Betting on the Point Spread
Basketball point spread betting is most likely the most popular sort of wager. The point spread is a calculated point difference between two teams that is decided by oddsmakers.
Betting against the spread in the NBA is a terrific way to keep every game interesting even when it is live. With 82 games in a season, even the best teams will lose to major underdogs, and there will be plenty of momentum swings that result in enormous runs. Those that pay attention to tiredness, home/road splits, player injuries, and coaching changes can all gain an advantage over their competitors.
Total Points
Total betting is another common technique to wager on basketball. Betting on the point total, often known as the over/under, is as straightforward as it sounds. You are betting on whether the two teams on the court will exceed or fall short of a specific combined score.
Money Line
The money line wager is a simplified version of the previous two wager types. Instead of including points, you just bet on who you believe will win the game. Money line wagers are based on odds, therefore if you bet on the favorite, you must stake more money than if you bet on the underdog (for the same profit/return). For example, betting on a large, competitive institution like UVA against a tiny school would not yield a considerable profit if UVA won.
Parlays
Parlays are all about connecting bets to increase winnings. To win your parlay, you must correctly select multiple winning picks. The odds of winning are lower when you combine many bets into a parlay, but the benefits are significantly higher if you decide right.
Basketball Betting Errors
No one loves to make errors. You should dislike making mistakes, especially when they cost you money. If you bet on basketball at any skill level, mistakes can be costly not just to your ego but also to your bottom line gains.
We’ll look at some of the most prevalent and detrimental basketball betting mistakes that we see bettors do on a daily basis. If you can avoid making any of these mistakes, you’ll be in a much better position to be a long-term winner when betting on basketball.
Choosing Winners Using Highlight Reels
If we wanted to, we could certainly put together a highlight reel from every losing basketball team that would make you think that squad is on fire. The issue is that the sports news media does this at times. They’re not attempting to mislead you; they merely want to show you the highlights of the game, which sometimes include the losing team.
If you’re going to draw inferences from game footage, make sure you watch the whole thing. Yes, it takes longer, but it prevents you from getting the wrong impression about the game and its pace. Basketball betting lines are usually tight, so be prepared to dig hard for minor edges.
The majority of that will be discovered not through numbers, but from observations made while watching games and researching each squad. Don’t let a few well-chosen plays get you in trouble.
Excessive Game Betting
One of the best parts about betting on basketball is that there are games almost every night of the week throughout the basketball season. There are an unbelievable quantity of games to wager on during certain seasons of the year. While having so many opportunities to make winning bets is fantastic, you must be careful not to get carried away with how many games you bet on.
A bet is said to be valuable if the potential payoff for a right pick is more than it should be. Online sportsbooks basically pay you out according to the odds of a bet winning. The lower the payout, the more probable the bet is to win. If you win a bet that is less likely to win, you are awarded a premium. The sportsbook makes every effort to pay you exactly what you deserve depending on the likelihood of the bet winning.
Lineups Are Not Being Checked
The final error we want to discuss today is failing to verify lineups before placing bets. Most people are aware of whether or not a high-profile player is injured.
If you see a line that appears to be too good to be true, double and triple check the lineups because it is usually due to a player or players not intending to participate. When betting on basketball, you can discover good value, but very rarely will you uncover lines that are absolutely too good to be true. There is always a culprit at work that you should be aware of.
Betting FAQs
Is basketball betting difficult?
Predicting the outcome of an NBA game, like any other large market, is difficult. However, beating the point spread set by oddsmakers regularly enough to cover the vig (or juice) required to generate a profit.
In basketball, how often do favorites win?
Bets on the Spurs or Warriors at home when they’re favored are so safe that you’re likely to get some of the shortest odds on basketball games. Despite the fact that all 30 teams in the league won at least 57% of their games when they were favored.
How frequently do basketball underdogs triumph?
Over the past five NBA regular seasons, the underdogs have a 32.55% win rate, which means they have won nearly one out of every three games.
About the author
Kyle Daly
Is a 35-year-old sportswriter who enjoys walking, jogging, and other physical sports. He started in different blogging platforms and is now a guest blogger for PIWI247. He loves basketball the most. Follow him on Quora today.