9 teams compete in the CFL, each located in a city in Canada.
The teams play in two divisions: four in the East Division and five teams in the West Division.
Once the regular season has concluded, the three top teams from either division proceed to the playoffs.
The winners of the first round face the winners of the divisions in the second round.
Then, the Division Champions face each other in the Grey Cup.
Scoring in Canadian Football (CFL)
So how does Canadian football work?
The two teams field 12 players and have to fight for territorial control over the field of play.
Play stops, the attacking team wins 6 points and then can proceed with a conversion.
This is a single point.
When a team successfully wins some points, then the other team is given the opportunity to score.
If they cannot, then the team that is in the lead is declared the winner.
This makes the game far more exciting as the switch of play is much faster.
Teams are forced to be more aggressive and make the most of their downs.
Futures
Futures are bets on what will happen at the end of the season.
The most common futures bet is who will win the Grey Cup.
The odds will change throughout the course of the season.
After they have found their form and are on a winning course, their odds will drop significantly.
Usually, the odds on the favourite are best before any of the games have been played.
Moneyline
This is a simple bet on which team will win the game.
The odds will give you a good idea of which team the bookmakers thinks has the better chance.
Extremely short odds points to a big favourite, whereas long odds are given to underdogs.
For example, the point spread on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Edmonton Elks may be -4.5 and +4.5.
Point spreads are not just levelled versions of moneylines either.
There may be even more spreads offered that come with different odds.
You may find different spreads offered, and they correlate to how likely the events are to come through.
A spread of the Blue Bombers winning with -2.5 will come with shorter odds but less risk.
The risk is higher, but the odds will also be more generous.
For more information on how point spreads work, check out ourguide to point spread betting.
Picking the exact number of goals would be extremely difficult to predict, and therefore unfeasible.
However, with totals you will not need to do that.
Good bookmakers will not limit your betting opportunities with one line.
They may offer many different lines, all with over and under bets that you could take advantage of.
This way, you could define the range for yourself.
On the other hand, you’re able to pick a large betting line and bet over.
These will bring the longest odds.
To play safe, you could do the opposite.
Namely, pick a large betting line and bet under, or a small betting line and bet over.
The possibilities are endless.
There may also be even more totals bets opportunities.
A bookmaker may offer totals on how many points one of the teams will score, and not both.
It may offer totals on the number of touchdowns, rouge, safety touch and field goals.
Quarters and Halves
You do not need to always bet on the game as a whole.
The score in the previous period will not carry into the period you bet on.
Nor will you have to worry about what happens in the following period.
This is especially handy for punters who want to form big parlays.
Game Props
Props are intriguing bets for punters who know their Canadian football.
Bigger Canadian sportsbooks tend to offer far more variety when it comes to game props.
International sportsbooks or those that are based in other countries, may regard CFL as a niche sport.
They may have limited betting markets.
Live Bets
Once a game is in session, the live betting markets will open.
A lot of punters prefer to make live bets than form their predictions before the game starts.
These are the next to betting markets.
Conclusion
As mentioned before, outside Canada, the CFL may be considered a niche sport.
If you are betting at a Canadian sportsbook, you will have tonnes of opportunities to bet.
However, international bookmakers may offer significantly fewer options.
Some may only offer a handful of bets on a game in the CFL.
As a punter, you will need all the betting markets you might get your hands on.
This is why you should always bet responsibly and never spend more than you might afford to lose.
