Question 1

What are the types of NBA bets you can make?

Accepted Answer

The three main types of NBA bets, also called mainline markets, are: <0>moneyline bets, <1>point spread bets, and <2>over/under bets, also called total bets.

Question 2

What is an NBA Moneyline?

Accepted Answer

A moneyline is the most simple concept to follow in sports betting, in terms of different bet types. It is simply betting on a team to win the game outright. Your team could win by 1 point or 50 points, it could require overtime or be done in regulation - all that you are betting on is the direct outcome of the game. The team with a - sign next to its odds is said to be the favorite and the team with the + sign next to its odds is the underdog. Speaking of odds, while the concept is simple the strategy of betting moneylines gets a little more complex. The odds directly determine how much you need to stake to win a certain amount of money. If the Golden State Warriors are -275 favorites over the Los Angeles Lakers, you would have to bet $275 to win only $100. Conversely, the Lakers are +200 underdogs a $100 bet would net you a $200 profit if they were to win.

Question 3

What is an NBA Point Spread?

Accepted Answer

When you bet on an NBA point spread, you’re betting on the margin of victory (or defeat) as opposed to the outright winner of the game. Let’s say you bet the Golden State Warriors -6.5 vs the Los Angeles Lakers. This would mean that to win your bet the Warriors would need to win by at least 7 points. Conversely, if you bet the Lakers +6.5 they don’t need to win the game, they just need to lose by less than 6 points. This is called covering the spread, and it is applied to both favorites (- next to point spread, called “giving points”) and underdogs (+ sign next to point spread, called “getting points”). If your NBA point spread bet wins, your team covered the spread.

You’re probably noticing that most point spreads have the same odds on either side, unlike moneylines. This is because rather than use the odds to make bets even on each side, they use the point spread to even things out by having the better team have to cover a larger margin of victory. Bettors beware though, there is still juice, or vig baked into these odds as well. This is the tax that sportsbooks collect on each bet. Typically you’ll see odds of -110/-110 on either side of the point spread, implying that based on that point spread it’s a 50/50 chance on either side, minus the vig.

Question 4

What is an NBA Over/Under or Total?

Accepted Answer

Betting an Over/Under or Total in the NBA is one of the more popular types of bets you can make. A Total, or Over/Under is a bet on the combined total score of the game (hence being called Totals) of both teams. If the Total for the Warriors vs Lakers example above is set at 225, you are betting that at the end of the game the sum total of the Warriors points and the Lakers points would be over or under (hence being called Over/Under) the number of 225. If the final score is Warriors 120, Lakers 101 the game is said to have gone Under (total of 221 less than 225). If the final is Warriors 120, Lakers 110 the game is said to have gone Over (total of 230 > 225).

If the final score is Warriors 118, Lakers 107 the game is said to have Pushed (total of 225 = 225). Pushes can happen in both Point Spreads and Totals. If this occurs, bettors on both sides get their money back. You’ll often see Over/Unders and Point Spreads set at non-whole numbers, say 225.5. That extra 0.5 is called the hook. Spreads or Totals that have the hook prevent a push from happening but bring in the possibility of winning (or losing) by that extra half a point.

Question 5

NBA Betting Strategies

Accepted Answer

Now that we’ve outlined the most popular types of NBA bets, let’s go through some profitable NBA betting strategies to help you win more money betting on the NBA!

• Check NBA Injury Reports - NBA injuries can happen frequently and often aren’t announced until shortly before tip-off. By closely monitoring the injury reports you can get in before the lines start moving in one direction or the other based on the news.

• Scheduling Advantages - The NBA is a long grind of a season, 82 games in all. There are many advantages to understanding a team’s spot within the schedule and how to use that to influence your betting decisions. Each NBA team will play at least 13 or 14 back-to-back games each season, meaning they play games on two days directly in a row with no rest. As a bettor, you can use that to your advantage in deciding who to bet on or if the game will go over or under. Another advantageous scheduling spot for bettors is teams that are coming off of long road trips. Fading a team in their first home game after 4 away games have been a profitable betting system for the past 3 seasons.

• Live Betting NBA Games - Live betting is a great way to make the game you’re watching more interesting, but it also offers bettors a way to hedge out of (or double down on) bets made before the game. There are a couple of important things to note when live betting NBA games, though. You should always try and live bet NBA games during stoppages in play or commercial breaks, as the lines during live-action are often way more volatile. Additionally, bettors can also take advantage of in-game momentum swings - especially early in the game. A team may come out hot and go up by 10 or 15 points in the first 5 minutes of the game, which will drastically impact live odds, despite there being 43 minutes left of game time.

Question 6

Where to bet on NBA?

Accepted Answer

Most importantly, in order to bet on the NBA you need to be signed up for sportsbooks to be able to actually place some bets! List of our favorite sportsbooks are below: - <0>Caesars Sportsbook - <1>BetMGM Sportsbook - <2>BetRivers Sportsbook - <3>PointsBet Sportsbook - <4>Unibet Sportsbook - <5>FanDuel Sportsbook - <6>DraftKings Sportsbook

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