Even when you win 55% of your bets, you will come out consistently ahead. This is, however, easier said than done and involves more than a little bit reading and checking the injury reports. If Paul the octopus picked every winner within the recent soccer World Cup, picking winning football teams should be just as easy, right? Wrong. If it were that easy, numerous people will be making money and also the sports books might have to go out of business. If winning at football betting involves some knowledge, some strategy and, allow us to face it, a dash of luck, it is because the bookmakers set very tight lines for the games. In contrast, if you keep the following tips in mind, it should boost your chances of winning.

Bet as early while you can. Many of the sports books post their lines as early since they can and some offshore books do this by Sunday afternoon for the following week’s games. If you find a game and odds that you like make certain that there are actually no serious injury problems for the team that you pick. Bookmakers are not perfect and will make mistakes in setting the line. Pounce early before heavy betting irons out the mistakes.

Focus on several teams. Because knowledge is essential, if you concentrate on several teams, you may build up a substantial quantity of knowledge which you can use in making your bets. Also limit your betting to just a couple of games every Sunday.

Avoid heavy favorites. The crowd loves favorites and will rush to bet on them. In contrast, they may be not good choices if you want to maintain your 55% average in winning bets. Even if you do win a few, the payouts will be small. The very best strategy is to bet on short priced underdogs because, when you win, you generally make more than you have bet.

Use totals judiciously. Totals set early in the week are typically based upon predictions of good weather. In late season games, rain or snow sometimes affects the scoring and a heavy wind more often than not keeps scoring down. In these conditions, you would do well by betting the Under

Use yards per play ranking. One method of evaluating teams is to look at the offensive yards gained per play and also the defensive yards given away per play. Teams that gain more than they lose find yourself winning more games. The statistics are easily available and you’ll calculate the difference with a positive difference being an advantage. The rule of thumb to calculate a points spread from the yardage differential is the fact that every 0.15 yards is worth one point. A differential of 0.60 yards between the two teams may be worth four points. As with all betting tools, use your other data and information to confirm your findings.

Do not avoid teasers. There is a common perception that teasers are a rip-off and thus best avoided. Under certain circumstances, an NFL teaser which is a two-game parlay bet may make sense.

Pay attention to the injury reports. Read the Full Post the injury reports carefully to find out what difference it’s going to make to the performance of your chosen team. Don’t just look-at key players because all of the guys within the team have to perform at their peak.