How to bet on NFL playoffs games: Betting guide to 2024 postseason
Ahead of the NFL Super Bowl kicking off, the Inquirer’s betting expert is here to teach you everything you need to know about how to bet on NFL playoffs games. With Kentucky sports betting now live, the 2024 playoffs will be the first one for Kentucky residents tobet on.
Best NFL playoffs promo codes
What is the NFL postseason schedule?
Understanding NFL playoffs odds
If you’re new to sports betting as a whole, you may not be completely sure how betting odds work. The Inquirer is here to teach you everything you need to know about NFL playoff odds and how they work.
For beginners, you need to know who the underdog and favorite are. The team or outcome that’s favored will have a negative (-). Meanwhile, the underdog will have a positive (+) sign.
Betting on the underdog will win you more money than betting on the favorite. Now, let’s take a look at some odds.
In this example, you can see the New York Giants are at +240 odds to win the game, while the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are at -120.
If you wager on the Giants at +240, that number tells you how much you could win if you bet $100. If you bet on the Buccaneers at -120, it’s opposite that, meaning you’ll win $100 if you bet $120.
When odds aren’t at an even number like that, it can be a bit more difficult to know how much you’ll win pending on what you bet.
Luckily, every sportsbook allows you to see how much your potential payout is when you type in how much you’d like to wager. If you aren’t happy with the number, just delete it and keep putting in new amounts until you find one you’re satisfied with.
Understanding NFL playoffs betting markets
NFL moneyline odds
In any sport you bet on, moneyline odds are the most common and easy way to wager. This is true whether in NFL playoff betting or if you’re betting on a different sport like billiards.
Moneyline odds are the odds of each team winning the game. If we use the earlier example with the Giants and Buccaneers, those odds were moneyline odds.
You just have to pick the team you think will win the game and stake your claim to them. This is the easiest way to wager because it’s the point of view in sports that’s most broad.
If you’re more interested in the specifics of how the game plays out and how the outcome is achieved, the types of wagers below will go into further detail.
NFL playoffs totals markets
The next simplest NFL playoff betting odds to understand are totals markets.
When you wager on a totals market, you’re betting on if you think the two NFL teams will combine for over or under the point threshold set by your sportsbook.
In this example, you can see that the total point projection for the Steelers vs Ravens playoff game is 45.5.
The over will always be on the top half of the wager, while the under is always on the bottom. Even though there will be a team next to each of the selections, remember that totals markets are a combination of points scored by both teams.
The odds you’ll see on totals markets will more often than not be -110, but they can vary.
NFL playoffs spread markets
Spread markets are arguably the most popular form of sports betting throughout the NFL season. Sportsbooks that partner with the NFL always emphasize the spread because of how popular these kinds of bets are.
Spread bets are easier to comprehend than you might think.
In our example here, the Minnesota Vikings (-3.5) are slight favorites over the Green Bay Packers (+3.5). If you were to wager on the underdog Packers, you could win your bet in two ways.
If the Packers win the game, you’ll win your wager. The other way to win is if the Packers don’t win by three or less points.
But if you bet on the Vikings, you need them to not only win the game, but you need them to do so by four or more points.
There are some instances where the spread for a game ends is an even number. If you bet on the favorite and they win by the exact number of the prop you wagered, your result is a push, meaning your stake will be returned in what’s essentially a draw.
NFL playoffs parlay markets
Spread, moneyline, and totals bets are the most common types of bets, but lots of bettors don’t want to wager on just one type of bet.
If you’re someone who wants to bet on multiple wagers at once, you can do so by constructing a parlay.
Your parlay can have five, ten, or as many legs as your sportsbook allows. A leg is just another way of saying an individual bet that you’ve placed in your parlay. An example of a parlay for a day of NFL playoffs could look like this.
When betting on a parlay, confidence is even more important than when wagering on a single bet. This is because if even one leg of your parlay doesn’t go as you predicted, your parlay will be unsuccessful and you’ll walk away empty handed.
The only exception to this rule is if you’re taking advantage of a promotion that offers parlay insurance. Sportsbooks will sometimes run a promotion where you can receive a bet credit or have your parlay hit if one of your legs doesn’t win.
If you don’t want to create your own parlay, you can take advantage of pre-built parlays sportsbooks have available.
The most recognizable sportsbooks will have parlays constructed for major events like the wild-card round or divisional round. You’ll also tend to find pre-built parlays each week of the regular season, and primetime games specifically.
The more legs you throw into your parlay, the more your potential payout could be.
NFL playoffs prop markets
Prop markets are where the depths of the game begin to get explored deeper. Prop bets let you wager on specific players and what kind of stats or production they’ll put up. You can also wager on game props, which encompass how well a team performed in certain areas.
Below are more details and examples on both types.
Game prop bets
Game prop bets are sometimes referred to as team bets, because you’re betting on how specific NFL teams will do.
You’ll often find totals in game props that aren’t about how many points a team will score. These totals can be about how many sacks, rushing yards, or passing touchdowns a team will have.
Here are examples of all sorts of game prop bets you’ll come across during NFL playoff games.
Will the Seattle Seahawks rush for over 95.5 rushing yards?
Which team will record more sacks in the game?
Will there be overtime?
Which team will score the first points of the game?
What kind of scoring play will open up the game?
Player prop bets
Player prop bets take you deep into the game from the players side of things. You’re wagering on certain criteria for NFL players, with some props similar in nature to the game props mentioned above.
These types of wagers can encompass a wide range of markets. Some of the ones you’ll see include:
Will Josh Allen throw over three passing touchdowns?
Will Justin Jefferson get over 75.7 receiving yards?
Which player will score more sacks in the game?
Will Marlon Humphrey record an interception?
Will Derrick Henry rush for over 90.5 rushing yards?
Odds boosts prop bets
An odds boost means the odds for a particular prop are increased, which gives you a higher payout than normal.
Odds boosts props are determined and sent out by the sportsbook before a game begins. These bets don’t always have to be from the same sport either.
On nights when there’s a lot of sporting action from multiple leagues, odds boosts can include bets from the different leagues.
Some odds boost props will only include one bet. The bets with less wagers included will have lower boosted odds than those with a higher number of wagers.
Below are examples of a couple different odds boost prop bets you may come across. Some of them have one necessary outcome, while others have numerous.
NFL playoffs futures markets
Futures markets are more common to wager on during the NFL season rather than the playoffs. That said, you can still place futures bets during the wild-card round, and every other round of the NFL playoffs.
Futures bets are wagers you place that won’t be resolved that day. Typically, futures bets don’t get resolved until the postseason.
The most common futures bet you’ll find is who the Super Bowl winner will be. Individual player awards like who will win the MVP, comeback player of the year, coach of the year, etc.., are also available to wager on.
You can even wager on who will win each respective conference and division.
When the Super Bowl is over, you won’t have to wait long before sportsbooks open up the doors to bet on the next year’s Super Bowl winner. Other futures bets will also be available to you shortly following the conclusion of the NFL playoffs.
NFL playoffs live betting markets
Live betting is a popular way of betting that has continued to rise in popularity over recent years. Live betting allows you to wager on a game as it’s happening live.
Before online sportsbooks, you would go to your retail sportsbook and place your wager pre-game. But thanks to technology increasing and sportsbooks adopting presences online, players can wager on the game in real time.
Odds are always changing when you’re betting on live sports. So if you see odds you like at some point in the game, it’s smart to take them before they change.
Many sportsbooks allow you the ability to live stream games as well. The sportsbooks that allow you to live stream games tend to have the best live betting lines, and make it incredibly easy to access their live bets.
Can I place online NFL playoff bets in my state?
Guide to placing your NFL playoff bets
Click on the offer link in the table atop this piece to be directed to whichever sportsbook you wish
Begin registering for your sportsbook account and type in a promo code if your offer requires one
Read the terms and conditions your sportsbook has for your welcome offer
Finish setting up your account
Make your initial deposit
Find the NFL playoff betting market you want to wager on and add it to your bet slip
Place your bet and if your bet wins, your winnings will be paid out in full after it’s been settled
If your bets pushes, your wager will be void and your stake will be returned to you in full
How to bet on NFL playoff games FAQs
What NFL playoff betting tips are there?
When it comes to tips for NFL playoffs betting, a lot of the same regular season betting tips apply.
Looking at head to head history is our top suggestion, especially if the two teams facing off are division rivals. Because of how familiar rivals are with one another, seeing who has gotten the better of the other most recently is important.
In the NFL playoffs, whichever team is home also has a significant advantage. For example, the Kansas City Chiefs are 8-2 entering the 2023 postseason in home playoff games with Patrick Mahomes at quarterback.
Seeing how teams faired on the road during the regular season may also give you a better idea of how to pick the game.
Finally, be sure to check the injury report for each game before wagering on it. The last thing you’d want is a key player to be ruled out due to injury and you weren’t aware of it going into kickoff.
Can I live stream the NFL playoffs on my sportsbook?
With live streaming becoming more popular and people cutting their cable bills, this is a commonly asked question that’s incredibly valid.
However, the reality of the situation is that the majority of sportsbooks with live streaming capabilities have yet to expand into the NFL scene.
One of the marquee NFL betting sites, Caesars Sportsbook, began introducing live streaming to their platform in the second half of the 2022 regular season.
However, they’ve only broadcasted select games, and will only broadcast select playoff games, with time being the only way to tell which games are shown.
Other NFL betting sites like BetMGM have live streaming, but not for the NFL.
Which sportsbook has the best welcome offer for me to sign-up with?
There are more sportsbooks operational in the country today than ever before, so the Inquirer understands it can be tricky deciding which welcome offer to sign-up with.
If you’re looking for the sportsbooks with the best welcome offers, you need look no further than Caesars, BetMGM, and FanDuel.
Although other sportsbooks have generous welcome bonuses that reward you handsomely upon sign-up, these three stand out above the rest of their competitors.
All of their welcome offers can be redeemed by clicking on the offer in the table atop this piece and using the necessary promo code if your sportsbook requires one.
How do I know which sportsbook to choose?
If you’re looking for a sportsbook and the welcome offer isn’t your main source of concern, there are other factors you can look out for.
Having a well-designed user interphase is arguably the most important thing to look for. If finding your way around the platform is difficult, you might want to look for a more clean user experience elsewhere.
Live streaming is another thing a lot of people care about and look for in a sportsbook, as mentioned earlier.
Of course, having competitive odds on wagers to make sure you receive your money’s worth is important. Finding the sportsbook with the best odds often comes down to trial and error.
Finally, check to see what promotions for returning customers your sportsbook offers. The best sportsbooks will continue to reward customers who return to their platform beyond using their sign-up bonus.
Especially during a time as thrilling as the NFL playoffs, it’s important a sportsbook runs promotions at the right times.
Can I win real money wagering on the NFL playoffs?
Yes, just like if you were to wager on the NFL regular season, you can win real money betting on the NFL playoffs. This holds true whether it’s wild-card weekend or the Super Bowl.
But just like any time you wager, it’s important to do so responsibly. Don’t chase your losses and always keep a responsible head about you when choosing how much to wager and what you’re wagering it on.
The Inquirer is not an online gambling operator, or a gambling site. We provide this information about sports betting for entertainment purposes only.
