Top 5 CFL Betting Tips & Strategies
The Canadian Football League is one of the most exciting football leagues in all of North America. While it's often overshadowed by the NFL in the U.S., the CFL still garners plenty of attention, from both fans and bettors alike.
If you're new to the CFL but familiar with American football, you will be very familiar with many of the ways that the game is played. But, if you're new to betting on the sport we recommend you to check out our guide on how to bet on CFL first.
If you already know how to do it,here are some tips and strategies you should check out if you want to tilt those CFL odds in your favour!
Go with Underdogs Early
A trend that's played out pretty consistently over the last few years is that underdogs have been able to keep games close to begin the season. Over the last 16 years, underdogs have covered at a rate of almost 62% through Week 4 of the season.
That trend seems to turn around by the mid-point in the season, though, with favorites getting more grounded and playing as they're expected to. So, if you're looking to bet on the spread early in the season, take an extra hard look at the underdogs.
Low Scoring Early
Betting on the under isn't as exciting as betting on the over, but bettors are just looking for wins -- no matter how they can get them. One thing to keep in mind is that unders seem to always win out in the CFL, with only one season in the last 17 in which there were more overs than unders.
Not only do unders traditionally win out in the CFL, this is especially so early in the season. In the last 18 seasons, the under has gone 16-8 in the first week of the season. That's a pretty impressive win rate for one bet.
The reason for this is that it usually takes the offenses a few weeks to get completely in rhythm, leading to lower-scoring games early on. This could be a trend you could jump on as well.
Home/Away Splits
When you're breaking down a matchup for betting purposes, it's very important to look at all angles of past performance. One area that often gets overlooked is a team's home and road splits. How do the teams perform at home versus on the road?
This information should be readily available for you today, with all the stats available online. By analyzing this information, you can see whether one team might be overhyped based on poor road performance, for instance, or whether another team is undervalued.
Identifying these overvalued/undervalued teams can help you pick out some solid bets.
Weather is a Factor Late
Weather is always a potential factor in any outdoor sport. It can change the outcome of a game, based on how teams must adjust to the weather they're playing in on that particular day.
In the CFL, this is particularly true later in the season, when the weather doesn't just turn cold, it can get frigid. It's not just snow that can impact the way a game is played, but also wind and ice-cold temperatures.
Whenever you're betting on the CFL, especially in the latter part of the season, take a look at the weather forecast and adjust your analysis based on it.
Injuries Are a Big Impact
Injuries are a huge part of any sport, of course, but in the CFL -- where rosters aren't very deep -- it can play an enormous role in the outcome of a game. CFL rosters, for example, aren't as deep as those in the NFL.
So, if a key starter is out for a game or playing through a nagging injury, there may not be a suitable backup ready to step up in his place. This could lead to the outcome of the game being dramatically different than if all the starters were able to take the field as normal.
Before you bet any game, pay attention to the injury report following the previous week's game, and keep an eye out throughout the week leading up to a game for any updates to those injuries.
You may need to adjust your predictions based on these injuries -- or just avoid betting on the game altogether if you don't have a solid read.
We recommend you to check out our more betting tips on our sports betting guide.