Betting The Spread In Football

Get the latest NFL Super Bowl picks from CBS Sports. Experts weigh in with analysis and provide premium picks for upcoming NFL games. Visit ESPN to view NFL odds, point spreads and moneylines from this week's games.

Bet
  • Where to Bet:

How to read Super Bowl 55 Odds

The Kansas City Chiefs wil meet the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl 55 from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on Feb. 7, 2021.

The Chiefs opened as -3.5 betting favorites while the Buccaneers are 3.5 underdogs.

After early wagers came in, most operators are holding Kansas City -3 (-120).

If you were to wager on Kansas City -3, you would have to lay 5/6 odds (Bet $120 to win $100) instead of your normal 10/11 juice (Bet $110 to win $100).

The return on Tampa Bay would be even-money (1/1) and a $100 wager would return $100.

The total or over-under on Super Bowl 55 is hovering between 56 and 57 points.

How to read NFL Las Vegas Odds

The point-spread was developed to provide a balance for both teams involved in a contest to entice bettors to potentially back the weaker team and receive points. The two squads in a game are listed with a title, either a favorite or an underdog. The favorite is usually the perceived better team in the game, as backing them means giving up several points.

The favorite is always listed with a minus (-) sign before the point-spread while the underdog is labeled with a plus (+) label.

Ex. Favorite -10, Underdog +10

On the VegasInsider.com odds page, there is another number associated with the favorite and its listed as -10. This number is simply defined as “vig” or what many in the sports betting industry call vigorish. Another common term is called “juice” and it’s technically the price the bettor has to pay on a straight wager.

Ex. Bet $110 to win $100 (10% juice)
Ex. Bet $100 to win $90.91 (10% juice)

It's not uncommon to see other values posted other than -10. Examples seen on the NFL Vegas Odds pages could include -08, -12, -15 and -20. The -10 price is the most common value in the industry while many books offer reduced 'juice odds' and that would fall into the -08 category.

The lower-juice sportsbooks are normally found outside of the state Nevada. If you are in a state where sports betting is legal, please check out our online sportsbook directory to find the best and most secure places to make NFL bets.

Another number that’s posted on the NFL Las Vegas is the total or ‘over/under’ for the specific matchup. If the favorite is designated as the home team, then the total will be listed above and vice versa if the visitors are favorites.

All of the above numbers are listed next to the teams, and before each matchup is a Rotation number. The NFL Las Vegas Odds are listed in order of rotation and those numbers are generated and produced by the sportsbooks. Above each matchup and rotation is the Time of the game, which is subject to change. All game times are Eastern Standard Time.

NFL Open Line

One of the best features on the NFL Vegas Odds is the Open Line. This numbers consists of the first betting line received from one of our Las Vegas or Global Sportsbooks. The opening line varies depending on the sportsbook but it provides a clear-cut rating that the oddsmakers use. If you’re betting on the NFL or any other sport, it’s a great idea to view the open line first.

VI Consensus NFL Line

The VegasInsider.com Consensus NFL Line is just as important as the Open Line and also a key resource on odds platform. The Consensus column could be called a “Median Line” since it shows the most consistent number provided by the sportsbooks on VegasInsider.com. The consensus line will be the same as the open line but once the wagers start coming in, this number is often different than the openers.

How do I bet on the Super Bowl?

We know that you can bet on the Super Bowl and all of NFL Futures or bet on the NFL Draft at any time of the year, but what’s the process? The future wager or the “Odds to Win” bet on the Super Bowl is correctly selecting a team to win an event that takes place at a later time. A bettor will have his wagered money tied up until there is an outcome and bettors will receive fixed odds when they place the wager. In the case of the Super Bowl, you’re not a winner or loser until you see zeros on the clock in the final game.

Most sportsbooks offer different ways to read to Super Bowl Odds. In the fractional NFL Futures Odds format below, you simply take the odds and multiply by the amount wagered.

Ex. Green Bay (8/1) to win the Super Bowl

The Packers are listed as an 8/1 betting choice to win the Super Bowl. If you wager $100 on Green Bay to win the NFC and they capture the championship, then you would win $800 (8 ÷ 1 x 100). Your online betting account would then credit your account $900, which includes your win and stake ($100).

The American Format would see Green Bay listed at +800 and for the Decimal Format, the Packers would be 9.00.

If you are in a state where online betting is legal, we encourage you to check out our sportsbook directory to find the most trustworthy and reputable sites and mobile apps to place your Super Bowl bets.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Kansas City Chiefs are set to play in the 2021 Super Bowl Sunday with kickoff scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla. SportsbookWire has you covered with picks and predictions for all the best bets in Super Bowl LV. Below, we’ll look at the updated odds and lines for the Big Game, break down the line movement at BetMGM Sportsbook and highlight some of the biggest bets placed on Super Bowl 55.

This is expected to be one of the most-heavily bet Super Bowls ever with the spreading legalization of online and mobile sports betting at legal sportsbooks in the United States.

Also see:Chiefs vs. Buccaneers odds, picks and prediction

2021 Super Bowl odds and lines

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Saturday at 3:40 p.m. ET.

Money line: Chiefs -160 (bet $160 to win $100) Buccaneers +135 (bet $100 to win $135)Against the spread/ATS: Chiefs -3 (-115) Buccaneers +3 (-105)Betting The Spread In FootballOver/Under: 56.5 (O: -110 U: -110)

Special Betting Promotion!

BET $1, WIN $100 (in free bets) if the team you bet on in the Big Game wins. Offer available in CO, IA, IN, MI, NJ, PA, TN, VA and WV. Place all of your legal, online sports bets at BetMGM! Terms and conditions apply. Bet on the Big Game now!

2021 Super Bowl line movement

Also see:Bet Slippin’ Podcast

Super Bowl spread

The Chiefs are the public’s favorite for Super Bowl 55 with 60% of against the spread bets placed on Kansas City. The Chiefs opened as 3.5-point favorites but some big bets placed on the Buccaneers have dropped the line to a flat 3 points with 52% of the 2021 Super Bowl betting handle placed on Tampa Bay.

The Chiefs still need to win by at least 4 points in order to cover the spread. A win by exactly 3 points now results in a push and all ATS bets being refunded instead of a 3-point loss counting as an ATS win for the Buccaneers.

Betting Football Nfl

Super Bowl Over/Under

Unlike the spread, sharps and the public are aligned with the total. BetMGM reports 66% of O/U tickets and 62% of the handle are both on the Over; however, the line has dropped from an opener of 57.5 to 56.5.

The Chiefs and Buccaneers combining to score 57 or more points is a win for those holding Over tickets on the current total and a final score adding up to 56 or fewer points is a win for the Under.

Special NFL Betting Offer

BET $1 on Buccaneers money line, WIN $100 (in free bets) if Tom Brady throws a TD pass against the Chiefs. Offer available in CO, IA, IN, MI, NJ, PA, TN, VA and WV. Place all of your legal, online sports bets at BetMGM! Terms and conditions apply. Bet on Bucs now!

2021 Super Bowl notable bets

Also see:$2.3M bet placed on Bucs to cover

$2.3 million to win $2 million on Buccaneers +3.5$345K to win $300K Buccaneers +3.5 (-115)$205K to win $186,363.65 Chiefs/Bucs under 56.5$180K to win $100K on Chiefs (-180) money line$115K to win $100K on Chiefs -3.5 (-115)$110K to win $100K on Chiefs -3.5 (-110)

Don’t miss: Play our new, free daily Pick’em Challenge and win! Play now!

Want action on the Big Game? Sign up and bet at BetMGM. If you’re looking for more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com. Please gamble responsibly.

Betting The Spread In Football

Also see:

How To Bet The Spread In Football

How to bet the 2021 Super Bowl2021 Super Bowl MVP odds, picks and prediction

Betting The Line In Football

Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and like us on Facebook.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.