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Especially when betting on NFL spreads, it is crucial that the serious bettor study the movement of the lines and odds to get an assessment of true wager value and profitability. Although they are not particularly difficult to understand and keep track of, NFL lines can sometimes overwhelm novice sports bettors with their seemingly strange notation system and large number of variations.

To help you get a better understanding of the NFL lines, in the following section of this article we will address the most common types of football lines you will encounter in your sports betting pursuits.

The first common type of NFL line indicates the side and the total, and is illustrated in the example below:

101 Pittsburgh Steelers -3
102 Cleveland Browns 41

Supposing that you are risking $110 for every $100 bet on either the side or the total, the example given tells you the following things:
- If you bet the Steelers to win, they must win the game by a margin bigger than three points for you to collect your wager prize money;
- If you wager money on Cleveland, to collect your bet the team must either snatch victory or lose by a margin smaller than three points;
- If the Steelers win by exactly three points, the wager is rendered void and you get a full refund of your money;
- You can choose to bet either over or under the total number of points indicated by the sportsbook, which in this case is 41.

Next, let’s have a look at another example of a common NFL line, which is commonly referred to as the moneyline:

Pittsburgh Steelers -160
Cleveland Browns +140

With moneyline bets there are no points involved, which means you only need to predict the winner in the match-up.
- If you stick with the Steelers, you will be risking $160 for every $100 dollars that you wager;
- If you place your money on Cleveland and they emerge victorious from the clash, you get to collect $140 for every $100 that you invest in the wager.

Other popular NFL lines are halftime lines, which have the following notation system:

Pittsburgh Steelers -140
Cleveland Browns 19

- If you stick with the Steelers and bet them to win the second half, you are risking $140 for every $100;
- If you bet Cleveland to win the second half, you get to collect $120 for every $100 that you invest in the wager;
- The number 19 to the right indicates the total amount of points set for the second half. You can bet either over or under this margin risking $110 for every $100 invested.

Some sportsbooks also allow betting on the aftermath of the first half, in which case the NFL line looks very similar to the one illustrated in the previous example. The same rules also apply for quarter bets, although these types of wagers are not as common.

Although there are other types of NFL lines as well, for now we will limit ourselves to the most popular ones. As a last thought, if you are just beginning your journey into the world of sports betting, whether you are betting to win or trying to beat NFL spreads, remember to account for the movement of the NFL lines and shop for fruitful NFL odds to find and seize the best wager value.