Handicapping when NFL betting is the quickest way one can go from being a square to becoming an expert. In essence, handicapping is when NFL fans betting online put in an extra effort to research everything there is to know about each game. By doing so these fans give themselves an advantage over the rest of the gambling world when placing their wagers. Here are eight steps to help you become a better handicapper.

1.      Watch the Games - This is the simplest method to handicapping, as a fair majority of football fans will bet on games, and then go do something else the day of the games. As well, many fans simply follow the box scores rather than the game itself. This is not a good indicator of how well your picks are doing. Instead if you do not have the stations for the games, it would be worthwhile to invest in the NFL package, watch the games online or go to a bar.

2.      Selectively Pick - The main difference between squares and expert football bettors, is that the squares bet every game. In order to improve your chances at success each Sunday, pick only a handful of games. On any given Sunday at least 20 teams are playing, of the 10 games, pick between three to five of the games.

3.      Get Informed - Perhaps the most important aspect to handicapping not only in football but in all sports is to get informed. What we mean by get informed, is to essentially know everything there is to know about all 30 NFL teams. This will help you greatly when placing your wagers.

4.      Find Trustworthy Stats- Although there are multiple sites to choose from, every internet site is going to try and sell you with their stats. We suggest you shop around and look for one site that day in and day out provides the most accurate football statistics. Look for the top fantasy football sites as they will have the best statistics.

5.      Track Teams - Even though they wear a lot of padding, football players get injured more than any other professional athlete. As a tip we suggest that when you are getting informed as we suggest in point three, you stay constantly updated and track the progress of every player. If a star player goes down on one team you may want to bet their opponent.

6.      Feel Safe with Top Teams - Annually there are four teams in each conference that dominate. These are the teams you should feel safest betting with as a team such as Indianapolis has been fantastic for the last decade and will be a safer pick then a team such as Jacksonville who makes a play once every three years.

7.      Variety Betting - Many fans stick to the classic win straight up, point spread and over under totals. We suggest on top of betting this way, you also bet via the parlay, teaser and halves bets as these are quite exciting options as well.

8.      Stick with It - Like anything, betting is no easy task. By sticking out the whole season, you may find that you enjoy betting on football, as opposed to leaving after one bad week. Further what you lose in one week can be made up in another.

Since the last Super Bowl championship for the Denver Broncos in 1998, fans around the world have continuously tested their hand at NFL betting. For the fan new to football betting we present to you two of the most enjoyable ways to gamble on football.

1.      Parlay Bets - Also known as the accumulator bet, parlays allow for fans to use a single bet to wager on more than one game. For instance, you can place a wager of two dollars and spread it out over eight games. In order to make back your two dollars plus the lines money you win from the betting line, you need each of your games to win. Parlay bets are attractive because of the low buy in fee and high payouts if you win.

2.      Over/Under Totals - This form of wagering allows for fans to bet on whether the total combined points in a single game will be higher or lower than what the bookie is predicting the final combined outcome to be. Here are three examples of the O/U:

Example 1: Total going under

Chargers
Bills
O/U 20
Final Score:  Chargers 10 Bills 7
The projected total by the bookie was 20, however for fans betting on the game going under the total, you were proven right, because the total was 17. In order to win the bet you needed a final score of 19 or lower.

Example 2: Total staying same
Chargers
Bills
O/U 20
Final Score: Chargers 20 Bills 0
The only way both sides lose is if the total of the actual game becomes the total that the bookie predicts. In this case the house collects all of the bets and no payout is given.

Example 3: Total going over
Chargers
Bills
O/U 20
Final Score: Chargers 20 Bills 21
To win in this scenario fans betting the game to go over the total of 20 would need for the outcome to be 21 or more points. As it turns out the total was 41 points.

Sports betting online has grown immensely over the last decade as fans attempt to gamble on their favorite teams. Throughout the decade, online betting sites have come up with 1000s of ways to wager on football. Here are the top five most frequently used gambling techniques.

1.      Teaser bets - This form of betting occurs when fans wager on two or more teams, while receiving lower points then the normal point spread. Essentially if you bet on two teams, the bookie would give you six points in which you could utilize between the two teams. Both teams in your two team teaser bet must win in order for you to become a winner. Another form of teaser is the three team bet in which you are given 10 points to work with. However the same rules apply only with three instead of two teams.

2.      Parlay bets - Essentially, when playing a parlay or accumulator, you have one bet spread out across a group of games. In order to win similar to teasers, you need all of the games to win. In a six team parlay, you would need all six teams to win in order for your bet to become a winner. Further when parlays are successful, bettors are able to make quite a bit of money.

3.      Point Spreads - To make betting lines more even, the point spread wager was designed by bookies, so that even if the underdog lost, you could still make money. How this works is that a bookie will set an imaginary number in which the loser and the winner have to cover by. A favorite in this form of wager is represented by a - sign while the underdog is represented by a + sign. Here is what a point spread bet looks like:
Bills -7
Browns+7
In order for fans betting on the bills to win, they have to defeat the browns by seven or more points. Conversely, the Browns have to either lose by fewer than seven or win the game outright in order for the fans betting the underdog to win.

4.      Money Lines - Rather than using points bettors use extra money to place wagers. For the favorite you have to bet more to get back less, while for the underdog you have to bet less to get back more. Here is how this looks:
Patriots -220
Lions +180
For fans betting on the patriots, they have to put down $220 to get back $100 on a Patriots win. While Lions fans have to put down $100 to get back $180.

5.      Totals Bet- Also known as the over/ under, the total bet is when fans wager on the total amount of points predicted by the bookie. In essence, if a bookie was to predict the total to be 25 and fans bet the total to go over, they would collect if the outcome on a match was 26 or more points. On the other hand, fans betting under the total would wager on the game going under 25 points and would win based on a total of 24 points or fewer.