Many football bettors overlook the additional value that alternate NFL betting lines offer. They stick with the regular point spread, the money line, or the total. In this article we will show you the benefits of looking at alternate lines when you are searching for additional value. Alternate lines usually offer four additional options: the alternate high, alternate low, alternate extra high and alternate extra low. Pinnacle gives an example on their website of what alternate lines might look compared to a regular spread. They use the Bears in their illustration.
If the regular line on the Bears is -2 ½ (-115), the alternate lines would look something like this: Bears at -7 ½ (+230), +3 ½ (-230), -10 ½ (+320), and +7 ½ (-385). These lines offer you the chance to find better value than the regular line offers.
This is especially true early in the football season, when most of the lines are based on perception rather than results. The betting public goes into the season with a certain view on the teams’ strengths and rankings in the league. There will be more action on the supposed favorites, based on the big names alone.
And that is your chance to look for value. The Colts, for example, went into Week 1 of the 2009 season as the 6 ½ point favorite to beat the Jaguars. They won the game, but didn’t come close to covering, as the final score was 14-12. Using an alternate line could have helped you avoid a losing bet, or added more value if you were sure the Jaguars were going to keep this one close.
The alternate lines come in handy every time you expect a close football game, especially if you have two games with a defensive-oriented, run-first style. If you want to place your wager on the favorite, you could use a reduced line to adjust for the close margin of victory you expect. You might end up with a smaller payout, but you will end up on top.
If you like the underdog to win the game outright for a good reason, an alternate line can help you extract additional value from a game. Find an alternate line that actually favors the NFL underdog by a small margin, and get more money in return than you would on the straight moneyline.
Alternate lines open up a very interesting option. You can basically build your own spread by combining bets on the regular spread and the alternate line. When betting on the NFL, you can invest your money in a way that accounts for all the information you have gathered in regards to the game. Your own spread lets you use your money so that the combined bets reflect the level of risk and reward that you would like for the game.
But there is more. When you look at a football team like the Saints in the 2009 season, you can easily see that you could have made additional money by betting on alternate lines. While they were heavy favorites week in and week out, they consistently beat their opponents by even higher margins. Higher alternate lines could have helped you make more money here.
When looking at the scoring system in football, it becomes obvious to handicappers that the key numbers in betting are three and seven, the point values of a touchdown and a field goal. Oddsmakers often set the lines so that the favorite is just below those key numbers, and by using the alternate line, you can avoid this “trap” the bookies set.
An alternate line could also help you overcome the inconsistency of pass-heavy teams. If the offense of such a team is clicking, they can win by high margins. However, if they are struggling they can lose big.
In this case, an alternate line can help you increase the payout in a relatively safe bet. This could make up for another day where you expect the team to win, but some glitches in their offense end up costing them the game.
Alternate lines for the NFL offer you a variety of options. Check those football lines for additional value, if you feel that by following the league closely and taking into account all the factors that can influence a game, you have gained information that gives you an advantage in handicapping a game, make sure to give the NFL Alternate Betting Lines a look.
