How to bet on the NFL at a Missouri sportsbook

Missouri sports betting has been going strong all week, but chances are some folks have been waiting until Sunday to make their first bet. That’s because the Kansas City Chiefs are finally playing football in the era of live sports betting in the state.

The Chiefs will take on the Texans in a crucial “Sunday Night Football” game between two teams that need to win. Whether you’re looking to bet this game or any other matchup on the Week 14 NFL slate, we’re here to explain to you the many ways you bet on the NFL at a Missouri sportsbook if you’re new to this type of thing.

How to bet on the NFL at a Missouri sportsbook

To understand how to bet on the NFL, you’ll need to know the basics of betting. So we’ll start with some sports betting 101 and use betting glossary terms with examples from this weekend’s Chiefs vs. Texans game.

Moneyline

This is the most basic way to wager on any game. You are betting the winner between the two teams and the sportsbooks base the odds on the percentage chance that one team is expected to win.

The Chiefs are -210 favorites ahead of “Sunday Night Football” against the Texans, which translates to a roughly 65 percent chance to win the game. The Texans are +175 underdogs, which translates to about a 35 percent chance to win the game.

The favorite has a minus sign next to its number and the underdog has a plus sign, which also lets you know how much you would win. If you wanted to win $100 from the sportsbook with your bet on the Chiefs, you would need to wager $210. Conversely, if you wagered $100 on the Texans at +175 odds, you would win $175.

Point spread

Also referred to as the “line” for a game, this is margin of victory between the two teams that sportsbooks let bettors wager on.

Typically the odds on these bets are -110, which is standard for most two-sided bets across the market. You may notice different odds, though, if a team is becoming a more popular bet, like -115 to -105 or -120 to +100.

The Chiefs are -3.5 favorites and Texans +3.5 underdogs for Week 14. That means the Chiefs are favorites to win by four or more points because you can’t score a half point. If the Chiefs win by four or more, they cover the point spread. If the Texans lose by three points or less, or win the game, then they would cover the spread.

Over/Under

Also referred to as the total, this is the number that sportsbooks project both teams will combine to score in the game. This one is pretty straightforward.

The Texans-Chiefs total ranges from 41.5 to 42 depending on the sportsbook. Using the 41.5 number, you can bet that this game will either end with a score of at least 42 points (Over), or 41 or fewer points (under).

In the case of the 42 number, if the game ended with a combined total of exactly 42 points, your wager would be graded as a push (like a draw) and your bet would be returned to you.

Player Prop

This is any bet that is related to player performance. It has become pretty popular to bet player props because, frankly, it’s easier to understand the outcome for new bettors. Sometimes you can wager on player props in the way you would wager on totals, picking an over or under on a particular number and stat category

Patrick Mahomes’ passing yards prop is listed at 237.5, so a wager on the over is a bet that Mahomes throws for 238 yards or more. A wager on the under is a bet that he has 237 yards or fewer.

Parlay

This is when you add multiple picks to your slip as one bet. A parlay combines the odds of each bet into one, which boosts the total payout. Most sportsbooks will let you combine bets from a single event (also known as a same game parlay) using a variety of available bets.

Example: The Chiefs moneyline is -210 odds (a $10 bet wins $4.76) and the odds on the Under are -110 (a $10 bet is $9.09), a parlay of both bets change the odds to +182, which means you’d win $18.18 on those bets together with a $10 bet compared to $13.85 if you placed two separate $10 bets on each market.

Teaser

These are similar in concept to parlays. Teasers involve multiple picks combined into one bet, but you can add points to the spread to make the bet more favorable. The downside is it reduces the odds instead of increasing them the way a parlay does.

Say one team is favored by 8.5 points and you add them to your 6-point teaser to move the line to -2.5. Another team is favored by 7 points and you tease them down to -1. You won’t get plus odds like with a parlay, a six-point teaser has -135 odds.

Futures

A bet on an event that settles in the future like the championship winner in a particular sport, a team’s expected win total, or the odds for a team to make the postseason.

The Chiefs have +114 odds to make the NFL playoffs and -140 odds to miss the playoffs. They have -170 odds to win over 9.5 games and +145 odds to win under 9.5 games.

They have 17/1 odds to win the Super Bowl, which puts them behind the Rams, Packers, Eagles, Seahawks, Bills, Patriots, Colts and Ravens.

How to sign up for Missouri sports betting apps

If you haven’t signed up for any Missouri sports betting apps yet, there’s no time like the present. Here’s a look at the current welcome offers for new users in the state:

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Why Trust New York Post Betting

Malik Smith has been immersed in the sports betting industry since 2017. He’s a data nerd with a particular focus on the NBA and combat sports. He spends his weeknights in the winter looking for edges on plus-money NBA player props.