Beginner's Guide to Betting on the Super Bowl

Betting on the Super Bowl has never been simpler or as much fun! Whether you want to wager on which team wins the Super Bowl, a fairytale swan song, or the half-time entertainment's outfit, we've got you.

So, let’s break down the best betting options when it comes to the Super Bowl.

Super Bowl Spread 

Often you'll hear the term "against the spread" – it's the most popular Super Bowl bet. The spread is essentially a sportsbook's way of leveling out two unequal opponents. 

The underdog team is given a 'head start' in the form of points. To cover a spread, a favored team needs to win the game by the specified amount of points. Meanwhile, an underdog can either win, or lose by the number to cover.

The line can move prior to the Super Bowl games and even during the game. It will fluctuate depending on injuries, momentum and naturally, the scoreboard.

Example:

• Kansas City Chiefs -3
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers +3

Using the example above, if you bet the Bucs at say (+3), they would need to lose by under 3 points – or win outright – to cover the spread.

Conversely, if you bet Kansas City (-3) against the spread, the Chiefs would need to win by 4+ points to ensure a profit.

In the event of a push – where the bettor and sportsbook tie – your stake will be refunded.

Example of a push:

• Bet: Kansas City -3 vs. Tampa Bay
• Final: Kansas City 24-21 Tampa Bay

Given the Chiefs only won by 3 points, and NOT MORE THAN 3, this is considered a push. You would be refunded your bet, and yes, sadly that means no profit. 

Alternate Spread

You will also see alternate spreads available for the Super Bowl. Often the spread number is shifted slightly, enabling you to choose between multiple options – all of which give you either a better chance of covering or larger odds.

Some sportsbooks will even allow you to choose the spread manually.

Super Bowl Total - Over or Under

Betting the total in the Super Bowl simply means you are wagering on how many points will be scored overall, NOT who will win. 

Example:

Using the Chiefs and Bucs example once more, the sportsbook set the initial total at 56 points, so you have two options:

• Bet the Over (Over 56 combined points to be scored)
• Bet the Under (Under 56 combined points to be scored)

There are other options to choose from, including scoring totals for particular quarters, home team totals, total TDs scored and more. 

Super Bowl Moneyline - H2H

The moneyline is the simplest Super Bowl bet you'll make! Betting the moneyline simply means you are picking a team to win the Lombardi outright. 

If a team is favored on the moneyline they will have a "-" next to their name. Conversely, the underdog will have a "+".

Example:

• If a team has a -200 moneyline it means you need to wager $200 in order to win $100. 
• If a team has a + moneyline, the goalposts shift. The + tells us how much you would win betting $100, if your team wins.
• For example, a +150 moneyline would mean – if successful – a profit of $150 ($250 payout).
• Similarly, if a team had a +185 moneyline, you would make $185 profit – $285 total – when betting $100. 

Super Bowl Prop Bets

Prop bets are popular throughout the Super Bowl week and could be the most fun you have betting. Prop bets involve anything and everything that could happen pre-game, half-time, mid-game and even during the post-match celebrations. 

You can wager on player props too; choosing whether they will achieve over/under a certain amount of yards and so much more.

Common Super Bowl prop bets include:

• First team to score
• Who will score the first touchdown?
• Who will score last?
• Total pass/rush/receiving yards by a QB/RB/WR
• How long will it take to sing the National Anthem?
• Who will the Super Bowl MVP thank first?
• Will any scoring drive take less time than the national anthem?
• Will opening kickoff be a touchback?
• What will happen first – sack or TD?
• What song will The Weeknd sing first?
• How many commercials will run during the Super Bowl?

Depending on the sportsbook, there may be options to include props in a mixed parlay. Although most books force you to have a parlay strictly involving props.

In Dimers’ NFL Bet Hub you have the perfect opportunity to locate some of the best prop bets across the United States. Our predictive analytics model simulates the Super Bowl 10,000 times to give you the best probabilities on first and anytime TD scorers. 

Multiple-Leg Bets

Super Bowl Parlay

A parlay simply involves more than one wager combined together for greater odds. You can place a Super Bowl parlay – multiple events from the game – with any sportsbook.

Example:

You could take the Chiefs (-3) to cover and take the under 56 points total while adding Tyreek Hill over 102.5 yards. This would be considered a three-leg parlay as there are three bets in one.

More legs = higher odds and a greater chance at a larger return. Beware, most sportsbooks do not allow you to bet both the moneyline and spread within the same game. Some even cap the number of events you can have in a parlay, although there are those which have no limits.

In any parlay you will need to get each event correct for there to be a payout. Often there is no refund for getting 7 out of 8 accurate, although PointsBet offers a parlay insurance promo – where you can get a refund if one of your parlay legs fails to wins.

In the event of one or more legs resulting in a push, your parlay as a whole will be considered a push, meaning your stake will be refunded.

Beginner's Guide to Super Bowl Live Betting

There's no doubt any Super Bowl is exciting in its own right – unless we're talking about New England Patriots vs LA Rams, right? When you throw live betting in to the mix, the fun goes up a level! Yes, it would have even made that Super Bowl interesting.

Want to understand live Super Bowl betting? Glad you asked, Dimers.com has you covered.

Putting down a live Super Bowl bet

Super Bowl live betting is relatively similar to betting before kickoff. You can still place wagers on moneyline, point spreads, proposition bets, total and the usual go-to options. 

Often you will be able to locate Super Bowl live betting through one of threes ways; your sportsbook's homepage, a Bet Live section on their website or betting app, or by clicking the NFL category on the book's site/app. 

Remember, all live bets are time sensitive – if you're not as quick as Tyreek Hill you may miss out!

If you have never bet on the Super Bowl, our NFL Bet Hub has the best Super Bowl odds across the United States. When signing up to a sportsbook, use our exclusive promotional codes to access free and risk-free bets.

MORE: What Is the Moneyline?

Super Bowl live betting options

Live betting exposes you to many options usually unavailable to the average bettor. The usual wagering options are available before Super Bowl LV kicks off, but there are added offerings once teams are on the gridiron.

Example:

• Next TD scorer 
• Race to "X" Points 
• Total TDs 
• 1st Quarter points
• Drive Result 
• Play Result
• Will a sack or TD occur first?

With more options available to bettors, there is greater opportunity for you to find real value, catch sportsbooks napping and capitalize on juicy odds. Deep thought isn't as readily applied to live odds, so if you can be quick, you could be lucky!

Friendly reminder: Dimers has live probabilities on prop bets like anytime and next TD scorer, and much more!

MORE: What Is Spread Betting?

Constantly shifting Super Bowl odds

Super Bowl odds are constantly changing within the game. They change based on the scoreline, momentum, injuries and drive results, amongst other things. 

This can be hard to keep up with and that's why we recommend you monitor Dimers' live in-play probabilities during the game. 

Our live technology – updating every 30 seconds – gives you real-time probabilities for betting the spread, total (over/under) and moneyline. 

The live matchup and probabilities can be accessed through the scoreboards at the top of the Dimers website, the Live Now section and even the NFL section in NFL Bet Hub.

MORE: Where Do Odds Come From?

Variables for Super Bowl live betting

As mentioned, there are many factors which influence a quick change in odds during the Super Bowl. It is nice to consider some of these variables before placing your bets. 

Example:

• Injuries (Key players coming out can affect Moneyline/spread particularly)
• Weather (Bad weather will affect scoring) 
• Conditions (Is the game indoors, are teams used to weather/outdoors)
• Momentum
• Coaching style (Is the Head Coach a defensive or aggressive type)

These aspects should be kept in mind when live betting, and if used alongside our live probability calculator, you’re a chance to gain a leg up on your sportsbook.

Super Bowl live betting represents one of the best ways to capitalize on great odds sportsbooks may have slept on. Feel free to give it a try alongside Dimers’ in-play probabilities, via our NFL Bet Hub, to give you the best opportunity of becoming a champion too!