Football Parlays

Parlay bets are very popular in sports gambling, and NFL football is one of the most popular sports for parlay betting. In this article, we will discuss parlay bets and illustrate an example of an NFL football parlay bet.

A parlay offers a way to link together a number of individual wagers. The parlay bet wins if every one of the individual wagers win. If any single wager loses, the entire parlay bet is lost. If any single wager is a push, the parlay bet is still good, it just reverts down to the next level. So, for example, a four team parlay bet would become a three team parlay (and the payoff would be reduced accordingly).

People bet parlays to get higher payouts. Since each individual wager must win, it is a more difficult bet and the payouts are higher than if you had simply kept the individual wagers as separate bets.

Let's look at an example of an NFL football parlay bet. You want to make a 3 team NFL football parlay bet for $100 with the following game picks: San Francisco -7, Miami +3, NY Giants -10

A three team parlay would typically pay 6 to 1. So, if all your picks are correct, you would win $600. If even one pick is incorrect, you lose the entire parlay bet.

Some typical parlay payouts are listed below. Be aware that different sportsbooks do offer different parlay payouts.

Now, a caution on parlay bets. They are a lot of fun, but they are usually not your best bet. The house tends to have a little more juice for itself built into the payouts, particularly at the higher multiple parlay bets. From a professional betting standpoint, you are better off making straight wagers. But, again, they are a lot of fun and one of the more popular football wagers. Just don't make them your primary wagers.