How NFL Betting Works – A Quick Refresher
Understanding the odds
Odds tell you two things: how likely a result is to happen and how much you stand to win if it does. The shorter the odds, the more likely the outcome – and the smaller the potential return. The longer the odds, the bigger the potential return, because the outcome is considered less likely.
Back a heavy favourite and the odds will be short, so the profit from a winning bet will be modest. Back an underdog at longer odds and the potential return increases, but so does the risk. This works the same way in NFL betting as it does across any other sport at Bally Bet.
Odds are displayed in fractional format as standard. Decimal and American moneyline formats are also available for those who prefer them. American odds are worth knowing about for NFL specifically, since they're the default format used by US sportsbooks and you'll encounter them in American coverage of the sport.
For a full breakdown of how to read odds across formats, our Reading Odds guide covers it in detail.
Singles and multiples
A single bet is one selection on one outcome. Back a team to win, and if they do, you're paid out at the odds available when you placed the bet. The simplest form of betting and usually the starting point.
Multiple bets combine more than one selection into a single bet, with the returns from each leg rolling into the next. They come in different sizes depending on how many selections you include.
A double is two selections combined. Both must win for the bet to pay out. The odds of each selection multiply together, so the potential return is higher than placing two separate singles, but one losing leg ends the whole bet.
A treble works the same way with three selections. Again, all three must win, and the odds multiply across each leg.
An accumulator - or acca - is four or more selections combined into one bet. The same principle applies: all legs must land, and the odds of each multiply together as you add selections. The more legs you add, the larger the potential return and the harder the bet is to land.
NFL accas work well across a Sunday's full slate of games, where multiple matches kick off simultaneously and you can combine several moneyline or spread selections into one bet.
A bet builder stacks different markets from within a single game: a spread selection, a player prop and a first-half total in the same match, for example. All legs must land, just as with an acca, and the odds multiply across each selection.
How NFL bets settle
NFL markets settle on the official result at the end of regulation time plus any overtime required to determine a winner.
Regular season games that end level in overtime are settled as ties for moneyline purposes, though this is rare. Check the specific market rules for how ties are handled on any given bet type.
