Whether you’re an NFL newbie or a long-time fan, watching the Super Bowl can be enthralling because anything can happen – so if you want to put money on what might happen, you might want to call upon some Super Bowl betting tips from people who know their flea flickers from their fumbles.
The Read American Football team have cast their eye over the big-game betting markets, and in some cases even made their own contributions to them. With multiple bookmakers providing free bet offers on their requested bet markets, fans fancying a flutter might want to look beyond the usual scoreline odds this Super Bowl Sunday.
Of course, those markets add a whole new level of complexity that may bewilder the beginner. Fortunately, our writers are here to help guide you through that mess. Here are some of their Super Bowl betting tips that they’re hoping to cash in on tonight, with best odds courtesy of Oddschecker.
Pats to blank the first quarter again?
Kyle Bennett suggests “don’t bet on the Pats scoring in the first quarter. They have yet to do it in Super Bowls in the Brady era.”
Extraordinarily, that is actually true. They’ve only conceded 15 first-quarter points in those seven games, too. (Yes, this is Brady’s eighth Super Bowl.)
Sky Bet’s RequestABet collection has the Patriots to draw a first-quarter blank at 3/2. 3/2 on something that’s happened the last seven times it could have happened? That’s a tempter.
It's not how you start...
…it’s how you finish, as Noel Edmonds used to put it on Deal or No Deal. And certainly, most of our writers seem convinced that when all is said and done, the Patriots will come out on top with yet another championship.
The Patriots are 1/2 pretty much everywhere to do just that, but extending that tendency to start slow and end hot – which isn’t just a weird coincidence, as their legendary head coach Bill Belichick is renowned for making mid-game adjustments that work – David Howell thinks the way to go is to specifically bet in some way on a come-from-behind win, just as they’ve done in their last two Super Bowls.
The obvious place to do that is the half-time/full-time market and bet Eagles/Patriots – the best price for which is 13/2 with William Hill. Alternatively, hit the Betway #betyourway markets – with a £10 matched free bet promotion for this game – and consider 6/1 on the Patriots to win after not leading at the two-minute warning, as last-gasp wins are a Patriots speciality.
Hulbert's high-odds hot pick
Some of the requested bets can get a bit complicated, and the one Joe Hulbert is on is no exception, so let’s lay it out:
Amendola 40+ Rec Yds, Lewis 30+ Rec Yds, Foles 2+ Rush Yds, Pats 10+ 1st Half Pts, Amendola & Gronk both score TDs
Whew. He’s got a point, though – it’s not difficult to see all of those things happening. Danny Amendola to get 40 yards and a TD is basically halfway normal for him in the postseason (he’s even earned the nickname “Danny Playoffs” for it), Dion Lewis is one of the league’s top receiving RBs, Nick Foles doesn’t often run but could get an opening to for precisely that reason, and Rob Gronkowski scores touchdowns for fun. If anything, the 10+ first-half points might be a problem for reasons stated earlier, but if you think the Patriots are going to be on form on offense, this bet definitely has appeal at 25/1.
Plus, it’s available as a Sky Bet RequestABet, and they’re offering a £5 free bet when you make two separate £5 bets on those markets, further adding to the value proposition.
It's more than just a game...
…it’s got the most-watched concert of the year in the middle. The halftime show has become a legitimate event since the NFL started booking big-name pop acts in the 90s, notwithstanding a few years when they booked big-name classic rock acts after the infamous Janet Jackson “wardrobe malfunction” in 2004.
Justin Timberlake, whose hand sparked that incident, returns to the Super Bowl stage this year, but it seems safe to say that there might be a few nerves from all involved about it. If you’re thinking along those lines, there’s a couple of intriguing bets out there for you; Betway offer 5/6 on under 1.5 costume changes, while Sky Bet have 4/1 on there being no guests with him at any point.
Before that, P!nk will sing the national anthem. Such is the overwrought nature of these performances that Sky Bet are offering 5/4 on her taking less than two minutes. That might be worth a bet; P!nk is actually an Eagles fan herself, so perhaps she’ll want to get her performance out of the way to get on with the game. Plus, she’s been ill, which might reduce her opportunity for dragging it out.