Football Betting on the NFL Preseason

It is normal to see results in preseason football betting that you would never see in regular NFL betting season, such as one of the best teams losing. Football on the NFL preseason marks the beginning of a new year for NFL betting, so it logically attracts lots of gamblers who have eagerly awaited the return of pigskin action. However, football on the preseason is not the same as football betting on the regular season because during the preseason teams are not solely focused on winning. Recognizing this reality is necessary for successful preseason NFL betting, and it will allow you to analyze the football lines intelligently and prepare for the regular season. Football during the preseason involves the same types of wagers that one uses while football during the regular season. In other words, you still wager on football betting spreads and totals.

However, during the regular season you can handicap virtually any NFL betting match up (except a few games in the final weeks of the season) knowing that each team will be trying desperately to win the game. In preseason online football match ups, on the other hand, teams are fairly indifferent as to whether or not they win. Earning a win in the preseason is meaningless, so coaches are primarily focused on giving their starters the game day preparation they need to perform in Week 1 and testing their rosters to decide which players should start, which should be back ups, which should be on the practice squad, and which should be cut. Coaches also want to avoid injuries to their top players, so it is normal to see starters only play a small portion of a preseason football match up, or even skip the preseason completely.

Nevertheless, by comprehending these features of the preseason you can tailor your football betting accordingly. For example, by anticipating how long certain starters will play in a game you can increase your chances of handicapping the NFL betting odds correctly. Furthermore, even though the teams are indifferent to winning in the preseason, the players themselves will often play very hard, especially those who are fighting for roster spots. As a result, sometimes it is the back ups and unknown players who actually perform best in the preseason. Consequently, you should not underestimate relatively unheralded players as you analyze preseason football betting odds.