Looking at ways to place bets on Cards
Arizona residents can begin placing mobile sports bets just in time for the beginning of the Cardinals’ 2021 season. It’s the cherry on top of what’s expected to be an exciting third season for QB Kyler Murray and head coach Kliff Kingsbury.
New to sports betting? Below, we’ll look at all the available options for betting on the Cardinals in 2021.
Mobile sportsbooks launched on Thursday, giving residents and fans time to place their 2021 futures bets on the Cardinals and get in on the Week 1 game against the Tennessee Titans. Futures range from odds to win Super Bowl LVI next February and Arizona’s projected regular-season win total, to Murray’s passing yards, touchdowns and MVP chances. For Week 1 (and each week thereafter), bets can be placed on the money line, against the spread and on the Over/Under, as well as an extensive array of player and game props.
Futures odds
Odds to win Super Bowl LVI
The Cardinals head into the season with odds ranging from +4000 to +5000 to win SB 56. A $100 bet would return a profit of $400 or $500, respectively, should they prevail at SoFi Stadium on Feb. 13. Those odds may rise (become more profitable) or drop (suggesting a higher win probability) throughout the season based on success, injuries or public betting action.
Along the same lines, bettors can also back the Cardinals to win the NFC West or the conference at lower odds than the championship with smaller pools of competition. Lines also exist for whether or not the Cardinals will make the playoffs, or finish Over or Under a projected win total of 8.5. At -120 odds, it would take a $120 bet on the Cards to finish with 9 or more wins to return a profit of $100.
Player awards
Player award futures can offer a much higher profit than team futures due to the significantly expanded pools. Awards such as MVP, Offensive Player of the Year and Defensive Rookie of the Year can include upward of 50 options with odds ranging from around +450 for a favorite like Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes to +50000 for a long shot. Like the Super Bowl odds, these will adjust throughout the season with players being added or dropped from the available options. Murray has the lowest odds of any Cardinals player at +2000 for a profit of $2,000 on a $100 bet should he be named MVP. WR DeAndre Hopkins is +10000 for MVP; those odds would return a profit of $10,000 on a $100 bet but with an implied win probability of just 0.99% compared to Murray’s 4.76% chance.
Player props
Reduce the number of possible outcomes and play it safe by betting on lines for player performance rather than the awards. Key players like Murray, Hopkins and RB Chase Edmonds will have an Over/Under line set for yards, touchdowns, interceptions or receptions. The odds on both sides of the line are generally equal and range from +120 to -120.
Game lines
Money line
The most straightforward bet in football or any other sport is simply the pick to win the game; however, odds may not always warrant a bet when looking to back the favorite in a lopsided matchup. A favorite can range from -115 to as low as -500 later in the season with implied win probabilities of 53.49% and 83.33%, respectively. Underdogs will range from +100 (even money) to +500 (plus money) with win probabilities of 50% and 16.67%, respectively. A tie on a two-way line would result in a push and all bets on either side would be refunded.
Against the spread
A more competitive and often more profitable bet is against the spread. Sportsbooks will set a line handicapping a game asking the favorite to win by a certain number of points or for the underdog to stay within a certain margin in a loss for a bet to win. Spreads will range from 0.5 for a pick ‘em between evenly-matched opponents to 13.5 or higher on rare occasions for a lopsided late-season matchup. The most common lines are 2.5, 3.5 and 7.5. On a line of 3.5, the favorite (-3.5) would need to win by 4 or more points in order to cover. With odds of -110, it would take a $110 bet to return a profit of $100. The underdog (+3.5) would need to win outright, tie or lose by no more than a field goal to cover. Spreads can be set at a full number such as 3 or 7 points on rare occasions.