basketball betting
 

Betting on Basketball with Value and Variance

Probably second only to football, basketball is one of the most popular sports to wager money on in terms of volume and dollars. With events like the NCAA tournament and March Madness and the NBA Championship there is a lot of action thrown around on predicting the outcome of a basketball game. Now as the sports betting markets are becoming more advanced with things like in-running wagering, less restrictions/laws, in-game betting, open exchanges and match markets, new leagues and more advanced props an influx of interested parties and investors is most likely inevitable. Regardless if you are a highly advanced basketball bettor or just a curious rookie there is always new research to conduct, models to be tested and adjusted and lessons to be learned. One of the best parts about basketball over say a sport like football is that they play basketball almost every single day of the season as opposed to once a week. Between college, international and professional basketball there is a plethora of betting choices on a daily basis making betting on basketball conducive to bettor interest. If you become really talented at basketball betting it will be possible to beat these fluctuating and evolving markets over time if we utilize the right principles.

Basketball Betting Odds

One of the most attractive characteristics of basketball betting to the general population of bettors is that it is largely based on the point spread system. Very comparable to football betting, total over/unders and point spreads in basketball are almost all placed at a price of -110. Of course most of know that this means we are paying a price to the sports book or casino. This additional 10% juice is a large part of the reason sports books are successful and it is one more obstacle each basketball bettor must overcome. What many basketball bettors often overlook is the fact that there are bets in basketball that do not follow the common -110 odds pricing convention. Most notably money line bets and player/game propositions do not carry the traditional -110 price tag in betting basketball. These type of bets should always be considered. Betting the money line in basketball is an interesting way to turn the odds in your favor. The money line in basketball is a wager on the outright winner of the event, disregarding the point spread. Since some teams are considered to have a better than 50% chance of winning the basketball game, money line (ML) bets are made using skewed prices and odds, so that if you wager on the club with the higher probability to win you will be required to risk more money than you stand to make. The money line odds on a NBA basketball game will look something like:

Atlanta Hawks +165
Los Angeles Lakers -185

The above basketball money line example means that bettors taking the Los Angeles Lakers are offered a cost of having to put up $18.50 of their own money to win $10 of the casinos or sportsbook, while those willing to bet on the Atlanta Hawks to win are given odds of $10 to win $16.5. Another great scaled odds bet in basketball is the proposition bet. This will be something like betting Rajon Rondo to have over or under 11 assists in a game or Grant Hill having over or under 8.5 points in a game. Each bet like this will have various odds attached to it much like a money line bet, based on what the perceived odds of the individual event happening are. Prop bets can also occur over quarters and halves giving us even more favorable odds options to bet on in basketball.
 

Basketball Betting Odds

This basketball betting article is really meant just to get us thinking outside the standard basketball bets that the general public makes. We must think about betting underdogs and basketball money lines that carry value. We should be constantly looking at individual proposition markets, quarter and half time bets and obscure league markets to find positive underdog wagers. Smaller markets with the ability to have the casino lay you odds are often hidden gems that provide easier roads to basketball betting success. We should always be looking for any type of edge to exploit. It is often about not becoming complacent betting just one way and especially if our past results have been marginal at best. For basketball betting we may even consider a two-team parlay strategy or some other form of parlaying and teasing that may yield greater results or at the very least put us in a greater position to leverage positive expected value (+EV). The key here for basketball betting is to make sure we are researching every possible angle and if we are struggling in certain areas to look to other outlets that we may have a far better chance at beating. Never get stuck in a rut or a one way train of thought. The art of betting on basketball can be a complex and mysterious endeavor. If you enjoy wagering on basketball then it is about creating processes and systems that work best for you and put you in the most favorable position to win and enjoy yourself at the same time. Remember think outside the normal basketball betting box and give yourself additional chances and odds to take your betting game to the next level. Find your basketball betting niche and look to exploit it. Get in the game today.