By Loot, NFL Handicapper, Lootmeister.com
The Super Bowl is a feeding frenzy for betting. For some people, however, it seems like a bunch of mumbo-jumbo. When betting on sports, they feel like some of us when looking at what's going on with the New York Stock Exchange. Unless you know, it's not easy to make sense of. You see numbers, plus and minus signs, and it's a bit overwhelming. People don't know where to bet, how to bet, how much they can bet, and so on. We took it upon ourselves to provide a Super Bowl LII guide to betting. Here, we answer all the questions an unseasoned or rookie bettor would like to ask before plunking down their bread on the biggest game in sports. Take a look!
Where to Bet:
A lot of us can't make it to Las Vegas for this game. A lot of us don't have a bookie. So how are all these people betting? Online sportsbooks handle the bulk of Super Bowl betting. We know what you're thinking and truth be told, a lot of us had those same reservations before we began betting online. Some of us don't like giving out financial information online. For those of us who came up in the world of sports-betting where we bet hard cash with a sportsbook or bookie, switching to online was a mental leap, of sorts.
As time went on, however, we came to find out that online betting was totally viable. First, you need to focus on the heavyweights in the business. There are books that have been open for a long time with reputations above reproach. People do big business with these companies without batting an eyelash. It's easy to deposit and collect without incident. Here, on Lootmeister.com, all the books we deal with are in that group of sportsbooks that have a long-standing solid reputation. And when you sign up through Lootmeister, you get special consideration in the form of enhanced bonuses. For those with reservations and concerns, once you start dealing with the sportsbooks we endorse, you'll be wondering what took you so long to get involved.
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How do I Bet Real Cash Online?
Online sportsbooks offer you a variety of different depositing methods. Credit and debit cards work pretty well for the most part. Bitcoin has become a very viable method for deposits, as well. For those looking for another layer of safety, a lot of online books accept money wires, like Western Union and the like. They have made it so if there's a will, there's a way of depositing money to bet into an online sportsbook.
Limits:
Another good reason to bet online is that their limits are substantially lower than a bookie or a brick-and-mortar sportsbook. That comes in handy, especially when making prop bets on the Super Bowl. A lot of players like to cover a lot of bases when betting on the Super Bowl, which is hard to do when the minimum is high. Most books we deal with will let you bet as low as a dollar, even less in some cases.
Understanding the Odds:
One of the main obstacles for the layman when betting is the odds. Naturally, not understanding how odds work makes it impossible to know what you're betting. We'd like to assure those who have not yet learned odds that it's really easy. There are just a few little quirks you need to learn before basically knowing odds as well as a veteran sports bettor. There are two odds expressions you will need to know. Let's break it down.
The Point Spread: When making straight bets, the most popular form of football betting, you will be betting against a point spread. Since it is rare that two teams match up perfectly-even, something needs to be done to make it an even bet, hence the point spread. The Super Bowl LII point spread is 5 points. New England is -5, meaning they are 5 point favorites. The Eagles are +5, making them 5-point underdogs. If New England won by 5 points, it would be a push and everyone gets their wager amount back. For a bet on the Patriots to win against-the-spread, they would need to win by 6 or more points. For the Eagles to win against-the-spread, they could either win the game outright or lose by less than 5 points.
The Money Line: A lot of bets use the money line, including a bulk of Super Bowl wagers. The money line is just an expression of odds. It's just a different way of expressing them, a more exact way, so to speak. Like point spreads, a minus-sign indicates a favorite, while a plus-sign indicates an underdog. Let's look at the money line to win Super Bowl LII
Philadelphia Eagles +160 vs. New England Patriots -180
Here is the money line to win Super Bowl LII. The Eagles are +160 and the Patriots are -180. What does that mean? Well, first of all, there is no point spread here. Money lines only refer to clear-cut results, a yes/no equation. The Eagles are underdogs at +160. With underdogs, you naturally stand to earn more than you bet. At +160, a $100 bet would earn you $160 in winnings. The money line is built around the $100 bet, but only to make it easy to understand. Naturally, you can bet any amount and the odds would just break down to what you wager. New England is a favorite at -180. With favorites, you have to bet more than you stand to win. To win $100 on New England, you would need to bet $180. Just remember this and you'll forever know how money lines work. A plus-sign (+) indicates an underdog and the number you see is how much you win for every $100 you bet. A minus-sign (-) indicates a favorite and the number you see is how much you have to bet for every $100 you want to win.
Types of Super Bowl Bets:
Straight Bets: Betting on which team will win against the point spread.
Totals: Betting on whether the combined score of both teams will be over or under the number posted by the sportsbook.
Money Line Bets: Betting on a team to simply win the game.
Prop Bets: Betting on a detail within the game.
Specials: Bets made on other details not directly related to the game, such as how often a name is mentioned by the announcers, what a halftime performer will wear, etc.
Note: These are just the types of bets you can make for the Super Bowl. When there are multiple games on the schedule like during the regular season or playoffs, you can make bets like parlays, teasers, and other wagers not included here.
Super Bowl LII Bets You Can Make:
Note: This is an incomplete list. For the full list of prop bets, use this link and sign up to start betting:
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Who will win the game against-the-spread?
Who will win the game straight-up?
Who will win the Super Bowl MVP?
Whether or not both teams will score a certain number of points.
Who scores first?
Which team scores first?
Whether the team that scores first win the game
Will there be a safety in the game?
Will there be a two-point conversion in the game?
Will there be overtime?
How many field goals will be in the game?
Yardage bets on field goals
Coin toss bet
How long the National Anthem will last
What Pink will wear
Will Pink show cleavage? (This is actually a bet you can make.)
Will Tom Brady wear a bandage?
Which team and player will score the longest TD?
Who will have the most first downs?
How many touchdowns in the game and by each team?
When teams will score?
Fourth down conversions
When first score occurs?
Will point totals in game and by each team be an even or odd total?
Will there be special teams touchdowns?
Coaches challenges
Different margins of victory
Who will lead after each quarter and by how much?
Winning quarters
How many points will be scored in the game and by each team in different quarters?
How scores will happen
Exact point-margin bets and ranges for each team and the game
Will an onside kick be successfully recovered?
Will an extra point or field goal be missed?