Four very important areas to focus on when betting on NFL games.

1. NFL Parity – The NFL focuses each year on parity between the teams. On any given weekend, any team can win. Why not score some points with your selections?

2. A win is a win: Unlike college football, most teams (except New England) don’t try to run up the scoring in games. A large percentage of the lines are covered by teams that close the gaps at the end of games. There is no voter poll to impress.

3. No Respect – Obviously, Las Vegas is well aware of the favorite betting trend. It is always the same concept, if I had to bet my mortgage I would take Pittsburgh -7.5. Your average punter can’t help but pick the favorite, but the pros know how to scout the underdog.

4. The difference in points matters less than you think. Historically, point spread matters in the NFL only about 16% of the time. In other words, 84% of the time, the team that covers the spread also wins. If you combine this with a lot of research, you can really find some great advantages in the NFL.

When you combine these four very important principles in professional football betting, you’ll see why underdogs are often a very good play. The idea is to be able to find big advantages on underdogs on a consistent basis.

Obviously, he’ll like to incorporate a mix of favorites and underdogs into his picks on a weekly basis. However, good research and good stats will usually find more advantages on underdogs with great potential.

In the NFL, home dogs that have solid defenses and the ability to rush the ball will simply find ways to throw down the line. If you can find where the audience is in your bets, simply following the line moves will reveal some strong underdogs. You know you’ve become a very effective handicap when you check your line sheet Monday morning and can pick games before the lines jump. When the lines move your way, you are what the public considers Sharp Money.

Effective sports betting incorporates the ability to fade the crowd, understanding cheating, the courage to take on weak teams in strange situations, calculating important statistics and trends, and our personal favorite, knowing what’s going on inside the locker room.