If betting on football has not treated your wallet well, here are some football wagering tips that can get keep you from becoming the guy everyone bets the opposite of.

When is a good time to take a favorite? Early in the season, and here's why: As a team gathers more wins, the general public will grow accustomed to their success and try to increase their bank accounts based on it. The oddsmakers see this shift and set the NFL lines accordingly. A team with two losses come Week 14 will find it much tougher to cover the spread than the team with eight losses that's flying under the betting radar. Another good way to bet a favorite is early in the week, especially if that team is going to be playing in primetime. Nationally televised games attract a lot more action than regular NFL games, and typically the public throws more money towards the favorite. This bumps the line up. If you see a favorite you like for a game that is a marquee matchup in an isolated timeslot (Thursday, Sunday or Monday night), make sure that bet gets in the early in the week. If you like the underdog, bet with the wise guys and wait until before game time when the public drives the number as high as it will go.

Don't be so quick to overlook the underdog. When it comes to football wagering, never forget the importance of getting points in a divisional game. These six games are always among the most vital games a team will play in a season. Coaches and players know their opponents well and can usually keep the game close no matter what the difference in talent may be. It's also important to note that the odds on an underdog are usually better in the hours prior to kickoff (as opposed to early in the week), since as we said before, many of the uneducated, bean dip eating public will be putting some cash on the favorite. And we know as more money gets dumped the favorite's side, the higher the dog's odds become.

Get the best number: It's taxing sometimes, grinding over which squad looks more appealing each Sunday based on their matchup. But once you settle on one, that's when the fun can begin. Just like finding the cheapest price for gas or milk, shopping for lines can add up to substantial cash in the long run. What it does is put back a small amount of money after a loss, or adds a small amount after a win. For example, if you like Cleveland at +4, try and find that line at -105, instead of the customary -110. If you like them to win outright, try to find a money line that would put the most cash in your pocket for the same risk. What's more, if you like Cleveland at +4, shop around on different wagering sites to find a spread of +4.5. What you find may surprise you.

Betting smart is the key: Just like any business, sports betting requires assets and the main one here is money. A good theory to stick by for money management is to keep the amount wagered constant. We've all seen the person with five plays on a Sunday having loaded up on one lock, only to win the four small bets and lose the big for an overall loss. It has also been noted that bets should be increased during a hot streak and decreased when nothing is going right. This also doesn't work. By varying wagers, the number of correct games needed to break even will fluctuate, and your success will be based on lucky sums wagered and not good plays.