Super Bowl Betting Tips
Super Bowl LVI kicks off this Sunday at 6:30PM EST. Thanks to the legalized sports betting explosion, sportsbooks estimate that gamblers could wager $7.6 billion in the United States alone. Since many people are betting on the Big Game legally for the first time, the following are some helpful tips from gamblers and football experts:
- Have Fun
Gambling is supposedly a fun activity, not a life or death situation. However, it’s easy to get overly emotional and stressed out if you have money on the line and your team is losing. You’re supposed to enjoy yourself at a Super Bowl party or friendly gathering. If you can’t, because you’ve laid out big bucks that can make or break your financial future, don’t bet in the first place. Nobody likes a nervous nut that’s circling the room like a caged lion, sweating, cursing and biting their nails. If that’s going to be you, don’t do it. You’ll thank yourself, and everybody else will thank you, too, later.
- Underdogs Can Win, Favorites Usually Cover the Spread
Most gamblers bet on the favorite because they think they’re most likely to win. However, if you wager on the underdog and they win, the payout is much bigger. The favorite doesn’t always triumph in the Super Bowl. Underdogs have gone home with the Lombardi Trophy 18 times in the past 56 games. If the Bengals lead by more than a field goal late, they have a good chance of winning. The favorite team has only won six times and not covered the spread. Each time the underdog covered the spread and didn’t win, it was larger than L.A. ‘s 4.5 point favorability.
- It Isn’t Over Until the Fat Lady Sings
Unlike other sports championships such as the Stanley Cup or World Series, the Super Bowl isn’t a best of seven series. The two teams have one chance to win. To the victor goes the spoils while the loser slinks home. The vanquished can’t console themselves by resolving to return and prevail in Game 2. Possibly because of that, Super Bowls often come down to the final minutes or seconds.
Comebacks are rare, but they’ve become more common in recent years. Only one team has ever come back from a greater than 10-point deficit to win. Of the four comebacks that were less than 10 points, three have occurred in the last 14 years. These include Super Bowl LI (25-point comeback), Super Bowl XLIX (10 points) and Super Bowl XLIV (10 points). Two of these were courtesy of Tom Brady and one by Drew Brees. While Burrow and Stafford may not be at the Brady or Brees level yet, bettors shouldn’t be shocked if the score isn’t decided until late in the 4th quarter or even goes to OT.
-Jeff Dahlberg
Twitter: @JeffDahlberg3