NFL Halftime Betting

Most casual NFL bettors stick with typical wagers that cover the entire game. But as people get more involved with NFL betting, they gravitate towards other types of bets such as halftime wagers.

As the name implies, a halftime bet is entirely based on the second half outcome of a game. Nothing from the first half applies to the 'spread' and 'totals' lines for halftime bets. Rather than just stopping with a simple definition, let's further cover this topic with a couple of examples.

Here's how NFL Halftime Betting works

Let's say that the Chicago Bears are playing the Detroit Lions and beating them 14-7 at halftime. Oddsmakers then set the second half spread at -3.5 for the Bears. Now let's assume that you bet on Chicago to cover the spread and the final score is 28-18. The Bears outscored the Lions 14-11 in this game's second half. Unfortunately, Chicago missed covering the -3.5 second half spread and you would lose your wager in this instance.

As for another example, let's assume that the Cleveland Browns are playing the favored Indianapolis Colts and winning 13-10. Seeing as how the Colts were expected to win our fictional game, bookmakers put them as a -4.5 favorite in the second half; you make this wager. Indianapolis does come back to win and the score ends up being 27-20. Because the Colts outscored Cleveland 17-7 and covered the -4.5 spread, you'd win this bet.

One more thing worth mentioning here is how sportsbooks usually offer totals lines too. Using the Indianapolis and Cleveland game again, bookies might set the totals line at 20. So if you would've bet on these two teams to cover the total, you'd again be a winner since 24 points were scored in the second half.

A Limited Time Frame

Anybody who's watching an NFL game might feel as if the half lasts forever. However, the truth is that the half only runs for 15 minutes before a game picks back up again. This being said, bettors truly have a limited amount of time to place their halftime wager.

Because you don't have much time to think about the matter, it's really important to watch the game's first half. Doing so will help you analyze how both teams are playing and figure out who's more likely to cover the spread in the second half.

Of course, it's also nice if you do some research before the game to find out how both teams typically fare in the second half. Some teams have a tendency to start out sluggish and get better as the contest goes on. So remember to keep looking up tips and advice in order to improve your chances of NFL halftime betting success.