First Half Betting

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If you have never tried to bet on first half odds or lines then you might be missing out on a little extra money, or some extra enjoyment that you could be having with your football betting. You see, the amount of money bet on these lines pales in comparison to what is wagered on the NFL odds or college football odds for the entire game. That means that you can bet the odds makers are putting a lot more thought into making sure those numbers are accurate than they are into if the first half point spreads are on target. Most of the time they simply take the spread for the entire game, divide it by two, then add a small percentage upwards to adjust. Casual bettors love these kinds of wagers because they can take a huge favorite, and then not have to lay such a high number. The thought on most of these plays is that the team will blow out their opponent early and then in the second half rest their players or coast in to take the victory. Professional players love to play these odds because they know that if you shop around at the different NFL sportsbooks out there, you are going to find a wide variety of numbers to choose from.

This leaves a problem for the odds maker. Does he adjust the line according to the public, who loves to play favorites and the better team really does normally pull ahead in the first half, or does he make the adjust and leave the door open for a sharp bettor to come in and make a big bet that shows value. We think you can find better numbers in the first half than you can if you are betting on halftime lines.

How do the lines get set? Let’s take a look at some key points.

Line is between 4-7: Then you will usually see the number cut in half, with an emphasis on having it land on the magical number of three. The sportsbook will just change the juice on the three, so if the game is four or five, then you will see an inflated price on the three, like -120 or -130. Just the opposite if the line for the game is six or seven, then the favorite will be carrying the extra juice.

Line is 3: You’ll see them get creative here, since they won’t just cut the spread in half to 1.5. They have to drastically change the juice one way or another, then probably land the first half line at 1.

Line is under 3: You can’t do something like make the favorite a half point favorite, because that would entice action on the dog, and it would be smart money since ties go to them. Most of the time you’ll see a pick em here with off-standard juice on the favorite.

Line is 10 or more: You’ll see the line cut in half and then a point or more added to the favorite, following the strategy above that teams get big leads then coast or try to milk out the clock.

Does your local offer you these kinds of bets? If not then maybe it’s time to look for an online sportsbook that does? We have several top choices available, and you can get free premium picks if you tell them our site sent you.

Also, take a look at the second half betting article that we wrote, to further your knowledge of how you can win money over the books.

Win more this year with the football picks offered at our site!

About the Author: Jimmy Boyd is known for his consistency. He's a proven winner in college and pro football, college and pro basketball and pro baseball. He finished as the No. 1 ranked MLB handicapper in 2007 by earning $1,000/game bettors $50,050. He also finished as the No. 1 ranked basketball handicapper in the 2008-09 season, profiting $1,000/game bettors 38,530. His basketball plays have banked $1,000/game bettors nearly $80,000 the last five years. Check out Jimmy's premium picks for tonight!
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