Betting on Basketball – NBA and College Basketball
It isn’t easy to learn the ropes when it comes to betting on basketball, but if you love the sport and are willing to put some effort into your pursuit, you can make some great returns.
The reason basketball betting can be tough to master is because the sport has a very unpredictable nature. Players all over the world are betting on large basketball tournaments such as the NCAA March Madness and NBA.
Top Basketball Betting Sites
Five Top Basketball Betting Tips
1. You should be choosy about who you place a bet with because although most sportsbooks feature basketball bets, very few of them specialize in it. Sportsbooks who don’t specialize in basketball betting sites often just post the odds that they have seen elsewhere, and then they add a bit of extra profit for themselves.
2. If you have bet on other sports like football, you will have a head start in learning how to bet on basketball. NBA and NCAA basketball have point spreads that are used to give favorites and underdogs specific handicaps for specific games. The game also uses over and under totals, where you can bet on how many points will be scored.
3. When looking to choose a winning team, check out the basketball team’s schedule. A team with constant matches might be more tired than a team who has rested and practiced for awhile. Look at when the team has last played, when they are playing again, and how important the next game will be for them.
4. You can consider placing your bet on the underdog if you take some time in understanding the money line. When reading the money line you should know that –X will mean that you have to bet that much in order to win a hundred dollars, and +X means that you will win that amount for every hundred dollars you bet. The better team will always have the higher money line, whereas a minor favorite or an underdog team will have higher + odds, which means more money for you if they win.
5. Take time out to learn more about point spreads and totals bets, as you can bet on these for either the whole game or each individual half of the game. Other basketball betting options include: money line betting, point buying, proposition betting, teasers, and parlays.
Basketball Betting Tips: Point Spreads and Over/Under Betting
When you bet on a point spread, you must specify by how many points your team will win. Over/Under betting has nothing to do with the amount of time and cash you spend on basketball betting. It means that the combined points of the match earned by both teams, plus overtime, must be over or under the side you have selected.
Let’s look at an example of a basketball point spread and over/under:
The posted odds is the Atlanta Hawks -10 and Boston Celtics +10 and the over/under total = 189.
This means that you have to bet $1.10 in order to win $1.00 (-110,) except when otherwise shown. If you bet on the Atlanta Hawks -10, it means that the Hawks must win by more than 10 points for this to be a winning bet. If you bet on Boston Celtics +10, they must lose by less then ten points or win the game, for you to win.
Because the over/under score is 189, you must decide whether you think the combined total at the end of the game will either be less or more than 189 points.
One of the best basketball betting tips we can leave you with is that your choice of book maker is very important here. Look for one with a good reputation, financial backing, customer care, and who are known for their fairness and great promotions.
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