Put simply, the object of American Football is to advance the ball into the opponent's 'end zone'. This takes part of over four quarters and at any point in the game, one team will be on offence (trying to attack with the ball to score) and the other team will be on defence (trying to defend the other team from scoring). The offensive team have four possessions in which to advance the ball a certain number of yards. If they fail to do so, possession changes and the other team is given the chance to attack. This cycle then repeats, sometimes resulting in a scoring play, and other times resulted in the ball being handed back to the other team.

Teams can score points in various ways:

Touchdown - this involves carrying the ball into the other teams' 'end-zone' and scores 6 points.

Extra Kick / Conversion - after a touch down the team who scored can either kick the ball over the goal for 1-point, much like in rugby, or they can choose to try and go for another touchdown, worth 2-points and called a conversion. 

Field Goal - this involves kicking the ball over the goal and scores 3 points. Field Goals can be a tactical part of the game if the team isn't close enough to score a touchdown and may be about to hand over possession. 

Safety - this can only be scored when an offensive player is tackled over their own goal line and is worth 2 points.
 

All match bets in American Football are settled on the result after any extra time or overtime.

Spread / Handicap - The spread involves betting on a team to win the match by a certain number of points. The market will display as a handicap line, for example "KC Chiefs -1.5" - in this example, the Chiefs would need to win by 2 points or more for the bet to win. The opposite side of the coin would be "SF 49ers +1.5" which would mean that the 49ers need to avoid loss by 2 or more points for the bet to win. In the event that the handicap is a whole number such as "PHI Eagles -7.0" and the Eagles were to win by exactly 7 points, the bet would be a "push" and your stake would be refunded.

Total- The total involves betting on the total number of points in the game that are scored by both teams. For example, a total of O48.5 would mean 49 points or more need to be scored in order for the bet to win. If the total is a whole number such as O42.0 and there are exactly 42 points scored, then the bet would be a "push" and your stake would be refunded.

Money Line - The money line is simply betting on which team will win the game after any extra time or overtime has been played.

Touchdown Scorer - There are various markets within the Touchdown Scorer including, First, Last, Anytime and Multi. In order for the bet to win, your selected player must score 1 or more touchdowns either first, last or at anytime during the game.

Passing / Rushing / Receiving Yards - These markets are a little more complex and involve backing certain players to get over or under the displayed total number of yards in either Passing (throwing the ball to another player), Rushing (running at the opposition) or receiving (catching a throw from another player)

American Football can be full of terms you may have never heard of before. Here's a handy jargon buster that covers most of the popular terms used:

1st / 2nd / 3rd / 4th Down - When an offensive team is trying to advance the ball and they are tackled, this is known as a "down". Each offensive possession is allowed to have 4 downs in which they need to advance the ball a certain number of yards.

Carry - Normally used to describe when a player runs with the ball. A 20-yard carry for example would mean a player ran 20 yards with the ball in their possession.

Interception - When a defensive player catches a forward pass and gains possession.

Penalty - Issued to a team normally when they have broken the rules. The penalty normally results in a sacrifice of yards, for example an offensive foul could see them move back 5 yards, making it more difficult for them to advance down the field.

Drive - A continuous set of offensive plays that involves advancing the ball into the opponents territory.

End-Zone - The area between the end line and the goal line in which players can score a touchdown.

Flag - A weighted cloth thrown onto the field by a referee to indicate that a foul has been committed.

Fumble - A ball that a player accidentally loses possession of.

Punt - A kick in which the ball is dropped and kicked before it reaches the ground.

Quarterback - One of the key roles in American Football, the player who is responsible for throwing the ball offensively.

Roster - Made up of 53 players on each team, the total number of players in the squad.

Run Interference - When defensive players are blocked from reaching the ball.

Rush - An attempt to tackle or hurry a player before they can throw a pass or make a kick.

Sack - When the quarterback gets tackled by the defensive team before being allowed to release the ball.