American pro football is one of those sports that appeals to people of all races, religions and rungs on the social ladder. It is telling that the fans are the ones who are the most upset at the prospect of an impending labor-related work stoppage. People who have never played a down of organized football are passionately embroiled in fantasy leagues, next seasons NFL predictions or become enmeshed in the handicapping and betting of football games.

Wanna Bet?

While there are certainly some high rollers out there (the largest Super Bowl wager involved over a million dollars), most people are content to place about the same amount of money on the line as they would when making their March Madness predictions. Some people put a lot of thought and scientific research into their selections, whereas others just blindly take a square on a board.

Survival Pool

One of the most popular forms of gambling, called a Survival Pool (or sometimes a Suicide Pool), involves picking only a team or two each week. Losing a game could mean losing a pick the next week, or being eliminated entirely. Obviously, one looks for the most advantageous matchup, when a powerhouse plays a divisional cellar-dweller. Ergo, one big upset can blow out most of the players in a pool. The last person to have a pick left wins all of the money in the pool.

This enables people who wager ten or twenty bucks to pull in winnings of a thousand dollars or more. The beauty of the survival pool is that it can be finished off in a few weeks, with plenty of football left in the season for another round of betting. Even if two or three bettors are stubbornly hanging on at the end, the bookmaker can often convince them to split the pot so that another pool can be started up. To those who participate in the betting, it’s a matter of good, clean fun… Just like football.

Interested in CBS picks?

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