So, I was wondering, I know NOTHING about football, and some people are doing a pool… are there any sites that are free that’ll give me some sort of an edge? I thought it’d be fun to do at least once in my life. 
nobody likes football here?
Sometimes you have to bump threads if you post them during the board’s busy hours.
Now, do you mean a pool or a fantasy team? The pools are extremely simple - usually the player does no more than pick a winner (with a couple of tiebreakers thrown in). It can get a little more complicated than that, but not much.
Fantasy football is a whole 'nother beast, though. There are leagues for the uberfan and for the casual fan. Each requires a certain amount of attention to detail, although with the casual leagues it’s not uncommon for a player to choose his team and then do little or nothing the rest of the season.
In other words, you can put in as much work as you’d like, and depending on the level of the league, contributing minimal effort won’t hurt you.
Yahoo and Sandbox have good fantasy leagues (free).
First, let me say that picking NFL games is the single most difficult wager to win in all of gambling. So expect to suck, and you won’t be disappointed.
But I do have tips for you. Each week go to the NY Post bettor’s guide and check the NFL spreads. (Click the “Post Line” to get the spreads.)
The spread means that if you bet on the game, let’s say the Redskins tomorrow night, the Redskins must cover the spread by winning the game by more than 3 points. If you bet on the Jets, the Jets can lose the game, but if it’s by less than 3, you still win your bet.
Does the pool include spreads? You’ll see a 3 (or some number close to three) in between the Redskins and Jets on the pool.
If the pool does not include spreads: Pick every favored (listed on the left) team.
If the pool includes spreads: You’re screwed. Take a 2-pronged approach:
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If your pool spread is different than the NY Post spread, assume the game will end “pushing” the NY Post thread (in the earlier example, if the Redskins beat the Jets by exactly 3, it would be a push) and then pick the team that covers the pool spread given that score. So if in this example your pool has the Redskins favored by 4, (you are assuming the Redskins will win by 3), you would pick the Jets, because you are assuming they will lose by less than 4, thus covering the spread. I can clarify this one further if you need.
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If the pool thread is the same (or withing a half point of) the NY Post thread, pick the home team.
Without spreads you should be able to consistently go around 10-6. With spreads you should be hovering around 8-8. Either way, you should be at least as good as any of the following strategies:
- whichever animal would win in a fight
- whichever city you’d rather visit
- whichever uniform colors you like better
just join one, try it, no charge. There’s a few floating around here that probably wouldn’t mind a newbie. Do one at work, or wherever.
I’ve done one on here a couple years now and finished 2nd and 3rd I think. That’s not bad considering I only watch my home team maybe half the time and few other games, barely pick up a sports section-it’s not that hard, really.
And if you suck, being new, you got an excuse, as opposed to the rest of us!