BookMaker is the only online sportsbook that provides in-depth betting previews for every NFL game on the wagering board. The upcoming season is currently on hold but oddsmakers expect it will happen and it’s never too early to start analyzing NFL lines. The NFL preseason will begin Sunday, August 7 so start handicapping today!

NFL Football Betting Odds: The NFL preseason stretches over five weeks before the regular season begins and the outcomes of games do not count toward overall records. Most teams play a total of four exhibition games.

The start of the NFL preseason is the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game, which usually takes place in early August. BookMaker will have NFL lines available to bet on for this annual matchup. Teams that play in the Hall of Fame Game end up playing five preseason games opposed to four.

Players are not paid regular salaries for preseason contests. They earn the same pay as they would in training camp. Commissioner Roger Goodell has recently pushed for an 18-game regular season which would in turn minimize the preseason to just two games.

Game matchups during the preseason are set by no rhyme or reason. Starting in 2003, teams were allowed to negotiate their preseason deals with other franchises. There are no intra-division games and most of the time you will see out-of-conference matchups. Travel is also important so teams tend to try and play other teams that are close to home.

The NFL preseason is a sector of the sports wagering world that should be treaded upon lightly. Lines are usually a little softer because oddsmakers don’t spend as much time on them and there isn’t a big handle, but there is ample uncertainty on how much effort teams are going to give in each of their four games.

There are three areas of handicapping a bettor must understand to capitalize on NFL lines during the preseason.

The first is quarterback rotation. Starters are going to be on the field for one to three series during the first preseason game, but the remainder of the game will be divvied between the second-, third- and possibly fourth-string quarterbacks.

Finding teams that have proven backup quarterbacks is a great way to win money during the preseason. You don’t want to find backups that have the potential to be good. You need to identify teams that have veterans and have taken meaningful snaps in a real NFL game.

The second handicapping factor during the NFL preseason is coach’s motivation. There are some coaches that could care less about the preseason and want it to go away all together. And then there are others, like Ravens head coach John Harbaugh, that want to put forth maximum effort on every snap of every preseason game so they can establish team tempo or sort out the starting lineup, depth chart and personnel groupings.

Other coaches see the preseason as a chance for their players to get injured. Tony Dungy was notorious for not playing his star players during the preseason out of concern for injury.

A rookie coach or coach with a new team is usually a good bet because these guys have something to prove. They need to show their fans that they can put up points and will usually go all out in the first couple of preseason games, if not all of them.

The third preseason handicapping tool to help you beat the NFL lines is utilizing media resources.

In this age of cyberspace, we have team news at the click of a button. Read the local newspaper’s preview of the game. Check out each team’s website and look for quotes from coaches and players. If you can, watch the pregame television broadcast for key information and injuries.

If you hear a piece of information you like, make a bet. If you hear something that goes against your pre-existing bet, hedge and eat the juice.

Just be smart when betting on the NFL preseason because it is a volatile proposition.

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