NFL Odds Explanation





Welcome to the NFL odds page here at Sportsbook Review. This is where you'll find fresh betting odds on every football game being offered at the betting sites from the rating guide. You'll also find the lines history and consensus reports for each game as they become available. This information can help you make smarter decisions about where to place your wagers; think of it as a comprehensive price guide for sports bettors. (Explanations on NBA odds and NCAA basketball odds, as well as the odds for other major sports, are available through the links at the bottom of the page.)

The Settings menu near the top-right corner allows you to configure the NFL odds page to suit your needs. For example, you can choose whether to view the odds in American or decimal form, which time zone (of the four in the U.S.) to display, and whether to show the running scores of games in progress.

Near the top-left of the NFL odds page, you'll find drop-down menus that allow you to shift between sports leagues, and to select which betting lines you want to view: point spreads, moneylines, totals, or a combination of spreads and totals. You can also specify if you wish to view the NFL odds for the full game, for the first or second half, or any of the four quarters. Use the arrow keys to scroll through the available sportsbooks on our odds board.

Below the arrows, you'll see the opening lines at the sportsbook you chose from the Settings menu. You can mouse over the word “OPENER” to reveal the latest consensus numbers; this survey data shows how many bettors are on either side of the point spread, in the form of a percentage. For more detailed information, mouse over the area where those percentages were shown, and a blue information box will appear. Click on that box to see another menu divided into five categories: Information, Lines History, Injuries, Consensus, and Matchup.

Information: This indicates the time and location of the game, including the TV network it will be airing on. It also will tell you factors that could influence the game such as playing surface, weather, running score, etc.

Lines History: This is a running account of the odds as they change from the open to the close at each sportsbook on our list.

Injuries: This covers a list of injured players on both teams. It specifies the injury and the player's status.

Consensus: The consensus is a running account of how the action (in percentage of bettors) has changed since the open for the point spread, the moneyline, and the total.

Matchup: The Matchup contains a comprehensive list of stats for both teams, describing their performance both on the field and at the betting window. Links are provided to more detailed team and weather reports from local media outlets.

For even more information about the betting patterns, there's a second “Consensus” menu on the right side of the odds page, underlined and in blue text. You'll find survey data on the relative volume of bets being made, the size of the bets, and what percentage of the action (in terms of dollars) each team is receiving. This data is a reflection of how the market values the two teams in question and should not be read as a literal account of where the cash is flowing.

By taking in this data and interpreting it correctly, you can make more informed betting choices about the timing and sizing of your wagers.



