NFL Futures Betting
NFL Futures Betting
One way to think about your preferred betting style is to use the micro vs. macro betting framework. Micro betting revolves around individual games that you can bet on through game lines and props. Spreads, moneylines and totals are all part of the micro betting scope. Macro betting, on the other hand, involves following trends in the league and anticipating the direction of NFL football teams. If you like figuring out which teams are rebuilding and which teams will be competing for the Super Bowl, you’re a macro bettor, and you’ll find yourself gravitating towards the NFL futures betting market in our sportsbook. This is where all of our futures bets are located.
What is an NFL Futures Bet?
Betting on NFL futures involves wagering on a long-term event, depending on the NFL Odds. Despite the fact that you can place a futures bet any time of year, these bets tend to include postseason play, so a team needs to perform well during the regular season in order to be considered for post-season futures betting while also needing to perform come playoff time. Common futures bets include the winner of the Super Bowl, Conferences, and Divisions.
Super Bowl futures always start with all 32 teams in the league. Likewise, Conference futures always start with all 16 teams in a conference, and Division futures always start with all four teams in a division. As teams are eliminated from contention, they’re removed from the futures board. Here’s an example of what a Division futures bet would look like:
Pittsburgh Steelers —325
Baltimore Ravens +350
Cincinnati Bengals +800
Cleveland Browns +1700
To place the bet, simply tap the team you want and it will be added onto your bet slip. Type in the amount you want to stake and the payout for a successful bet will pop up in the “WIN” box.
The beauty of futures betting is in the value of the payout. In general, the further away the event is when you place your bet, the higher the potential payout is. That’s because there’s less information to go on early in the season. However, as we’ll see below, this isn’t always the case. To get an idea of how much odds shift throughout a season, let’s look at the Super Bowl odds from the 2017 season for the two finalists: the New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles.
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NFL Futures Betting Examples
Aug. 4: New England Patriots +375, Philadelphia Eagles +5000
Oct. 4: New England Patriots +500, Philadelphia Eagles +2200
Nov. 1: New England Patriots +350, Philadelphia Eagles +600
Jan. 3: New England Patriots +225, Philadelphia Eagles +1200
As mentioned, the best value is typically available pre-season, but in this example, you can see how there are times when odds take a dip during the regular season—usually in response to a losing streak or an injury to a key player. The 2017 New England Patriots started their season 2-2 before winning eight straight games. Sharp bettors enjoy taking advantage of these dips when they believe the team will bounce back from a slow start or dip in performance.
How Are Payouts Calculated for Futures Bets?
In our sportsbook, futures bets use American odds. These odds are expressed as positive or negative numbers that are typically in the hundreds or thousands. Positive numbers (ex. +500) display the amount of money you’d win off of a $100 bet. The bigger the number, the less likely the outcome. Negative numbers (ex. —160) display the amount of money you’d have to stake in order to win $100. The deeper the negative number, the more likely the outcome. As per our example, if you locked in the Philadelphia Eagles at +5000 pre-season, you would have won $5,000 on a $100 bet—not a bad return on your investment.
Betting on game lines is a great way to stay engaged in every step of a team’s journey throughout the season. But ultimately, it’s the futures bet that allows you to bet on what matters the most: Who will hoist the Vince Lombardi trophy at the conclusion of the Super Bowl.
