Start by classifying the two teams – positive (+) odds will be shown for the underdog and negative (-) odds for the favorite. The betting line will have several columns next to the teams: the first column is for the point spread, the second is for the moneyline, and the third is for total match points (over/under). These are all the most common types of NFL bet to place and so are grouped for easy access.
In the example below, the line shows that the Chiefs are the favorites and the Texans are the underdogs. If you’re betting on the point spread, you have two options. The first is to bet on the Chiefs -9.5, and your bet would be paid out if they went on to win by 10 or more points. Alternatively, you could bet on the Texans +9.5. In this case, they’d simply have to lose by less than 10 points for the bet to pay out as a winner. The moneyline is an outright bet on the winning side, and the totals column shows the combined points forecasted in a match with the option of betting over (O) or under (U) that amount.
Reading a line can take some practice – for more on each bet type, see our lowdown of the most popular NFL wagers below.