Tailgate betting games — and non-cash prizes
With football season almost in full swing, it’s time to start placing bets. Part of the fun of tailgating with friends is making friendly wagers about which team will come out on top. Whether your crew is new to game-day gambling or you’ve been doing it for years, here are three approaches that make it simple and fun.
- Win or lose. You can’t get more basic than this type of bet, and it really requires very little strategy or skill. It works best between two fans of opposing teams; simply agree to an amount of money and, when your team wins, collect your own winnings (or hand them over in the case of a loss). However, you can also throw money into a pool and then split the cash among everyone on the winning side.
- Prop bets. Although prop bets are typically used for big games like the Super Bowl, you can make this type of wager for any game. And if you’re new to gambling, it’s another approach that’s easy to understand. One person chooses the stakes—e.g., a certain team will score the first touchdown; the coin toss will be heads, not tails, etc.—and names a price, you choose to take them up on the bet or not. It’s not the most advanced method of gambling, but it is a fun way to wager with friends.
- Point spreads. This is probably the most common way that sports fans place bets, and although it might be confusing at first, it’s easy to catch on. In this approach, a game receives a point spread, for example, three points. The spread is the same for the team projected to win and the team projected to lose. If you bet on the team expected to win, that team must win by a margin of three points or more in order for you to also win. If the team only wins by one or two points, or it loses all together, then someone who bet on the losing team actually wins. This is because this team lost by a margin that fell within the three-point spread. This betting method attempts to even the playing field between people on either side of the fence, making your odds of winning or losing essentially 50/50 regardless of which way you bet.
Though gambling typically involves the exchange of money, it doesn’t have to. Here are three prizes you can give in lieu of money or hand out as door prizes at a tailgating party.
- Tickets to an upcoming game. Since it’s going to be mostly big sports fans at a tailgating party, they’re going to be happy to go to the next big game. Snag a pair of tickets and offer them as a prize to tailgating guests.
- Team gear. An official team jersey is every avid sports-lover’s dream prize. Purchase an official jersey or go for a cheaper t-shirt to offer as a door prize or the reward for a bet well placed.
- Craft beer. What would a game be without beer? Offer the winner amongst you a six-pack of local craft beer as a souvenir of their victory.
A Guide to NFL Prop Bets and Football Propositions [Online Betting]
Football Point Spreads and Totals [Gambling Sites]