Basketball Bets: Strategies and Tips for Betting Success

As an NBA fan, you eagerly anticipate each season and all its exciting ups and downs to participate in basketball bets. This is the premier basketball league to watch and is full of iconic franchises that have produced legendary players. The quality of this league is unmatched, and for die-hard fans, every game matters.

NBA Betting Possibilities

As a bettor, these action-packed games open up a world of betting possibilities. Whether you bet every weekend, only back your favorite team, or bet on special matches, you have no shortage of options.

Types of Basketball Bets

Whether or not you’re a regular bettor, you should know all your options when it comes to NBA betting. You won’t need to use all of them and certainly don’t bet on what you don’t know. However, if you have extensive knowledge of the league, some of these markets may pique your interest. When you use that knowledge well, you can have a knack for predicting certain basketball bets.

• Futures
• Moneyline
• Point Spread
• Over/Under Totals
• Quarters and Halves
• Game Props
• Parlays
• Teaser Basketball Bets
• Round Robin Bets
• Live Betting

Futures

Who do you think will win the next NBA championship? You can make your predictions in the futures betting markets, where odds are offered for all 30 teams. These are basketball bets entirely on events determined at the end of the season. Additionally, you can bet on which Conference will win, which Division will win, or even the winner of the Conference or Division regular seasons. There are plenty of options to choose from.

Futures are not limited to outright win bets. You can also find futures on which player will be named MVP, who will be the MVP coach, and many other similar basketball bets.

These bets are offered before the season starts, and you can place them whenever you want. The odds will change constantly throughout the season, so you can get your predictions in as early as possible. For a more detailed analysis of the futures betting market, be sure to check out our futures betting guide.

Moneyline

basketball bets is a bet on a team to win a game. The only requirement when betting is that your team must win, and it doesn’t matter by how much or whether the game goes into overtime. In a match between the Boston Celtics and the Golden State Warriors, you can back the Celtics to win or the Warriors to win. The odds will tell you which team the bookies think has a better chance.

Although placing bets is relatively simple, there are many different ways you can use them. Learn more in our guide explaining moneylines.

Point Spread

These are similar basketball bets to moneylines, except the two teams have a more equal chance of winning. This is because the bookmaker introduces a betting line for the game. This line is the number of points deducted or added to a team’s score. The favorites will have points deducted while the underdogs will have points added. This creates a level playing field, making betting a 50-50 affair. The odds will also reflect this, as they are as close to equal as possible.

So how does point spread work? You are betting on a team to win with the point adjustment. Betting on the favorite requires them to beat their opponent by a score higher than the spread. Betting on the underdog can only lose if the favorite wins by that margin. Then, there are alternative lines, giving you more choices. Instead of choosing a moneyline bet, you can buy or sell points as you like with the odds. But remember, longer odds carry more risk.

For a full summary of how to use these bets, see this spread betting guide.

Over/Under Totals

This bet is based on the total number of points scored in a game. You don’t need to predict which team will win, when they will score, or how they will score. Your only job here is to bet on the total number of points both teams will score in a game.

Over/under bets also use a betting line. You have to predict whether the game will end with a score over or under the number indicated on the line. There are also alternative lines, so you can create as many over or under points as you like. For example, you can choose a high like 210.5 and place a bet. This means you need the game to end with a total score of 211 or more. There are many possibilities, and you can play with any level of risk you like. There are also total bets that only relate to the score of one team. Whether they win the game or not doesn’t matter. Your bet will be paid out as long as you can correctly predict the number of points they will score in the game.

Quarters and Halves

Each NBA game takes place in 4 12-minute quarters. Looking at a game, you can divide it into 4 quarters or even 2 halves. Quarter and half betting markets allow you to bet on these time periods as if they were separate events. It can be very exciting to bet on which team will win the first half or who will win the second half. Note that points from the previous half or quarter are not carried over to the period you are betting on.

Although an NBA game cannot end in a tie, a quarter or half can. This means that instead of betting on a 2-way moneyline, you can also bet on that period to end in a tie. This opens up the possibility of creating double chance or no tie bets. A double chance is basically a bet on 2 out of 3 possible outcomes. A no tie bet is a bet on one team to win, and if the half ends in a tie, you get your money back.

Game Props

Here, you can find bets on team statistics, player performance, and other events that may occur during the game. The game props market bets on many different aspects of the game. You can find bets on which team will score first, the exact score at the end of the half, whether the total points scored in the game will be odd or even, etc. Yes/no bets, such as whether the game will end with an odd number of points, can be 50-50.

At the other end of the scale, you can find bets like winning margin ranges. Some bookmakers may offer 8-way or even 12-way bets, with very high odds. Game props aren’t just about game statistics. You can bet on team performance or even player performance. Some player bets to consider include total points scored, total rebounds, and total 3-point shots made.

More information about props can be found in the prop betting guide.

Parlays

Parlays are combination bets that combine multiple single bets. Instead of betting on each one separately, you can place one bet. The odds from all single bets are multiplied together, creating large odds for the parlay bet. The more legs you add, the more your potential profit increases. However, remember that all your selections need to win. If just one of those bets doesn’t come through, your parlay bet loses, and you get no money.

Parlays come with a lot of risks. Fortunately, in our parlay betting summary, JILI22 will discuss some strategies and tips to help you.

Teaser Bets

These are quite attractive bets because they are basically enhanced point spreads in a parlay bet. With teasers, you are betting on multiple point spreads, all of which are enhanced. By buying more legs, you are increasing the number of lines and giving yourself more security. The most common example is a 4-point teaser. Suppose you choose three spreads: -6.5, -9.5, +3.5. After applying the teaser, these values become -4.5, -5.5, +7.5. The spread odds are reduced, so they won’t be as high as when you place a parlay bet.

Learn how to use these bets in the teaser betting analysis.

Round Robin Bets

So, the problem with parlay bets is that they are too risky, and teasers don’t have the odds you want. One solution is to consider round robin bets. Basically, this is a bet where you have multiple parlay bets, including different possibilities. The idea is that you choose multiple bets, and if one or even several bets fail, you can still win some money. Round robin bets favor bettors who want to place bets with 4, 5, or more selections.

To break it down, if you choose 4 selections, you can place a Lucky 15 bet. Your bet is split 15 ways, including 4 single bets, 6 double bets, 4 treble bets, and 1 four-fold bet. If 3 of those selections lose, you still get a little money from the 1 winning selection.

Round robin bets are easy to use, but the theory is a bit more complicated. Learn more about round robin betting in our comprehensive guide.

Live Betting

The NBA is home to some of the most exciting and inspiring basketball brands. The games can be electrifying, and as a bettor, the live betting experience is unmatched. Instead of placing your bets before the game starts, you can make your predictions at any point during the game. All you need is a mobile device (or PC) ready, and you’re all set.

Live betting uses live odds, so you have to be quick to jump on any opportunities you see. Odds can change in a matter of seconds. When something significant happens on the court, they can shift dramatically.

The live betting market includes most of the pre-game bets, but there are also some new ones. For example, you can bet on which team will get the next free throw, score the next 3-pointer, or whether there will be another 3-pointer in the quarter. There are many different exciting bets that can pop up and will only be offered for a short period. If you keep an eye on the market, you can grab them and win (or lose) literally in seconds.

Learn more in our live betting guide, where we look at different strategies and bet types.

Where to Bet

With such a massive following, almost every sportsbook offers bets on the NBA. However, you’re not looking for your average sportsbook. Some bookmakers cater specifically to NBA bettors. What you should look for are extensive betting markets and some features or promotions to make your NBA betting activity more enjoyable.

Conclusion

You can certainly increase the excitement level of every NBA game through your betting. With countless options, your knowledge will be tested. It’s better to stick to the teams you know and not bet blindly. Doing your research is a good way to get ahead, and it’s also worth trying different types of bets. You never know which one you’ll be better at predicting. For example, you might have a knack for spotting high-scoring matches or betting on a player’s performance.

When betting, it’s important to set a budget and stick to it. With all the excitement, it’s easy to get carried away, but you shouldn’t overspend. Bet responsibly, trust your instincts, and most importantly, enjoy the games.