A Beginners Guide to Betting College Games

Sunday, Sept. 20, 2015 | 2 a.m.

Sports betting can seem intimidating to many beginners, but it’s easier to get the hang of than you might think. College football is an especially great opportunity for beginners to hone their skills. There are more college games played than professional, and the games tend to be much faster, with more points scored.

Point spread bet

This is the most traditional and popular way to bet both college and NFL football. You wager either on the favorite or on the underdog to win. When the spread or line is released, typically a couple of days before the game, each team will be marked with a “+” or “–”. The team marked with the “+” is the underdog, and the team marked with the “–” is the favorite.

In this case, if you bet $110 on Team X (the favorite), you’ll win $210 (your bet of $110, plus $100 profit).

Moneyline bets

Moneyline bets are wagers on which team will win by any amount of points. When making a moneyline bet, it’s important to consider the odds for each team, which indicate what the payout will be if they win.

Total/Over-Under (O/U) Bets

Total bets are popular in college football because they tend to be the easiest wagers to beat. For this bet, the sports book predicts the game’s total combined score, and the bettor gambles on whether the total will be over or under the sports book’s predicted total.

In this case, if you bet $110 on over 49, you would win $210 (your bet of $110, plus $100 profit).

Parlay bets

Parlays can be risky bets, but the payout typically is high. To bet a parlay, you can use a spread, moneyline or total bet combined to increase the payout. The parlay can be a combination of several different bets, but the catch is, each must be a winner. If a single bet loses, your entire ticket loses, too.

A typical parlay payout structure:

Parlay cards are handy for all bettors, but beginners might find them particularly useful. The cards are laid out to make betting the parlay easier, and they offer lots of ways to bet your favorite teams. The payouts for parlay bets are so high, successful bettors are able to collect big on small bets.

Notes

Bet increments of $11 to win even increments: $11 wins $10, plus the money you bet; $110 wins $100, plus the money you bet.

When you win a bet, you receive your money back, plus whatever the odds are.

When making a spread bet, look for home teams as the underdogs. The home-field advantage tends to rear its head in college games. Although upsets do happen, it’s often when top-ranked teams are on the road.