NFL First Half Betting
When you begin to handicap a game there are some obvious things to look at, but one thing that is oftentimes overlooked is a team’s performance by half. There are some teams that are notorious for starting out slow, while others are ready and raring to go. Some of the better teams can start slow and then turn it on later in the game, while bad teams can sometimes start fast and then fade. If you can identify the tendencies you can make money at the online sportsbook with NFL first half betting.
It should be noted that oddsmakers oftentimes will shade the favored team in the first half because they know that the public will want to bet the better team. If you do your research you could find that the oddsmakers have shaded the first half lines too much and find value on the underdog. Many people completely ignore first half team tendencies, but you don’t have to be one of those people.
There are many times you can actually find more value with first half betting lines than you can for full game lines. The first half lines can be more difficult for oddsmakers to set because they don’t have the volume of betting that they have for the full game. It is easier for the oddsmakers to move the number on a full game because so many people are betting sides, totals and money lines for full games. It is much more difficult to move the line for a first half when far fewer people are wagering on it.
You might think that oddsmakers would simply set the first half spread at half of what it is for the full game but that is not the case. For example, if the line for the game was -3, you might expect to see a line of 1.5 for the first half. That is not going to be the case, because a field goal is basically the smallest type of scoring and it is common to see a team leading by three at the half. It is more likely that you would see -2, -2.5 or -3 for the first half.
Don’t forget about the total when it comes to first half betting. There are teams that score more points in the first half or the second half and you can consistently identify those teams. You can also pick out situations that favor a low scoring first half or a high scoring half. For example, you might have two teams that badly need to win the game and they may not take many early chances which would lead to a lower scoring half.
NFL first half betting lines are not something that many people think about, but that is their loss. There are many advantages to betting NFL first half betting odds. In addition to getting the advantage over the online sportsbook in terms of tendencies for teams starting fast or starting slow, you can also hedge your bets in certain situations or you might double down. You might have a bet on the Patriots at -6 for the first half against the Dolphins but you end up trailing at the half. You could then bet the second half for more money and bail yourself out of the first half bet. It is much harder to do that if you bet New England for the full game and were trailing at the half.
Check out the latest NFL first half betting odds at the online sportsbook and make your NFL bets today.
