Good for playoffs. Want to Learn Betting Strategies in Major Sports? How to Join & Bet on the Top Sportsbooks or what Totals, Moneyline and Run Line Means? Find it all here. We bring you the best Canadian Sportsbooks Basketball Betting Odds and latest insights on Basketball conferences schedules and standings.
We will now look into some of the factors you have to consider when pondering to bet on basketball, it has its own intricacies that may not be obvious at first. We will use the highly rated NBA league for our examples throughout this article. Now let's get to it, get ready to learn how to bet on basketball.
How to bet on basketball - The Matchup
The obvious first check before you bet is to check the opponents of your team. How well do your team match up previously versus this team? Do they traditionally struggle more against this team than similar rated teams? This could be due to a bad stylistic matchup, the team may play a high paced quick break offense which some teams struggle to cope with, or they may have a strong front court which your team may not have the personnel to defend. It is very important to look at those much more specific things, rather than only the averages of statistics available.
You also have to take a look at specific player matchups. Your team may rely on their Centre to score the most points on the team, do the opponents have a quality defensive Centre that will be able to neutralize the threat? Perhaps have they played against each other before? Check out how they fared against each other then. If you end up thinking they will be able to neutralize the Centre you would have to take that into account and judge if your team has players in other positions to take over some of the scoring.
How to bet on basketball - Injuries
Injuries are an important consideration for betting in any sport but they are especially important in basketball. In the NBA teams have a maximum squad of 15 players with only a maximum of 12 active ones for any game. If a team loses a starter to injury then this seriously affects the minutes their reserve players have to play and can have a very large negative effect on the team’s chances of winning. As this sort of news obviously moves betting lines, be sure to pay close attention to player injuries when you think you have spotted a good bet. This, so you can walk away from the bet should such news arrive.
How to bet on basketball - Schedule
Unlike football with at least a few days rest between games basketball matches can take place on consecutive nights, this is an important consideration when looking at the value of a bet. A team may have had a few consecutive road games meaning they will be extra tired, and players may be carrying knocks or injuries. It’s obviously important to factor this into their chances of winning. On the opposite side; if a team has had the previous night off then they will be fresher than their opponents and should have an increased chance of winning.
How to bet on basketball -Momentum
Do some teams start slow and finish strong? Do others come out the blocks quickly and fade near the end. This is especially important when betting on markets such as 1st quarter or 1st half scores. You may find your team often starts fast and builds a lead before losing ground when the reserve players come in to give the starting 5 a rest. Would this make betting on the team to win the first quarter more profitable than full time bets? You would have to evaluate if the books have already taken this into account and set the line accordingly first but it’s an important concept to look at. Many a winning bet was placed with this information backing it.
Also, Individual players may carry momentum through a series of games. If a player is on a hot run with improved performances then ask yourself this; will these performances lead to the teams price being reduced for the next game? Some books may take differing views on it so it is wise to shop around for the best prices suiting your bet pick.
How to bet on basketball – the small edges
Again, as we have mentioned in numerous other articles; sports betting is all about taking the small edges when they show up. We want to emphasize that factors such as one night rest might improve the chances of winning versus the team travelling up and down the country, but don’t lose sight over the big picture. We suggest you read our piece on narrow framing for more information on this. Assign the right weight to the info or data, nothing more nothing less. Then move on with your handicapping.
How to bet - Final notes
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How to Bet on Basketball
by Predictem.com Staff
If your looking to bet on hoops, there’s many different options you have to choose from. Some are single game bets with less house advantage while others tie games together forcing you to win all bets and that have huge payouts. We’ll explain them all below!
If you already know how to bet on basketball games and are just looking for some advice on the day’s games check out our free NBA picks section.
The Point Spread - Also known as “sides,” this bet features a favorite and an underdog. If you take the favorite in the match up you give points to the other team which means you take those points away from your score at end of game to determine your score vs. the other team. If you stake the underdog, your getting free points from the other team that you add onto your score at games end to determine the winner. The common odds on this bet have you laying $1.10 to profit $1.00. As with almost all wagers in sports betting, should you tie you get your stake back. If you win you nail the profit as well as your stake back.
The Moneyline - This bet eliminates the point spread and makes it a bet in which the team you select only has to win by one point. If you take the favorite, expect to pay more to win less. If you take the underdog, expect to lay a small amount to profit more. The odds take into account the difference in equality making the wager an even proposition.
Totals - This type of bet has nothing at all to do with the point spread or either team winning. Totals wagers are only relative to how many points are scored in the game by both teams. You either select over or under the posted total. This like sides, is a wager in which you should expect to lay $1.10 to profit $1.00.
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Parlays - This is high risk/high reward bet that is tough to conquer and in exchange for that it has fat payouts. In a parlay wager, you bet in between 2-12 teams and have to win all of the best in order for the bet to cash. One loss and your ticket is in the trash. Here’s some parlay odds so you can get a better idea of how the wager works:
| Special Reduced Parlay Odds[-105] | Regular Daily Parlay Odds | |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Teams | 2.8/1 | 13/5 |
| 3 Teams | 6.4/1 | 6/1 |
| 4 Teams | 13.5/1 | 10/1 |
| 5 Teams | 27/1 | 25/1 |
| 6 Teams | 54/1 | 40/1 |
| 7 Teams | 107/1 | 75/1 |
| 8 Teams | 210/1 | 150/1 |
| 9 Teams | 411/1 | 300/1 |
| 10 Teams | 804/1 | 700/1 |
| 11 Teams | 1,570/1 | 1,100/1 |
| 12 Teams | 3,066/1 | 1,800/1 |
As you can see, if you can hit a 12 teamer you can nail down 1800 to 1 odds. It’s been done many times before, but no easy task!
*Note: Special parlay odds shown are only offered by 5Dimes.
Teasers - A teaser bet is like a parlay in that you have to win all your games, but differing in that teasers allow you to move the point spread in your favor. Here’s a teaser chart so you can get a better idea of how many points you can move the line and what the cost will be to do so:
| BASKETBALL TEASER PAYOUT CHART | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| TEAMS | 4 POINTS | 4.5 POINTS | 5 POINTS |
| 2 | 1/1 | 10/11 | 5/6 |
| 3 | 9/5 | 8/5 | 3/2 |
| 4 | 3/1 | 5/2 | 2/1 |
| 5 | 5/1 | 4/1 | 7/2 |
| 6 | 7/1 | 6/1 | 5/1 |
| 7 | 10/1 | 9/1 | 8/1 |
| 8 | 15/1 | 12/1 | 10/1 |
| 9 | 20/1 | 15/1 | 12/1 |
| 10 | 25/1 | 20/1 | 15/1 |
Pleasers - This is quite possibly the knarliest of all bets. Pleasers are a mix of a parlay and a teaser but with a twist. Instead of getting points to use in your favor, your GIVING points away making it harder for you to cover. In exchange, the bookie is willing to give you enormous odds to win. Let’s take a look at a pleaser chart:
| 4 PT Pleaser | Basketball | Ties Lose |
| 2 Team | 4 to 1 | Lay 100 to get 400 |
| 3 Team | 8 to 1 | Lay 100 to get 800 |
| 4 Team | 20 to 1 | Lay 100 to get 2000 |
| 5 Team | 50 to 1 | Lay 100 to get 5000 |
| 6 Team | 100 to 1 | Lay 100 to get 10000 |
| 4.5 PT Pleaser | Basketball | Ties Lose |
| 2 Team | 5 to 1 | Lay 100 to get 500 |
| 3 Team | 10 to 1 | Lay 100 to get 1000 |
| 4 Team | 25 to 1 | Lay 100 to get 2500 |
| 5 Team | 60 to 1 | Lay 100 to get 6000 |
| 6 Team | 125 to 1 | Lay 100 to get 12500 |
| 5 PT Pleaser | Basketball | Ties Lose |
| 2 Team | 6 to 1 | Lay 100 to get 600 |
| 3 Team | 12 to 1 | Lay 100 to get 1200 |
| 4 Team | 30 to 1 | Lay 100 to get 3000 |
| 5 Team | 70 to 1 | Lay 100 to get 7000 |
| 6 Team | 150 to 1 | Lay 100 to get 15000 |
Props - These bets match up player vs. player such as Tim Duncan vs. Kobe Bryant to score the most points in the game and such. They can even be ridiculous bets such as who will get the ball first or score first. We don’t recommend those type of bets obvioiusly.
There is however value to be found in any betting matchup involving individual players stats. As a tip to you, don’t just look at what the player averages over the course of a season, check out how that player does vs. the team in question. Some gems are to be found here by turning over these rocks! Props have very low limits because astute players can dominate them!
How To Bet On Basketball Games In Vegas
Futures - These are long term bets such as a certain team to have over or under a certain amount of wins during the season. Then there’s the high risk/high reward bets such as picking a team to win their division or league championship. These type of bets are also a great way for small players to get in on the action and have something to root for during the course of the season for a very little investment. Don’t expect a high winning percentage though! Futures are tough to beat but oh so sweet when they cash.
How To Bet On Basketball In Vegas
Now that you know how to bet on basketball, may we recommend that you check out our “best sportsbooks to bet on NBA games” article?