Betting the National Football League (NFL) Playoffs

If you’ve had a good season betting on the National Football League the odds are pretty good that you are keen to put your luck and knowledge to the test once again in the post season.

Betting the National Football League (NFL) Playoffs It’s important to remember that the post season playoffs in the NFL, as in other sports leagues, is a totally different proposition than the regular season. Let’s take a look at some important things to consider when you’re betting on the NFL playoffs.

The first thing to do is to get in the heads of the players. In the regular season, you’ll probably notice that a lot of good teams win their games but don’t necessarily cover the spread. This is because the focus of a lot of teams during the season is to make the playoffs, and the players know that they don’t have to come out with 100% effort every minute of every game in order to accomplish their goal. They can afford to sit back a little bit when they have a good lead and maybe even make a few careless plays. It will even out in the end and as long as they keep winning, they won’t get burned.

The playoffs, on the other hand, are do or die affairs. The loss of one game means that the entire year is over and a team won’t have a chance again until the following year, when the long grind towards the playoffs will begin again. The approach of a successful sports bettor should take into account this shifting mentality on the part of a playoff team.

What the extra effort a team puts forth in the playoffs usually means is that they not only win their game, but also cover the spread when they are the favorites. In the regular season the spread can be poor value when it comes to sports betting, but when an entire team has one goal it tends to focus well. All of a sudden, the favorites are safe bets to cover. Don’t make this your only criteria when it comes to placing a bet, but it’s a good foundation to start with when it comes to deciding where to put your money.

Fans also tend to get into games more during the playoffs, and the energy can be picked up on by the home team. In fact in the playoffs the home team has a 60% chance of covering the spread, which is significantly higher than the chances of home teams during the regular season.

Of course the work you do and the knowledge you bring to the table outweigh statistics when it comes to sports betting. If you are sure that an NFL team is going to come out of a playoff game on top due to cohesiveness, coaching, records, or injuries even though they are neither the home team or the favorite, bet accordingly. Keeping those considerations in mind is just another weapon in your arsenal when it comes to successful handicapping.

Marshall

Published on 07/09/2007