We’re still a few Sundays away from the start of preseason football, but before you know it, it will be Week 1 of the NFL Season. Sports bettors, fantasy football players, and fans alike all look forward to Week 1. It’s the start of several months of the best sport in the world, American Football. However, even if you’re a seasoned sports bettors, there are a few things to consider before you sign up at an online betting site and start placing wagers. To maximize your value from each NFL season - there are several factors to consider, from signing up at a sportsbook and depositing to what type of bets you should place.

Tip #1 - Choose A Reputable Sportsbook

What is the use of betting if you’re not going to be paid? There are tons of options for bettors when it comes to betting football, but it’s usually best to go with sites that have been around awhile, rather than those newer to the industry. Sites like Bovada, BetOnline.ag, and BookMaker.eu are all sportsbooks that have been around for a decade or more and process payouts quickly. That’s another factor. How quickly are they processing payments? Are there a lot of fees? Do they have the cashier methods you’re looking for?

Tip #2 - Maximize Your Bonus

Betting sites almost always offer players a bonus when they sign up. This is called a deposit bonus. Many sportsbooks will also offer bettors reload bonuses for big sporting events, such as the start of the NFL season. You may or may not need to have a zeroed balance to be eligible for a reload bonus. When you make a deposit at an NFL betting site - it’s important to maximize your bonus. For instance, if you can get a 50% Bonus up to $1,000, you should deposit $2,000 to receive the maximum amount. Again, say you can get a 100% Bonus up to $500, you should deposit $500 to receive the maximum bonus. Bonuses come as free play which has a rollover before you can withdraw, but regardless, deposit bonuses are always excellent bankroll builders, particularly for low stakes bettors.

Tip #3 - Use Cryptocurrencies

Cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin are still a foreign concept to some, but it’s not an exaggeration that the cryptocurrency revolution has saved offshore betting sites. They come with several advantages compared to traditional fiat-based, such as extra anonymity, speed, and near-zero transaction fees. These days, just about every NFL betting site online takes at least one cryptocurrency. Deposits and withdrawals are free at most sites, and payouts take less than 24 hours compared to a week or longer with checks or bank wires. Those methods also come with fees. The only issue is cryptocurrencies can sometimes fluctuate in price, but this can be mitigated by using an exchange or wallet that has an auto conversion option, such as BitStamp.net.

Tip #4 - Use Recreational Sportsbooks

Pinnacle and Bookmaker.eu are excellent sportsbooks and still one of the best options for NFL bettors, but they’re lines are far sharper than recreational sportsbooks, like Bovada, Heritage Sports, and many others. If you’re new to betting - it doesn’t make sense to wager into sharper odds when you still can bet into lines that are in many cases off-market. This is especially true when it comes to NFL betting, where there is a bit more variation in the closing odds at sportsbooks on key numbers. You will be able to find profitable wagers via line shopping alone. There is no need for vast NFL knowledge, just spotting inefficiencies in the market. This is quite rare with other sports.

Tip #5 - Bet Propositions

NFL Propositions are one of the softest markets to target and are excellent bankroll builders for newer bettors. Propositions will typically have higher limits than other sports and as we get closer to the playoffs and the Super Bowl, these limits usually get larger. The edge bettors will have wagering on player and team props is much higher straight wagers on sides and totals. Though, it’s important to note that betting props may get your account limited much faster. You can learn all about various bet options and winning strategies at NFL betting guide. Joseph Falchetti is the author of the blog, most picks, and the majority of content on Safestbettingsites.com Joe has an extensive background as a writer and gambler of all types. He was a professional poker player and sports bettor for eight years until he decided to make the switch to writing gambling content after the Black Friday seizures against PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker.