The New England Patriots are set to face the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI on Sunday, February 5th at the NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas. The two teams are certainly the deserving contenders from their respective conferences, as both have showcased dominant performances throughout the season. For Houston residents, the city is about to be turned upside down with Super Bowl fandemonium. While the Texans missed out on the Super Bowl this year, Texas sports gambling fans can still bet on either the Patriots or the Falcons to go all the way.
Bettors still have plenty of time to analyze the odds, as almost the entirety of ESPN’s sports coverage will be devoted to Super Bowl LI over the next week. Odds makers have the final score being close, with the Patriots favored to win by 3 points. The total estimated score for the over/under bet is 59 ½ points. These odds match up with how both teams have been playing all season. The Falcons have the highest scoring offense on average while the Patriots have been on a tear ever since QB Tom Brady returned after his 4-game suspension. Both teams will surely be going blow for blow as they will be looking to jump out to an early lead.
There are other bets available to bettors who don’t just want to bet on a winner outright. Most sportsbooks offer what are called prop bets. A “prop” bet is short for proposition bet and involves an occurrence or non-occurrence during a game. For example, you can bet on the coin toss in the Super Bowl. You can bet on whether the team who wins the coin toss will win the game. Perhaps you think you know how the first points will be scored? You can bet on whether those will be from a touchdown or safety/field goal. You can even bet on whether the game will go to overtime. There are tons of bets you can make for this game alone.
Prop bets allow you to spread your money around more as opposed to betting on one team to win. If it’s your first time betting with an online sportsbook like Bovada or BetOnline, you stand to have even more money to bet with because they give bonuses to people when they sign up for an account. Bonuses are essentially free money for you to add to your bankroll. For example, Bovada is offering a deal where you can get a 50% bonus up to $250 with your first deposit—just in time for the Super Bowl. There are no additional sign up fees or monthly/annual membership dues. All of the money spent on the sportsbooks is for bets.
If you’ve done your research (not only on the teams but also the bets available to you), you can make some solid bets for the game. These sportsbooks provide a safe and legal way for you to bet as well, as opposed to betting through an illegal local bookie. As Super Bowl LI draws nearer and the streets of Houston fill up with visiting fans, the excitement will be palpable. Texas residents may not have a team in the race, but that doesn’t mean they can’t get in on the action.