• Menu
  • Skip to right header navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

College Magazine

College Life, Dating, Career & Campus Advice

  • Colleges
    • College Guides
    • College Rankings
    • Campus Life
      • Academics
      • Dating
      • Freshman Year
      • Health
      • Social Change
      • Party
  • Majors
    • All Majors
    • Most Popular Majors
    • Choosing a Major
  • Intern
    • Internship Directory
    • How to Get an Internship
    • How to Write a Resume
    • How to Write a Cover Letter
    • How to Interview
    • How to Network
    • Career 101
    • Find Your Passion Career
  • Money
    • How to Make Money
    • How to Save Money
    • How to Get a Job
    • Credit Cards 101
    • FAFSA
    • Ramen Project
  • Travel
    • Study Abroad
    • College Spring Break
    • How to Travel Cheap
    • Things to Do
  • Shop
    • Writer Course
    • College Magazine Shop
    • Gift Guides
    • College Packing List
  • Find your college or university
  • Colleges
    • College Guides
    • College Rankings
    • Campus Life
      • Academics
      • Dating
      • Freshman Year
      • Health
      • Social Change
      • Party
  • Majors
    • All Majors
    • Most Popular Majors
    • Choosing a Major
  • Intern
    • Internship Directory
    • How to Get an Internship
    • How to Write a Resume
    • How to Write a Cover Letter
    • How to Interview
    • How to Network
    • Career 101
    • Find Your Passion Career
  • Money
    • How to Make Money
    • How to Save Money
    • How to Get a Job
    • Credit Cards 101
    • FAFSA
    • Ramen Project
  • Travel
    • Study Abroad
    • College Spring Break
    • How to Travel Cheap
    • Things to Do
  • Shop
    • Writer Course
    • College Magazine Shop
    • Gift Guides
    • College Packing List
  • Find your college or university
  • About Us
  • Team
  • Write
  • Apply
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sign Up
  • Advertise
  • My Account
  • Cart

You are here: Home / Life / How-To Guide: Betting the NFL Playoffs

How-To Guide: Betting the NFL Playoffs

January 6, 2012 //  by Joe Cipollone

Share1FacebookTweet

Playoff football is here and, man, does it feel good. Playoff football and especially playoff betting is a different animal, much like how college finals week is far more different than the rest of the semester. With no classes, students have far more time to study for each final. Similarly, with far fewer games, bookmakers have considerably more time to focus on each game and set a tough spread to pick.

Teams are also more evenly matched and no team is sitting starters or looking ahead to next week. Combining the lack of motivational disparities with more even matchups and more focused bookmakers presents real challenges to the common bettor. It will be hard to find that attractive blonde bombshell of a spread that you know is a sure thing; you may need to spend more time, dig deeper and find that value pick with the great personality.

Since playoff betting is a different challenge, here are four tips for the everyday football bettor.

                                                                                                          

1.     Stick with your game plan

Playoff football is exciting, but it’s important to not get too excited, which is a good general rule for all college students. If you bet three or four games in a 16-game week, you need to resist the urge to bet the same amount of games in a four-game week. Betting a game just to bet a game is not an ideal strategy. Continue to be selective. 

2.     Never love home-field or favorites at first sight

Falling blindly in love with the home playoff team or the favorite is a common fallacy among young bettors and can bring back ghosts of girlfriends past. Over the last four Wild-card weekends, the home team was only 9-7 against the spread (ATS), and favorites only covered 50 percent of the time. Playoff betting requires you to do your homework and examine each game independently.

3.      Road favorites are favorites for a reason

Vegas knows the importance of home-field and the difficulty of winning road playoff games. So if a road team is favored, it is because they are a much better team. Don’t be afraid to pick the road team. Pittsburgh is favored because they are a much better team. New Orleans will be favored in San Francisco because they are a much better team. Take the better team and quarterback. They win in the playoffs more often than not.

4.     Don’t be afraid of the tease                                                                                               

Since playoff spreads tend to be smaller than in the regular season, you may have trouble finding a game you feel comfortable betting. In this case, use a teaser where you risk more than usual, but you get to add points on the side you wish. For example, a Bengals (+16), Saints (+2.5), Giants (+10) or Steelers (+4) teaser may be intriguing for many bettors. 

 

Quick Picks:

Texans (-3) vs. Bengals

The Bengals are a great story, but the Texans’ dominant defense will give rookie Dalton real trouble, and Jonathon Joseph held A.J Green to under 60 yards in their last meeting. Texans ride the run game to win and cover.

Lions (+10.5) @ Saints

The Saints are 8-0 ATS in the Superdome this year. That’s Dolph Lundgrenin Rocky IV-esque dominance. But they are giving a lot of points, and Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson are kings of garbage time. I expect Saints to dominate, but Lions to score late and cover.

Giants (-3) vs. Falcons

Matt Ryan and the Falcons are very mediocre on the road. Victor “Take me on a” Cruz is making a habit of transforming seven-yard gains into game-changing touchdowns. Take the superior quarterback and pass rush.

Steelers (+9) vs. Broncos

Tim Tebow’s play of late is even testing God’s faith. With teams keeping him in the pocket and tightening their coverage, Tebow has looked as slow as ever, both in his throwing motion and running. Look for Pittsburgh to spread out the Broncos and get out to a big lead that even Tebow cannot overcome.

Share1FacebookTweet

Filed Under: Life

About Joe Cipollone

Senior > University of Maryland

You May Also Like

songs to belt out

21 Songs to Belt Out in the Shower

Top 10 Weird Scholarships You Can’t Miss

cultural identity and language

Language Abilities Don’t Define Your Cultural Identity, Unless?

How I Turned My Personal Journals into a Published Book

15 Alcohol-Free Activities for a Friday Night In

Reflecting on Fall 2020: How to Recover from One of the Hardest Semesters

How to Make Money From Home Without Taking Off Your PJs

15 COVID-19 Safe Ways to Celebrate the Holidays in 2020

Top 10 COVID-19 Safe Activities to Do Near Fresno, California

Breaking the Binary: My Journey into Identifying as Non-Binary

The Döner Project: My Berlin Budget as a College Student

CM’s Guide to the Print and Digital Journalism Major

Away from Home and Feeling Gross: Being Sick My Freshman Year

A Tale of Two Twin Flames

movies to binge over winter break

Battling Boredom: 10 Movies to Binge Over Winter Break

Being an Asian-American: Learning to Accept Both Halves of Myself

How to Become a Published Poet

ADHD or the Enemy? At Least My College Helped Me

berkeley outdoors

10 COVID-19 Friendly Things to Do in Berkeley, California

Top 10 DIY Gifts for Your BFF

Christmas

10 Gifts For Parents That They Want But Haven’t Asked For

friend group dressed up as Big Hero Six characters

Animation Nerds Unite: 10 Gifts for Animation Lovers

gifts for your girl squad

10 Gifts Your Girl Squad Can’t Live Without

10 Virtual Gifts for Your BFF that Will Make Them Love You Forever

Previous Post: « Packing Tips: Study Abroad
Next Post: Greg McElroy Was Just What the Jets Needed »

Primary Sidebar



Trending Posts

93

10 St. John’s University Finals Activities to Help You De-Stress

mental health
78

Pandemic and Academic Blues: Being Aware of Your Mental Health

60

24 Ways My 2020 Survival Guide Turned into 2021 Lifestyle Habits

55

The Ultimate Auburn University Bucket List: 21 Things to Do Before Graduating

best classes
24

10 Best Classes You Need to Take at Drake University

Featured Chapter: St. John’s University

Footer

logo

College Magazine is the national daily guide to campus life. Our articles for college students feature university rankings of U.S. colleges, college guides, academic advice, college prep, career advice, student health and collegiate dating tips.

Written by students for students, by a team of journalists from universities nationwide, we’re on the pulse of the college experience.

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Colleges

  • College Guides
  • College Rankings
  • Campus life
  • Academics
  • Dating
  • Freshmen Year
  • Health
  • Party

Majors

  • All College Majors
  • Most Popular Majors
  • Choosing a Major

Intern

  • Internships Directory
  • How to Write a Resume
  • How to Write a Cover Letter
  • How to Interview
  • How to Get an Internship
  • How to Network

Money

  • How to Make Money
  • How to Save Money
  • How to Get a Job
  • Credit Cards 101
  • College Loans

Travel

  • Study Abroad
  • College Spring Break
  • How to Travel Cheap
  • Things to Do

Shop

  • College Packing List
  • Gift Guides
  • About Us
  • Team
  • Write
  • Apply
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sign Up
  • Advertise
  • My Account
  • Cart

Copyright © 2021 College Magazine · All Rights Reserved · Powered by BizBudding Inc.