subject: College Football Betting - What To Know Before Placing That First Bet [print this page] Placing a bet on the outcome of a sporting event is a way to add extra suspense and excitement for some fans. If you placed a bet on the game, it will be even more exciting, especially if you bet on the underdog team that just won! But before you place that bet, you need to know exactly what you are getting into, and how college football betting works, because if you don't, your bank account may not be so happy.
With college football betting, you are almost always going to see picks you can bet on that are team based. In other sports like baseball or basketball, team based bets are still common, but you may also find bets based on individual players and their stats. Football is a team sport, so the bets here are team based as well. Bettors will want to know not just the odds for the team that they choose to bet on, but also everything about the team, including stats. An easy way to do this is to find a professional service that offers betting advice and tips.
With college football betting, there are usually two types of bets that you will find. The first is called a straight up bet, more commonly referred to as a moneyline bet. The second is a point spread bet. Moneyline bets are setup a little differently depending on where you are located. In the US, moneylines are used to show how much of a bet will be needed in order to win $100 on a favored team or how much is paid out for a $100 bet on an underdog team. For example, if you bet $100 and win $200, you are actually paid $300, the $200 in winnings, plus the initial $100 bet.
Point spread bets are setup differently, and are the most popular type of wager placed, especially with basketball and college football betting. Typically when betting on a point spread, the bettor will need to bet $110 to win $100. The extra $10 goes to the bookmaker if the bettor loses, which is usually referred to as the take. Those that bet for the team that is favored will only win the bet if the team wins by more than a specified margin of points. If a bet is placed on the underdog team, and they lose, the bettor can still win the bet if the team loses by fewer points than specified.
