How to Bet
Start with the point spread, not the winner. In the NFL the favourite usually wins, so betting who’ll win pays almost nothing — the bookmaker handicaps the favourite by a number of points instead, and that handicap, the point spread, is the market you’ll use most. Get that one idea down and NFL betting makes sense fast. Here’s the whole thing from scratch, with rand figures.
How NFL odds work
A betting line gives you a price for each side. In South Africa you’ll see decimal odds: a price of 1.90 means a winning R100 bet returns R190 — your R100 back plus R90 profit. The shorter the price, the bigger the favourite; the longer the price, the bigger the underdog and the more it pays if it lands.
Both sides of a spread usually sit around 1.90 because the handicap is set to make the bet a near coin flip. That gap below 2.00 is the bookmaker’s margin — the reason the house wins over time even on a 50/50 market. Knowing it’s there is the first step to betting like someone who lasts.
The point spread, explained properly
The spread is the heart of NFL betting, so spend a minute here. The bookmaker picks a favourite and a margin. Say the home side is -6.5 and the visitors are +6.5:
- Back the favourite at -6.5 and they must win by seven or more.
- Back the underdog at +6.5 and they win your bet if they win outright, draw, or lose by six or fewer.
The half-point is deliberate — it stops the game landing exactly on the number, so there’s always a clear result. The favourite can win the game and still lose you the bet by not covering; the underdog can lose the game and still pay. That’s the whole trick: you’re betting the margin, not the badge.
The four markets you’ll start with
You don’t need the full menu on day one. These four cover almost everything, and the American football bet types guide goes deeper when you’re ready:
| Market | You’re betting | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Point spread | the winning margin | the standard bet on most games |
| Money line | the straight winner | an underdog you genuinely fancy |
| Totals (over/under) | the combined points | a read on pace, defence or weather |
| Player props | a named player’s yards or a touchdown | when you follow a player closely |
Pick the market to fit your read. If you think a team will win comfortably, the spread. If you think an underdog springs an upset outright, the money line at a longer price. If you’ve read the game as a shootout or a slog, the total.
A worked example, in rand
Say you fancy a home favourite at -3.5, priced 1.90. You stake R100. If they win by four or more, the bet lands and you get R190 back — R90 profit. If they win by three or fewer, draw, or lose, you lose the R100. Now the underdog angle: if you’d read the game as close, the +3.5 at 1.90 returns the same R190 as long as your side stays within three points or wins. Same fixture, opposite reads, and in both cases it’s the margin that pays — not who lifts the win.
When the NFL actually plays
The NFL clock matters more for South Africans than for almost anyone. The bulk of the action is the Sunday slate, with US afternoon and evening kick-offs landing in the SAST late evening and early hours, plus standalone games through the week. The practical read: do your research before kick-off rather than chasing live in the middle of the night, and never place a tired 3am bet you wouldn’t make at noon. The state of mind you bet in is part of bankroll discipline.
Honest about the payout
NFL markets at Scorebet are fixed odds — your price is locked when you place the bet, so your return is set no matter how the line moves after, and it settles once the result is official. Spreads and totals settle on the final score including overtime, so an extra period can swing a tight one. Win and the funds land in your wallet; withdrawals run on Instant EFT, cards and e-wallets, processed quickly once your account is FICA-verified. The honest part: there’s a margin in every price, so treat it as priced entertainment and never stake money you can’t afford to lose.
Place your first NFL bet the right way
Learn the spread before anything else, read the total off pace and weather rather than the team names, and start with stakes small enough that a bad Sunday doesn’t sting. When you’re ready to go deeper, the American football bet types guide covers the full menu — and the markets are live at Scorebet.
Frequently asked
What is the easiest NFL bet for beginners?
The money line — backing a team to win the game — is the simplest because there's no margin to track. But the point spread is the market most NFL bettors actually use, and learning to read it early is worth the small extra effort.
What does -3.5 mean in NFL betting?
A team at -3.5 is the favourite and must win by four or more points for a spread bet on them to land. The half-point removes any chance of a tie on the line, so there is always a clear winner and loser of the bet.
How do over/under bets work in the NFL?
The bookmaker sets a number for the combined points both teams will score. You bet over if you expect a higher-scoring game than that line, or under if you expect it tighter. Overtime counts toward the total.
Why is the spread so often set at 3 in the NFL?
Three is the value of a field goal, the most common scoring play, so an enormous share of NFL games are decided by exactly that margin. Books cluster lines around 3 and resist moving off it, which is why -2.5 and -3.5 are priced so far apart — the half-point straddling the most frequent winning margin in the sport is worth real money.
What is the hook and why does it matter?
The hook is the half-point on a spread or total — the .5 in -3.5 or 47.5. It exists to stop the bet landing exactly on the number and pushing, but it also decides whether you beat or miss the key numbers. Backing -3.5 instead of -3 means a three-point win loses outright rather than refunds, so that single half-point is often the difference between a paid bet and a dead one.