NFL Football Betting - Three Football Handicapping (football prediction) Tips to Make You a Pro This NFL Betting Season

NFL Handicapping (football prediction) Tip One

This should go without saying, but watch those lines. Every week there are lines that make no sense at all. Remember, the lines aren't a prediction. They're there to split the public's bet in half. And the public is usually wrong.

If a line doesn't make sense to you and you see the public all over a side, take a close look.

NFL Handicapping (football prediction) Tip Two

Football parlay bets are lotto tickets. Hey, I know. You love the parlay tickets. Who doesn't? That's why they're there. There's nothing I like more than walking up to the window and cashing in a 8-team ticket for big cash.

But remember this. Bet football parlay tickets in moderation. Don't let them be your main source of sports betting. Throwing down a parlay or two each week of the NFL season is fine. Just make sure you're betting enough sides action to take home cash weekly.

NFL Handicapping (football prediction) Tip Three

Always pay attention to the weather conditions if the game isn't in a dome. The weather can play a big part in the outcome.

Remember the Seahawks vs. Packers playoff game in the 2007 NFL season? The Seahawks jumped out the a 14-0 lead and it looked like curtains for the Pack. However, the Packer came back and owned the game. Why? Did Brett Favre suddenly hit his stride? Were the Packers just a slow-starting team?

Nope. It was the weather. You see, the Seahawks had a good defense, but it was a speed-based defense and this type of defense needs one thing-good traction. Go watch the game again. As soon as the field started going, so did the defense. Next thing you know, they couldn't stop me with the ball.

And that's why understanding the weather and how it will affect the teams involved is such a big factor in football handicapping. It can make all the difference in the world.

A common mistake most bettors make when handicapping college and NFL football is the lack of versatility in their handicapping methods. Some use power ratings, some use gut and feel, and others may use a computer program. Any of these methods alone often are not enough to overcome the bookmakers sharp opinion on a football game. We feel that by combining a little of each method after you have established your current power rated number can stick a few more winners in your pocket come seasons end. The next time you sit down and start football handicapping the weeks College and NFL games keep this page for reference. The first one we are going to cover refers to both college and pro football but lets call it a part of NFL handicapping since the example used is 2 pro football teams.

There are 3 different types of contributing factors that will most likely decide a football contest. The one we are going to cover today is the abstract factors. These are things that are not related to the talent each team brings to the field of play. Some examples would be weather, unexpected injuries during the contest, bad calls by the officials, crowd noise, bad bounces, and one in a million type plays. With the exception of weather, these are factors that you cannot foresee or predict, and even the weather is unpredictable at times.

Here is a situation from the pros involving abstractual football handicapping. You have Cleveland +13 over Cincinnati. You felt this was a good spot for the Browns as they normally play a tight game with the Bengals. Throughout the game it is tight and with 2 minutes left Cincinnati scores a TD to take a 16-9 lead. The Browns drive down to the Bengal 5 yard line, and on the next play Cincinnati picks off the Cleveland QB and runs it back for a touchdown. This would be a great example of an abstract situation having the right side and having the game pegged as a close one but still losing money because of an atypical play.

You have no control over the abstract things that happen in games, so it really doesn’t play a big role in your own football handicapping. The only thing you can do is hope that over the course of the season, these abstract factors even themselves out for and against you. The best piece of advice we can offer in this article is don’t let the abstract factor get you down or effect you for the next weeks slate of games.

NFL Handicapping Strategies

1. Don't pay for information. Pay for ANALYSIS of the information.

Previously, NFL handicapping services claimed they had "inside info" on games that gave them the edge - info that no one else had or knew of. Nowadays Sports handicappers will rarely have any information that will not also be available to the general public. Good handicappers will have done hours of research and hard work to find the information, and the Best handicappers will have also analyzed that information to come to a conclusion as to how they feel game will unfold.

The Internet makes all of this information readily available, and punters should never have to pay for stats or trends. Go to ESPN or Sportsline and then ask yourself why you would pay a website hundreds of dollars for the same stats that are yours for free? Most casual NFL punters, who bet for recreation and enjoyment, don't have the time - not the inclination, to spend hours looking at stats and interpreting them. For this reason, legitimate sports handicapping services exist, and offer expertise at reasonable prices, but never selling one something that does not exist.

2. Injuries are overrated in NFL handicapping.

3.Go with your gut instinct when you handicap football.

4.Put yourself in a position to win.

5.Handicappers must understand money management.