February 7, the Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints will meet in Miami to decide Super Bowl 44. The Las Vegas sportsbooks didn’t wait long to post their opening point spreads and predicted Super Bowl Totals for the game.

The Indianapolis Colts opened favored by 5 points and the over/under for the game was set at 56 points. But the early money has come in on the Colts and has bumped the line up to the 5 ½. The over was also seeing lots of action as the total as been increased by half a point as well. If you want to take the Saints straight up, a $100 wager will win you $170 on the moneyline.

Opening Vegas Odds:

Las Vegas Hilton Colts -5.5 Total 56
Mirage Colts -4.5 Total 55.5
Hard Rock Colts -5 Total 56
Planet Hollywood Colts -5 Total 55


New Orleans Saints +5 +170 Over 56
Indianapolis Colts -5 -210 Under 56

My advice to everyone betting on Super Bowl XLIV, take your time before you place your bets and be sure to get the best number. The game isn’t until February 7; there will be a lot of line movement between now and then but if you see a number you like, take advantage of it.

A rule of thumb to follow when trying to get the best number, is bet the favorite soon after the line is posted and bet the underdog as close to game time as possible. Take note though, the bookmakers also know this so they may move the line a little to counteract all of the late action on the underdog. Here’s an example, with the late money coming in on the underdog the book might move the line from +5 to +4½ or attach a NFL moneyline +5 (-120) so that it costs more to bet the underdog close to kickoff.

I anticipate the Colts pointspread will take most of the action but the Saints moneyline could be a big loser for the sportsbook as New Orleans fans feel their team will win straight up and take advantage of the +170 payout. If we go back to Super Bowl 42, when the Giants faced off against the Patriots, the Patriots were such big favorites that the bettors took advantage of the +14 for the Giants and the huge moneyline for the Giants to win straight up. Every bookmaker I spoke with said the same thing, “It was a bloodbath.”

I don’t see Super Bowl 44 being a big winner or loser for the sportsbooks, the game features the best teams in each conference, both will have great number of pro NFL Betting money behind them. This could be a perfectly balanced game, where the book takes enough action on both sides of the line and wins the juice.

I will be back later in the week to examine the line moves and give you an update on where the early sharp action is for Super Bowl 44.