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.