Super Bowl 50: Carolina Panthers vs. Denver Broncos, Monday, February 8, 2016, 10.30am AEDT, watch on Seven Network
LET’S face it.
There is only a select few Australians who really know what is going on in American Football.
But there is one day every year when every punter becomes an NFL fan.
Super Bowl day!
The number one teams in the AFC and NFC (there are two divisions in the NFL) have made it through to the big dance for the third straight season, with the highest scoring in the offence in the Carolina Panthers, led by league Most Valuable Player favourite Cam Newton, going up against Payton Manning and Denver Broncos, who possess the number one defence in the league, led by the monster Von Miller.
How Miller and his beastly defence deal with the superstar Newton will go a long way to deciding this match.
That defence was the reason the Broncos were able to make it past the New England Patriots in the AFC championship game, 20-18, making things very, very tough for the legend Tom Brady.
And the Panthers absolutely slaughtered the Arizona Cardinals, 49-15, in a much easier path through to the final.
A massive amount of money is set to be splurged on America’s marquee football event, with the Carolina Panthers the heavy $1.46 favourites to take out the 50th incarnation of the event.
The Broncos are the $2.80 outsiders and that’s for good reason – their record in Super Bowls is not pretty.
So you’ve been invited to a Super Bowl barbecue at your mate’s place over a few frothies.
You’re watching the biggest sporting event of the year and you want to have a few cheeky bets
But you have no idea about this NFL game.
What the hell is a pick?
Why do they have so many breaks?
Isn’t a snap something you send your mates on your mobile phone?
Yep, you have no hope.
But don’t worry, we’re here for you.
Here are our five Super Bowl betting tips for dummies.
Tip 1: Get a WilliamHill.com.au account
Now there are any number of Australian book makers that offer a full range of head to head, line and exotic markets on the Super Bowl, with a variety of promotions and bonus bets designed to give you a little extra kick on your bet.
But there is simply none better than what the William Hill crew is throwing out this year.
Hot on the heels of their uber juicy Chase The Ace promotion, where punters who backed a player with $20 or more were returned $1 for every ace they served, the bookie has fired up with Chase the Score on the Super Bowl.
Chase The Score is the newest and most exciting way to cheer on your head-to-head bet.
Win or lose, you will receive an additional $1 cash for every point your team scores in the match.
Place a head to head bet of $30 or more on the 2016 Super Bowl and receive $1 cash for every point your team scores.
That is an extra $1 for every point your team scores. Win or lose.
It’s so awesome.
Even if you’re lose, it’s like a little insurance policy, you’re guaranteed to get a little bit back and you can use that to chase your losses on a decent NBA multi or something like that.
Make sure you tell your mates all about it.
You’ll be the hero of the barbecue!
Tip 2: Know your terminology
Even when you know, do you really know?
There is that much weird jargon in NFL that it’s hard to differentiate what is what.
Here’s a few words that you need to know the meaning of, just so you don’t look like a complete moron at your barbecue.
Touch down: This is the main avenue for scoring. Think rugby league, but instead of the try line, they have to get the ball into the end zone. This can be done in a variety of ways, with the keys thrown, usually by the quarter back to someone that catches it, or rushed over the line. Newton is the $9 favourite with CrownBet.com.au to be the first touch down scorer.
Pick or Interception: The quarterback’s nightmare, this is when the ball is snatched out of the air by a defensive player on the opposition team. With the strong Denver defence and Manning partial to the odd pick, the $1.47 for over 1.5 interceptions looks good.
Snap: Blue, 22! A snap is the action in which the ball is thrown or handed backwards by the center to a recipient, usually the quarter back. It starts the play.
Punt: When the punter bombs the ball down field to the opposition, in an attempt to limit the field position they start from. The over/under at crownbet.com.au is 9.5, at $1.88 each of two.
Down: This is the period of play where the action actually occurs. Pro tip – there are a lot of breaks. CrownBet.com.au has each side $1.88 to record the first first down in the game.
Tip 3: Know your quarterbacks
Let’s face it, no one really gives a stuff about any one else on the field apart from the two quarterbacks.
They pretty much hold the keys to every thing.
If they poop the bed, they will become public enemy number one for their team.
If they perform, they can be raised to God like status.
It’s a fine line.
The two men we mentioned, Newton and Manning, are separated by 13 years in draft date, but arguments could be made for both to be the best quarterback in the league, with Brady also in the conversations.
There is plenty in this story. Newton is the young buck who will probably be the league’s MVP.
Manning is the old bull that has had his struggles in the big dance, but a win would solidify his legacy as one of the greats of all time – if he is not already.
Could it be the legend’s last game? Some believe it may happen and a win would be fitting.
If you think Newton is going to have a monster, WilliamHill.com.au has a variety of markets on offer.
He is $3.75 to throw three or more touch down passes – that looks serious value with the big scores the Panthers have been racking up, and he is $4.50 to register 300 or more total passing yards.
Conversely, if you think this will be Manning’s day, the bookie has the gun passer at $6 for 350 or more passing yards, while he is not one to run the ball, but he is a massive $51 to mark the match with a touchdown and the Broncos to win the match.
Tip 4: Don’t expect a close one
Here’s a couple of stats that can both guide your betting and make you look well informed in front of your pals.
Were expecting the margin in this one to be a blow out.
The Broncos have made seven Super Bowls and the average winning margin in those is a gaudy 24.3 points.
That means whoever loses usually gets pumped when the Broncs are involved.
And the Denver team is just 2-5 in Super Bowls.
The Panthers have never won a Super Bowl, so this one is a little bit of an unknown quantity, but if they get a run on, things could get out of hand very quickly, just as they did against the Cards.
For the record, we feel like the Broncos might have played their Super Bowl a week early, squeezing every thing out of themselves to get past the Patriots.
They will have their work cut out for them stopping the Panthers.
Tip 5: And if you still really have no idea?
Look, some times people can’t be helped.
If you still have absolutely no bloody idea about this gridiron stuff, maybe it’s time to take a walk on the lighter side.
Have a crack at one of the exotics.
Sportsbet.com.au certainly has a sense of humour.
The bookie has a variety of amusing bets that can help you get into the Super Bowl spirit – and they have absolutely nothing to do with the result of the match.
Get into the patriotic spirit by trying to pick out which Australian will be the first to be spotted on the screen at Levi’s Stadium.
Media magnate Rupert Murdoch is just about a shoe in to get some cam time, and is the $5 favourite to be the first Aussie spotted.
The bookie has Australia’s Ambassador to the US, Joe Hockey, as the next most likely to be seen on the TV screen at $7.50, should the host broadcaster mistake him for actor Jon Favreau.
James Packer is priced at $11 but has better things to do trying to keep his new diva bride to be Mariah Carey happy.
The pressure has been heightened on Lady Gaga’s rendition of the National Anthem thanks to Sportsbet’s market suggesting she’s a $4 chance to forget any of the words and, for a giggle, you can get $101 for her to re-enact any part of her smash hit television series American Horror Story.
All hell will break loose if the San Francisco Stadium runs out of beer ($21).
“Sadly, the closest we’ll get to seeing an Aussie in the Superbowl telecast will probably be a Jarryd Hayne 49ers jersey in the crowd,” the bookie’s Christian Jantzen lamented.
