Hall of Fame Game Betting

The NFL is the most popular sport to bet on in America, and the first action every year is the Hall of Fame Game. The Hall of Fame Game takes center stage during the first week of August with two teams squaring off in Canton, Ohio. It is typically the only preseason game of the week with every other team kicking off the following week. Because it is the first game of the year, Hall of Fame Game betting kicks off most sports bettors seasons.

Preseason betting can be a profitable way to build your NFL regular season bank roll, and we’re here to tell you how to bet on the Hall of Fame Game.

Hall of Fame Game Betting Options

There are three main ways to bet on the Hall of Fame Game: the point spread, the moneyline, and the total.

When you bet the point spread, you are betting on a team to win by a certain amount of points.

For example, if the New York Giants (-4.5) are a 4.5-point favorite over the Arizona Cardinals(+4.5), you are betting on the Giants to win the game by at least five points if you are backing Big Blue. That would mean a 27-17 Giants win would lead to you cashing your bet. However, a 20-17 victory, would make your bet on the Giants a loss, as the Cardinals would have lost by less than the 4.5-point spread. For the most part, you are laying -110 juice (betting $110 to win $100) when you are betting on the spread.

If you’re looking for a more simple option when it comes to betting on the NFL Hall of Fame Game, look at moneyline betting. When you bet a team on the moneyline, you are just betting on them to win the game. It’s simple, straightforward, and easy.

However, moneylines vary dramatically in terms of the juice you have to lay. If a great team like the New England Patriots is playing a lousy team like the New York Jets, you are likely to be laying a significant amount of dough if you want to bet on the favorite and make a profit.

The NFL betting odds might have the Patriots as a -500 favorite on the moneyline, meaning that you will be wagering $50 to win $10. Conversely, if you want to bet on the underdog – The Jets in this scenario, the NFL odds may list the Jets as +400 on the moneyline, meaning a bet of $10 would return $40.

You can also get your Hall of Fame Game Betting fix by betting on whether a certain number of points will be scored.

This is a total, or over/under. Like the moneyline bet, this is very straightforward. Here, you are betting on both teams to combine for a certain number of points. If the total is 45.5 and the two teams combine for 44 points, the under cashes. However, if the game ends up with 48 combined points, then the over is the winner. Total bets are almost always made at -110 odds.

History of the Hall of Fame Game

 

Date Winner Loser Score
August 11, 1962 New York Giants St. Louis Cardinals 21-21
September 8, 1963 Pittsburgh Steelers Cleveland Browns 16-7
September 6, 1964 Baltimore Colts Pittsburgh Steelers 48-17
September 12, 1965 Washington Redskins Detroit Lions 20-3
August 5, 1967 Philadelphia Eagles Cleveland Browns 28-13
August 3, 1968 Chicago Bears Dallas Cowboys 30-24
September 13, 1969 Green Bay Packers Atlanta Falcons 38-24
August 8. 1970 New Orleans Saints Minnesota Vikings 14-13
July 31, 1971 Los Angeles Rams Houston Oilers 17-6
July 29, 1972 Kansas City Chiefs New York Giants 23-17
July 28, 1973 San Francisco 49ers New England Patriots 20-7
July 27, 1974 St. Louis Cardinals Buffalo Bills 21-13
August 2, 1975 Washington Redskins Cincinnati Bengals 17-9
July 24, 1976 Denver Broncos Detroit Lions 10-7
July 30, 1977 Chicago Bears New York Jets 20-6
July 29, 1978 Philadelphia Eagles Miami Dolphins 17-3
July 28, 1979 Oakland Raiders Dallas Cowboys 20-13
August 2, 1980 San Diego Chargers Green Bay Packers 0-0
August 1, 1981 Cleveland Browns Atlanta Falcons 24-10
August 7, 1982 Minnesota Vikings Baltimore Colts 30-14
July 30, 1983 Pittsburgh Steelers New Orleans Saints 27-14
July 28, 1984 Seattle Seahawks Tampa Bay Buccaneers 38-0
August 3, 1985 New York Giants Houston Oilers 21-20
August 2, 1986 New England Patriots St. Louis Cardinals 21-16
August 8, 1987 San Francisco 49ers Kansas City Chiefs 20-7
July 30, 1988 Cincinnati Bengals Los Angeles Rams 14-7
August 5, 1989 Washington Redskins Buffalo Bills 31-6
August 4, 1990 Chicago Bears Cleveland Browns 13-0
July 27, 1991 Detroit Lions Denver Broncos 14-3
August 1, 1992 New York Jets Philadelphia Eagles 41-14
July 31, 1993 Los Angeles Raiders Green Bay Packers 19-3
July 30, 1994 Atlanta Falcons San Diego Chargers 21-17
July 29, 1995 Carolina Panthers Jacksonville Jaguars 20-14
July 27, 1996 Indianapolis Colts New Orleans Saints 10-3
July 26, 1997 Minnesota Vikings Seattle Seahawks 28-26
August 1, 1998 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Pittsburgh Steelers 30-6
August 9, 1999 Cleveland Browns Dallas Cowboys 20-17
July 31, 2000 New England Patriots San Francisco 49ers 20-0
August 6, 2001 St. Louis Rams Miami Dolphins 17-10
August 5, 2002 New York Giants Houston Texans 34-17
August 4, 2003 Kansas City Chiefs Green Bay Packers 9-0
August 9, 2004 Washington Redskins Denver Broncos 20-17
August 8, 2005 Chicago Bears Miami Dolphins 27-24
August 6, 2006 Oakland Raiders Philadelphia Eagles 16-10
August 5, 2007 Pittsburgh Steelers New Orleans Saints 20-7
August 3, 2008 Washington Redskins Indianapolis Colts 30-16
August 9, 2009 Tennessee Titans Buffalo Bills 21-18
August 8, 2010 Dallas Cowboys Cincinnati Bengals 16-7
August 7, 2011 Game canceled
August 5, 2012 New Orleans Saints Arizona Cardinals 17-10
August 4, 2013 Dallas Cowboys Miami Dolphins 24-20
August 3, 2014 New York Giants Buffalo Bills 17-13
August 9, 2015 Minnesota Vikings Pittsburgh Steelers 14-3
August 7, 2016 Game canceled
August 3, 2017 Dallas Cowboys Arizona Cardinals 20-18

 

Hall of Fame Game Betting Strategies

Like other NFL preseason games, the Hall of Fame Game is typically close and low scoring. If starters play in the game, it’s never for more than a quarter, so knowing about each team’s depth chart is very useful.

A general rule of thumb to follow when it comes to betting the Hall of Fame Game is that teams that drafted rookie quarterbacks will get early action in order to help them learn the offense and test them in a game situation.

Over the years, teasing the Hall of Fame Game has been largely profitable. Since the games are low scoring, you can often tease either side or the total with a game the following week and find yourself cashing one half of your teaser early.

Odds

Baltimore -1 Over/Under 33.5

History

This will be the 55th Hall of Fame Game as it originated in 1962 with a few years off here and there (for the NFL lockout in 2011 and poor field conditions in 2016.) The Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys have made the most appearances and both are 3-3.

In the last six Hall of Fame Games, the underdog has won the game outright four times and hasn’t covered the spread when losing the other two games. The game has also gone under total four times in that timespan.

The Bears will be making their fifth appearance and are 4-0 while the Ravens are the only team to not play in the game and will make their debut Thursday.

Betting Strategy

When it comes to preseason betting, look at the quarterback depth. The Ravens have rookie quarterback and former Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson. They also have incumbent starter Joe Flacco, Robert Griffin III and Josh Woodrum. It will be interesting to see how much Mitch Trubisky plays for the Bears while they also have veteran backup Chase Daniel and Tyler Bray.

Prediction

The Ravens look deeper and more exciting at quarterback, go with the favorite.