pleasers, they
are moved in the bookmaker’s favor. There’s plenty more to
explain about these wagers, which we do on the following pages.
Where to Place Your Football Bets
Now that you know about the different wagers you can place on
football, the next step is actually placing them. The question
you’re probably asking now is “how and where can I do this?”
There are a few options, which we list below, but please be
aware that not all of these are available in all parts of the
world.
- Casino Sportsbooks
- Bookmaking Shops
- Telephone Betting
- Online Sports Betting Sites
Casino Sportsbooks
Many casinos around the world contain a sportsbook. They
usually feature several big screen TVs showing any live sports
action currently taking place, and computerized odds boards
displaying all the latest odds. There are typically cashier
windows where you can place your wagers with a real person, but
some books have interactive machines instead. Either way, these
are great places to place some bets and watch the games at the
same time. The problem for Americans, though, is that they are
only legal in Nevada. There are plenty of sportsbooks in Las
Vegas casinos, but not in other parts of the country.
Bookmaking Shops
Bookmaking shops are mostly like sportsbooks, they’re just
not inside a casino. They also generally have lots of TVs
showing sports, and a counter where wagers are placed. These
shops can be found in many countries around the world, but
they’re not legal in the United States.
Telephone Betting
A lot of bookmakers offer telephone betting services, and
they are usually very straightforward to use. It’s a simple
matter of calling the relevant number, telling the operator you
reach which wagers you want to place, confirming the odds, and
then providing your credit card details. Some bookmakers take
other payment methods too, and some even offer credit lines to
select customers.
This is another option that’s not available to Americans. Not
legally at least, as the Federal Wire Act of 1961 made telephone
betting illegal. You might be getting disheartened by now if you
live in the US, and wondering exactly how you’re ever going to
place any wagers. Don’t worry though, as we have one more option
to tell you about.
Online Sports Betting Sites
Using an online sports betting site is far and away the best
way to bet on football, or any sport for that matter. It’s the
most convenient and accessible option, and there are several
other advantages too. Best of all, it’s legal in the United
States. There are some laws against online gambling in the US,
but these mostly apply to companies and individuals providing
gambling services. There’s no law that states it’s illegal to
use a gambling site of any kind, so Americans are at liberty to
place football bets online if they so choose. We’ve written the
following page explaining things in more detail for those
interested, or you can just keep reading for a quick guide to
getting started online.
Using Online Betting Sites
Using sports betting sites to bet on football online is
relatively straightforward. It’s super easy to open accounts at
most sites, and the majority of them are very user-friendly.
Finding and placing wagers generally takes no time at all, and
can be done from the comfort of your own home with just a
computer and internet access. You can even use most sites from a
smartphone or tablet these days.
Please make sure that you use the right sites though. Most
places are pretty good, but there are some that are best
avoided. It’s vital that you use a safe and trustworthy option,
and you also want to use somewhere that is suitable for
football. We suggest taking a look at the following sites.
Our Top Ranked Football Betting Sites: