10 Outrageous Ways Mobile Betting Lets You Bet on the NFL

Mobile betting is coming to a state near you and with it comes a variety of ways to bet on the score of a game. And we aren’t just talking about the final score.


Far from it. We’re talking about the score after one quarter of play, after each half, after each game, the total number of points scored between the two teams, and much more. 

This article breaks down 10 outrageous ways to bet on the score of an NFL game through the advent of mobile betting. And don’t worry. If mobile betting apps aren’t yet legal in your state, it will be sooner than later. 

Read on to discover more. 

1 – Total Points by Half

This one is pretty simple and straightforward. It comes with the total points scored by halftime. You have a couple of options here, with the first option being total points scored by halftime from just one team. Or, you can bet on the total points scored by halftime from both teams.

This option will give you a line for total points at the half. For example, the Chicago Bears are projected for 10.5 at the end of the first half. Then there are odds for the over (+104) or the under (-143). 

The second option gives you the same total from the Atlanta Falcons after one half, which sits at 12.5 and (-132) for the over and (-105) for the under. 

The same goes for the total points for both teams at halftime, along with the odds. 

As is becoming so popular in mobile sports betting these days, you also have alternate point totals that can garner you better or worse odds, for a higher or lower juice bet. 

2 – Total Points Overall

Total points overall are similar to total points at halftime, except you’re going with the full-time game here.

Of course, many of you have probably done a version of this with total combined points between the teams, or the over-under. This one is more mainstream, except you can also bet the over-under for a single team’s score.

Back to the Falcons-Bears game, where the over-under for Chicago sits at 22.5 along with (-118) odds for the over and (-109) odds for the under. Ditto for the Falcons and their 24.5 projected points, which sit at (-112) for over and (-117) for the under.

Like the halves, alternate lines exist here as well. It depends whether you’re a more conservative or aggressive bettor to go with the mainstream lines or to deviate off the path and into more alternative lines. 

It’s all about weighing the costs versus benefits of the juice bets. 

3 – First/Last Team to Score

You can’t get any more straightforward than this one. You’re basically betting on the first and last team to score. 

On the surface, it looks like a 50-50 bet, but if a great offense is playing a not-so-great offense, you could probably take full advantage of this one.

However, using an example like the 2020 Atlanta Falcons (hot offense) versus the 2020 Chicago Bears (hot defense), you can definitely see there’s a bit of risk involved with bets like these. And not everything appears to be as clear-cut as say, the Houston Texans versus the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Where Pittsburgh’s offense would definitely fare as a safer bet. 

Either way, if you like simple bets, then this is a good one. As for the last team to score, well, I’m pretty sure hardly a soul picked Atlanta for this game after what happened during the previous week. 

That said, teams who get hot in the second half or fourth quarter are safer bets for the last team to score. Or, if the matchup looks lopsided, teams who score in garbage time are safer bets. 

4 – Score First and Win

It’s probably safe to say you’ll never bet on the Cleveland Browns or Detroit Lions on this one, as they’re known for hot starts and squandering finishes. 

But the bet here is simple: Who will score first AND win the game?

This is one of those bets where it’s best to wager your hard-earned money on lopsided matchups. 

Sticking to the Week 3 example, something like the Pittsburgh Steelers scoring first against the Houston Texans looks like a hot bet. Or the Tennessee Titans over the Minnesota Vikings, given the latter’s issues during this particular season. 

Again, these are examples from Week 3 in the 2020 season, if you’re trying to pinpoint the ‘When’ here. 

5 – First Scoring Play

This one, you’re betting on which will be the first play to result in a score. 

You have 3 options here: A touchdown, a field goal, or a safety. Technically, you have 1/3 of a chance of getting this one right, along with the corresponding odds. 

I’ll be upfront with you on this one: It’s more of a 50-50 than it is a 33.3-33.3-33.3 since safeties are rare. However, you’ll find yourself profiting more if you decide to bet on the safety and snag the bet.

More often, the odds are more favorable but of course better off if you’re betting on either a touchdown or a field goal. And I will tell you this one’s more of a crapshoot. 

You could look at matchups and try to pinpoint the most likely outcome, but early in the game, sometimes drives stall or teams facing third and long will often put themselves in a better position for field goals. 

The only real way to increase your chances of getting this one right is if you research both teams and what resulted in the first score of their previous games – Pro Football Reference is a great source here.

If it’s Week 3 in 2020, the sample size is obviously bleak. There are 4 total previous outcomes, 2 from each team. So, if the first score in the Chiefs’ matchups ended in touchdowns, then it’s more likely the first score in their next game ends in such. 

But it’s still a probability. 

Meanwhile, the Baltimore Ravens split, with one score resulting in a touchdown and the second, a field goal. The probability is closer to 50-50 here. 

Now, if you were betting on the first team to score, the Ravens scored first in both of their games and the Chiefs did not, ironically. Probability is nice, but you can also see that it’s still at best, murky. 

6 – First to Listed Points

Okay, so who will be the first to score 10 points in the Carolina Panthers versus Los Angeles Chargers matchup?

Odds exist for the Panthers (+143 in this example), and the Chargers (-220 in the examples). Or, is there a tie and no one reaches the listed total (+5,000)?

The list goes to the first to 15 followed by the odds. Then 20, 25, 30, and so on. 

These are one of these bets where teams with the hottest offenses are often the best bets. However, looking at the odds, you can also see that you won’t profit as much if and when obvious favorites win the bet. 

Say, the Titans and Vikings, where the Vikings scored 11 points in Week 2 but the Titans put up 33. Clearly, the team with the better odds for the Week 3 matchup belonged to the Titans. 

Or, some teams, like the Browns and Lions, tend to get off to hot starts before squandering leads. They’re often smarter bets for the lower portion before giving up subsequent listed points to their opponents. 

7 – Winning Margin

This one is sort of like your traditional game line. However, the winning margins rest in a range of points, rather than a spread. 

Let’s use the Chargers and Panthers again, where you’ll find a projected winner by a certain number of points. It always begins with 1-6, with the odds in the Chargers favor, then 1-6 with the odds in the Panthers favor.

You’ll then see 7-12 points, followed by 13-18, 19-24, and the list goes on to 43 or more, with odds either growing or lessening with each. 

The best strategy here is to see how close teams are when they win or lose. Teams like the Seattle Seahawks went 10-2 in 2019 in games decided by one possession, so 1-6 or 7-12 are often smart bets for games you favor them to win in 2020. 

Then there are teams like the Chargers who were the opposite. They often lost in one-possession games. 

Again, history can tell you what is likely to happen in a given season, or early in a season, you can base it on the previous season’s history. But there’s also no guarantee history repeats itself each week. 

If it did, we’d all be millionaires. 

8 – Highest Scoring Half

Which half will feature the highest score? The first half or the second half?

This is the type of game where you want to research how each team fares. Some teams fare better in the first half and ride it out in the second. Other teams, like our Kansas City Chiefs, tend to get hot in the second half of games. 

Once again, research recent history regarding the 2 teams playing and see if they’re better at combining for higher scores the first or second. Some teams get hot early then tail off later.

If 2 teams are facing one another that has this mentality, then the first half is the safer bet. If the opposite is true, then the second half is the better bet. 

9 – Highest Scoring Quarter

This one is literally no different than the higher scoring half, except instead of a 50-50 chance to win, you’re now looking at a 25 percent chance to win. 

Like the halves, pay attention to how teams fare in each quarter. Some teams score better in the middle quarters. They’ll be flat during the first quarter then heat up during the second and third while trying to close the game out in the fourth.

Other teams are front-loaded and tail off as the game continues. Then, some teams get hotter as the game continues. 

As with so many of these headings, conducting research is always prudent. 

10 – Even or Odd Point Totals

Well, this one’s another 50-50 bet it can also pertain to one team or both teams combining for a specific point total. 

You can definitely research history to see if their games end in even or odd point totals, but the law of probability probably doesn’t apply here as often. Especially if teams are scoring in garbage time or kicking last-second field goals. 

Conclusion

As you can see there are many ways to bet on the score of any game. From points scored in a single quarter, to a single half, or the way points are scored, options exist so betting on NFL games never gets old.

There is strategy involved in many of these options and the law of probability is pertinent here as well. So if you’re one who infuses logic into your bets (which doesn’t always work, trust me), then some of these options may be up your alley.

How have you fared when betting on the score of an NFL game, either after a half, quarter, or the entire game?


Tell us.