Canadian Football Strategy
- Edge rusher (alternately edge defender or simply edge) is a term designating a position in gridiron football.Some analysts consider 'edge rusher' to be its own position entirely. Players considered to be edge rushers are usually 4–3 defensive ends or 3–4 outside linebackers.Note that 3–4 outside linebackers often act as an extension of the defensive line, in that they will.
- But while the excitement in both leagues may be similar, salaries of Canadian football players lag dramatically behind those of their U.S. Minimum Starting Salaries In The CFL. A high draft pick in the CFL can expect a small signing bonus in their first year and salary of about $50,000. Lower selections and undrafted free agents.
- Canadian Football League Head Office COMMISSIONER’S OFFICE Randy Ambrosie Commissioner Anne Moore Executive Assistant to the Commissioner & Senior.
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As the NFL season has now started, most of the focus of the sports betting world is on the 16 games played every Sunday and Monday, but did you know that there has been professional football happening all summer long? No, we aren’t talking about the short-lived AAF, we mean the Canadian Football League! The CFL has been around since 1958 and, while it has seen its fair share of ups and downs, it’s still kicking and providing entertainment to football fans on both sides of the border.
There’s a lot to love about the CFL, especially if you are a gambler. Why don’t we give you a primer on all the reasons you should be placing bets on the CFL.
First off, let’s start with the best online gambling sites for placing your CFL bets. When you’re done reading this page, you will be so pumped up to start wagering on these games that you will want to have your accounts all set up and ready to go. Below is a list of the sites we recommend for CFL betting online (we’ll explain why in more detail further down this page).
7 Reasons You Should Bet on the CFL
#1: It’s Football!
Let’s start with the most obvious reason: The Canadian Football League is professional football! Yes, there are some nuances that make it a little different than its counterpart in the United States, but the general strategy of the game is the same. If you have some general knowledge of how to make point spread, moneyline, and prop bets, you will be able to pick up betting on the CFL in no time!
#2: Wild Point Spreads
The Canadian Football League offers bettors some pretty wild spreads, and this means more chances for great action! The games are often high scoring (more on that shortly), which means more lines that are larger than those in the NFL. Bettors who like to play parlays and teasers will love the ability to take the teams they want to bet with lots of room to cover those spreads.
#3: Fewer Teams to Follow
Canada has a much smaller population than the US, meaning there are fewer places to accommodate a professional football team. There aren’t as many teams to follow, giving you a chance to learn more about each one in more detail before you bet on the CFL.
There are currently eight teams in the Canadian Football League:
- C. Lions
- Calgary Stampeders
- Edmonton Eskimos
- Saskatchewan Roughriders
- Winnipeg Blue Bombers
- Toronto Argonauts
- Ottawa Redblacks
- Montreal Alouettes
#4: The Schedule
The CFL offers many different betting alternatives to gamblers, but one of the most attractive is the schedule itself. Each team plays 18 games (two more than NFL teams) and the season runs from June to November. This means you can make your CFL bets right through the summer while waiting for the NFL to start in September. Since the season ends in late November, you can also refocus on the NFL just as the playoff push starts.
Another interesting twist on the CFL schedule is that the majority of the games are on Friday and Saturday. The folks running the league realized they simply could not compete with the popularity of the NFL even in the Canadian market, so they shifted their games to other nights of the week to maximize viewership. This is an added bonus for US players to bet on the CFL as well, as the league is covered by American sports networks.
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#5: 3 Downs
We mentioned earlier that the CFL has some slight rule differences that make it a different type of football than the NFL. One major rule difference is that there are only three downs for a team to advance 10 yards, versus the four downs that NFL teams have. There is far more passing in the CFL than in the NFL. Also, there are many more changes of possession, meaning more chances for teams to score. Keep this in mind if you plan to bet on the CFL. From a prop betting perspective, this can really change the way a bettor looks at individual performances, and this rule difference is one of the reasons the point spreads and totals can seem far higher than NFL games.
#6: The Rouge
Another difference in the rules in the CFL that can impact gamblers is something called the “rouge.” In the CFL, the end zone is 30 yards long as opposed to the 10 yards in the NFL. When a kicker attempts a field goal, if it is missed, a defensive player has the opportunity to run the ball out of the endzone. While this is a rare occurrence, it does produce some very exciting plays!
The more likely scenario on missed field goal attempts is that the ball is kicked all the way out of the endzone, despite the kick being missed. If that occurs, the kicking team is awarded one point called a “rouge.” Now, this can work as both a benefit and detriment for gamblers, so be wary of who is kicking for the teams you are betting on. And pay attention to the weather conditions, as these extra points could mean the difference between winning and losing your bet on the CFL.
#7: Names You Know and Names You Should Know
The CFL has always had a connection to the NFL. While the league isn’t exactly a farm system, we have seen many examples of players who either weren’t drafted or couldn’t make the NFL come up to Canada and make a splash before returning down south. Some of the more notable names that fall into this category are Warren Moon, Doug Flutie, and Jeff Garcia.
Going the other direction, there have been many NFL players who were either looking for a fresh start or decided that the CFL was a better place to ply their trade. Players like Rocket Ismail, Michael Sam, and Johnny Manziel have donned CFL jerseys over the years. This gives the CFL a higher profile and gives you something to watch as you try to determine which players could be headed for NFL squads the next season.
How to Bet on the CFL
Now that you know what sites we think are the best CFL betting sites, and you understand more clearly why it’s fun to watch and bet on the CFL, the logical step is to get down to wagering! Here are a few tips for you.
First, you should find a site that offers you the best deposit bonuses and promotions for CFL betting online. There are many sites that actually have CFL-specific offers, although you may have to dig deeper to find them. Our sportsbook review pages try to capture all the relevant offers for Canadian football bettors.
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Second, you want to find sites that offer the most pre-game betting options. Most sites will offer pre-game spreads, moneylines, and totals, but the best CFL betting sites offer markets on all the main prop bets you would expect to see for an NFL game.
Canadian Football Strategy Game
Finally, look for sites that offer in-play betting on CFL games. As we mentioned, there are wild swings in most games, which offer great opportunities for gamblers to take advantage of updated live lines.
Canadian Football Players
So, there you have it, all the reasons you should take notice of the Canadian Football League and bet on the CFL online! The Grey Cup (the CFL Super Bowl) happens in late November, so there’s lots of time to familiarize yourself with teams and players. Start making some money betting on the football league of the Great White North!