Basketball Betting Strategy: An introduction to betting on Basketball

Published: 8th September 2018
Author: Joe Kizlauskas
Last Updated: 11th January 2021
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An Introductory Strategy for Basketball Betting

In terms of overall popularity, basketball is one of the biggest sports in the world. Millions of people follow various basketball leagues, tournaments and competitions every year around the globe, although the main interest in the sport comes from the National Basketball Association (NBA).

The basketball competition of the highest quality consists of 30 teams playing in the Eastern and Western Conferences, which are further divided into three subdivisions. It is the NBA regular season and playoffs that gather most of the attention. However with people all over the world and not solely in the United States tuning in to grab a piece of the action of this competition it has become a global phenomenon.

With each team playing 82 games across the regular season and additional matches during the playoffs, but also exhibition matches during pre-season, there is plenty of options to bet on throughout the year and it is no wonder that betting sites put basketball on top of their offering, neck and neck with football as arguably the most followed sport in the betting industry.

Basketball is a money line sport with online bookies offering a wide range of markets on a basketball game, providing tipsters with an abundance of betting choice. Money line betting is available for full-time, first-half and quarters, whereas some of the other betting options that enjoy vast popularity are the spread betting markets which football tipsters know best under the name of handicap betting.

From the quarter spread betting across the first-half option, the handicap works in a manner that the favourite team is allocated a number of points with a minus (-) prefix as bookies attempt to level the play by locking the points on the team which is expected to win. To explain it in detail, if Denver Nuggets are -12.5, they will have to win by a bigger margin for your bet to go through.

Over and Under Points betting market is another interesting and highly popular basketball betting option. It sees you betting to predict the number of points you think will remain below or exceed the set margin.

All of the aforementioned markets are particularly enjoyed while betting In-Play, which is growing to compete with regular betting. With the betting industry rushing forward at a busy pace, players and punters are still advised to take a slow and cautious approach to betting – most of all those bettors who are just starting out in their betting adventures.

What You Need to Do

The most important thing any self-respecting bettor needs to do is to create a valid strategy and a plan to follow through. In relation to the betting markets written above, some of the most important aspects and segments any sound strategy makers should take into consideration are as follows:

  • Do Your Research
  • Cut Off Emotions
  • Look for Value Bets
  • Follow the Schedule
  • Follow the Line Moves

One of the most important steps to make while creating a betting strategy that will increase your chances of winning a basketball bet and becoming a successful bettor in the long-run is to do your preparations right.

The basketball teams you are about to bet on do it and consider it an important step of their winning campaign, so why would you do anything differently? The preseason is important, the preseason is required and necessary. And your preseason is called research. Firstly, you need to make sure to get all the details regarding the new coaches, new players, last-minute trades and player rotations that can mean a world of difference in the end.

What you need to do is to analyse the teams’ strategies and approaches they are keen to adopt for a new season and make your plans accordingly. Some teams will go all out to get the biggest stars and names that will make a difference. While some will hope for a great draft pick and shoot in the dark, whereas some just pile up talent that does not necessarily fit in well together as a unit.

Pre-season research is important and you don’t want to miss it, but any research will count for nothing if you don’t cut the emotions out of the betting process. All of you avid basketball fans need to know when to draw a line and make objective – and not subjective – judgement on teams you support. Level-headed betting is the recipe for success.

Bookmakers make great money on a job they are incredibly good at and with their job being selecting the odds and placing values on teams. It is your job to find the cracks in the mould and turn them into your favour. Strong odds will in some cases and with some bookies be cut off by weak ones, especially when there are too many games on the schedule, which allows you the opportunity to find the best value.

Looking for value bets can be particularly rewarding when you have in mind the busy basketball schedule – in NBA predominantly – with teams playing plenty of games in a short amount of time. With three games on a four-night schedule and a tight roster to shuffle around, some teams can be particularly good to bet against as they will be tired.

Betting operators will take this into consideration as well, but that is why we need to do some odds shopping and line movement in order to – as said – see a crack in the mould. Look around a bit, compare the same lines among different operators and don’t be too lazy to do some homework as it will be worthwhile.

Basketball is the fast-paced sport and betting on basketball is exactly the same business, which requires constant movement and keeping your guard up. Bettors without a strategy will quickly get caught up, unable to control their bankroll and let things spiral out of control. Having a system to guide you through is a must and this above-written is just a set of small tips to help you shape up your own custom-made strategy that will bring you favourable results.

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About Joe Kizlauskas

Joe is a seasoned iGaming copywriter and speaker who has been in the business since 2015. He's written more words on all elements of iGaming than he likes to remember, and he's contributed material to a number of well-known brands. Joe may be seen playing 5 a side, at the gym or playing games on his Playstation when he is not writing.