Arguably the sport’s most exciting wagering type, we cover NFL parlay betting strategy and some expert tips for all parlay bettors out there.
It’s not easy to win money betting on the NFL. But when you do, it’s probably the most satisfying victory in sports wagering.
A game takes about three hours on a Sunday afternoon, but in reality, it’s a week-long event. Early week reactions to the previous game give way to upcoming previews, injury reports, and game plan strategizing. Finally, as the teams prepare to take the field on Sunday you make your decision – take the powerful favorite, or the motivated underdog?
Now multiply that by 16 (the number of games scheduled for Week 1), and you have an idea why the NFL is so popular.
Sportsbooks know it’s hard to focus on just one game during the season. Bettors routinely have wagers going on two, three, or more games each Sunday. But what if you could make the ultimate wager?
You’ve studied all these games. You wouldn’t make a bet you didn’t expect to win. If you could get EVERY game right – what would that be worth?
Enter the NFL betting parlay!
Best Sports Betting Sites for NFL Parlay Betting
FanDuel Sports SPECIAL OFFER
DraftKings Sports SPECIAL OFFER
PointsBet SECOND CHANCE
BetRivers Sports SECOND CHANCE
Bet365 Sports SPECIAL OFFER
Why Do People Love Betting Parlays?
Now of course, it isn’t really that simple.
A parlay is a wager in which you combine two or more outcomes into a single wager. If any of those outcomes do not occur, the bet itself is also a loser, no matter how many other outcomes are correct.
But if all outcomes are correct? You could be looking at a pretty phenomenal payout.
Just how phenomenal? Plenty of sites (BetMGM, for example) offer parlay calculators where bettors can determine the payout on their potential wager.
Standard NFL odds are -110 (risk $110 to win $100) on your preferred favorite, underdog, or over/under wager. But sometimes those odds change, particularly when playing money lines. These parlay calculators allow you to simply input the odds of your bet in calculating your winnings.
NFL Parlay Betting Strategy
Let’s start small. On Opening Night, the Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams hosted the Buffalo Bills. You think this is Buffalo’s year. But you also think Pittsburgh and Cincinnati’s offenses are going to light up the scoreboard come Sunday afternoon. You would start your NFL betting parlay accordingly (all lines from FanDuel Sportsbook):
| GAME | OUTCOME | ODDS |
| Buffalo Bills at Los Angeles Rams | Buffalo -2.5 | -110 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals | Over 44 total points | -110 |
If you put $100 on this two-game parlay, and both outcomes happen, you just won $264.46 (plus your original $100 wager)! Not bad.
But you’ve been waiting all offseason, and there are so many more games in Week 1.
FanDuel Sports SPECIAL OFFER
Let’s add the Indianapolis Colts, eight-point favorites against the Houston Texans, who figure to be among the league’s worst teams this year.
| GAME | OUTCOME | ODDS |
| Buffalo Bills at Los Angeles Rams | Buffalo -2.5 | -110 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals | Over 44 total points | -110 |
| Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans | Indianapolis -8 | -110 |
Add in that win, and your payout just became $595.79.
Let’s keep going… everyone is so high on the 49ers, but you see a perfect opportunity for the Chicago Bears to spring the upset at Soldier Field. You don’t need the 6.5 points; so you take the Bears to win outright on the +230 money line. Now the potential payout starts to grow exponentially.
| GAME | OUTCOME | ODDS |
| Buffalo Bills at Los Angeles Rams | Buffalo -2.5 | -110 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals | Over 44 total points | -110 |
| Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans | Indianapolis -8 | -110 |
| San Francisco 49ers at Chicago Bears | Chicago to win | +230 |
5-Leg NFL Betting Parlays = BIG Payouts!
If you can go 4-for-4, your $100 just turned into $2,196.12. But there’s still the Monday Night game, and there’s no way you see Russell Wilson losing against his old team. The 5.5-point spread makes you nervous though – let’s stay with that money line strategy, only this time on the favorite.
| GAME | OUTCOME | ODDS |
| Buffalo Bills at Los Angeles Rams | Buffalo -2.5 | -110 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals | Over 44 total points | -110 |
| Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans | Indianapolis -8 | -110 |
| San Francisco 49ers at Chicago Bears | Chicago to win | +230 |
| Denver Broncos at Seattle Seahawks | Denver to win | -215 |
This five-team NFL betting parlay has odds of +3264. If you wake up Tuesday morning and all five outcomes occurred… your $100 is now $3,364,08 (when including the original wager.)
Just remember, almost doesn’t count. All five outcomes need to occur for you to score the big payout. If not, it doesn’t matter if you get four right or zero right. It’s all or nothing.
So no, it’s not easy. And it’s not a standalone NFL parlay betting strategy, as the odds would suggest. But if you put a few dollars each week on a four-team or five-team NFL betting parlay, you could be in for some very exciting Sundays (and Mondays) this season!
PointsBet SECOND CHANCE
A Few More NFL Betting Parlay Wagering Tips for Beginners:
- Make your bets before any of the games start. All outcomes must be chosen at the time of the wager – you can’t add to it as you go.
- Combining outcomes from the same game (for example, Buffalo Bills +2.5 and the game to have fewer than 53 points) are subject to conditions and may not always be allowed. Make sure to check your sportsbook’s rules.
- Ties cancel. In other words, in the parlay above, if you get four outcomes right but Indianapolis wins by exactly 8 points, that particular outcome cancels and it becomes a four-team parlay.
The last point is the cash out option. In our above example, say you got through Sunday with all four outcomes correct, but still needed Denver to win that Monday Night game. Chances are the sportsbook may offer a ‘cash out’ option, where you can walk away from the wager for a percentage of the potential winnings.
Rather than seeing if Denver can win on Monday Night and cash the +3264 NFL betting parlay, you can take the sportsbook’s offer (say, $1,500) to walk away from the wager with a tidy little profit. Or you could let it ride and go for the big score.
(You could also hedge the wager and hope for the best of both worlds – but that’s another article).
Good Luck on Your Parlay Journey!
Parlays have high odds for a reason – they’re tough bets to win. Keep your bets reasonable and manage your expectations – but at the same time, don’t be afraid to take a shot. It’s the most fun you can have betting on sports, and even if you only win one of them this season, it’ll be a huge bankroll booster.
