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Of the four major sports, basketball is one of the easiest to gamble on. Along with football, basketball use the point spread for wagering on sides (teams), as well as an over/under for betting on the total points scored. With the point spread, the team expected to win will be called the favorite, while the team expected to lose will be called the underdog. The team expected to win gives, or lays, points to the team expected to lose for betting purposes. For example, if the Celtics are playing the Knicks, most bettors would bet on the Celtics to win the game. But say the point spread will make the Celtics a 10-point favorite. What this means is that the Celtics have to win by 11 or more points for its bettors to win their bet, while those betting on the Knicks would win their wagers if the Knicks won the game or lost by nine points or less. If the Celtics win by exactly 10 points, the bet is a push, or a tie, and no money changes hands. If you know how to wager on football, you already know the fundamentals of basketball gambling.
NBA Odds
College Basketball Odds Basketball Gambling on the Point Spread: The most common method of betting basketball involves the point spread, which is a handicap the sportsbooks impose on one team to make both teams equal in terms of betting so that the betting action is balanced. The ideal scenario for a sportsbook is to be as close to balanced or have 50/50 action, so there is no risk and a guaranteed profit of the 10% vigorish or juice. There are two primary types of basketball gambling:
Basketball Gambling on the Total: Money Line Wagers: While betting against the point spread or on totals make up the vast majority of basketball wagers, bettors also have several other betting options available to them. One is the money line wager, which is a bet on the winner of the game without the point spread. But because some teams are given a better than 50-percent chance of winning, money line wagers are made using odds, so that if you bet on the team expected to win you will be asked to risk considerably more than you stand to win.
The money line odds on a game will look something like:
Dallas Mavericks -300
New York Knicks +240
What this means is that bettors taking the Mavericks are asked to put up $30 to win $10, while those believing the Knicks will win are asked to risk $10 to win $24.
All sports betting was done with money lines at one point, but with too many people betting on the obvious favorites all of the time, the point spread was introduced and sports betting hasn't been the same since. As with all sports betting it is advised to stay away from parlays and teasers when gambling on basketball. For Basketball Gambling Picks please visit the OB NBA and College Basketball Experts for daily commentary and analysis. |
