Reverse Bets

It’s time to take a look at one of the truly underused concepts in NFL betting: the reverse bet. But before we do, please take a moment to read our section on the if bet . When you’re playing a reverse bet, you’re essentially playing your if bet twice at the same time, with the order reversed in one of the two halves.

Let’s say you were thinking about making the following if bet on a game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Cincinnati Bengals:

  • Vikings +4
  • OVER 38

You’ll recall that with an if bet, unlike a parlay, the second bet only gets processed if the first outcome wins. Let’s say Minnesota loses 27-20 to the Cincinnati Bengals, and you wagered $110 to win $100 on each of the two NFL betting lines. The Vikings didn’t cover, so you lose $110, and the second bet on the total is ignored.

But what if you had managed your risk by placing the following reverse bet, putting $55 to win $50 on each of the four NFL lines?

First Part
  • Vikings +4
  • OVER 38
Second Part
  • OVER 38
  • Vikings +4
Conclusion
  • The first part plays out just like our original if bet, but with a loss of $55 instead of $110
  • In the second part, the “over” pays out $50, but the Vikings failed to cover, so you lose five bucks. That’s a total loss of $60, which is a lot better than losing $110.
  • Remember: a penny saved is a penny earned when you’re betting on the NFL.