In this article, we will discuss some of the key bet types you can expect to encounter once you delve into the world of NBA betting.
This is not a sports betting glossary, as we already have that covered on the site. Here we will give an overview of the main betting types you can expect to encounter when basketball betting. How to utilise each of them and incorporate them into your wider NBA betting strategy.
due to it being one of the most popular sports leagues, basketball fans have a huge number of NBA betting marketsavailable to them each year.
The most common by far among these are single-game NBA bets. The sports bettor predicts some aspect of the game in question and lays their stake.
Now, the range of betting options within that single game is still myriad.
Moneyline (USA)/straight bets:
Money line wagers are also known as straight bets. Here, the bettor simply surveys the available NBA betting odds, picks a winner from the two teams, and sits back.
That’s it
It doesn’t matter the manner of the win. How many points there are in total. Who scores what. If the chosen team triumphs then the ticket is a winner and that’s that.
Atlanta Hawks (Go Hawks!) 1.42 @ Detroit Pistons 2.90
So in this case, the bookmaker (naturally) has the Hawks pegged as the favourites to win outright.
Now the simplicity of this kind of bet belies its complexity. Laying it might be simple but it is quite possible to put as much research into choosing that winner as it is with many more complex bets.
Check out our article - ‘How to build an NBA betting model’ to see just how deep down the rabbit hole it’s possible to go!
We have used decimal odds but if you're more used to seeing fractional odds or other representations, then make use of this excellent odds converter.
Point spreads:
Here, each of the two teams is given either a positive (+) or negative (-) handicap.
The favourites to take the game are deducted points:
Los Angeles Lakers (-5.5) 1.88 at Indiana Pacers (+5.5) 1.93
In this case, the NBA odds (1.88/1.93) are the second set of numbers.
The ones with the plus and minus signs represent the handicap for each team.
So, what are the mechanics of point spread betting?
The Lakers would have to pull back 5.5 points in order to win. Their opponents have been given a ‘head start’ of 5.5 points that they need to get back before they can win.
Clearly, there can be no half-point in basketball, so they need to win by 6 clear points. This is to avoid a situation where there is a draw/tie and stake money has to be returned. Known as a ‘push’ or a bet with ‘no action’ depending on where you find yourself in the world.
If Los Angeles should win the game, but only score 5 points more than Indiana then a bet on them would be a losing bet. Even though they won the game.
They have to ‘cover the spread’ and win by more than 5 points.
On the flip side, the Pacers have been given a 5.5-point lead. If they can hang onto that then a bet on them would be a winner. If they let the Lakers come back to within 5.5 points then the bet is lost. In this case, if Indiana can win the game then the ticket is golden.
Actually, they can still lose the game itself. As long as they are not out-scored by more than 5 points then all is good. If the Los Angeles Lakers beat them by 6 points then the bet is lost.
The line movement occurs when money starts to land on either side of the bet. Getting in early while there is still value in the market is key with point spread betting.
Over/under bets:
Over/under bets are another bet type with a simple enough concept.
Look at the total score your chosen online sportsbook thinks will be for any given game. That’s the combined score of both basketball teams.
Will it be ‘over’ or ‘under’ that amount in your opinion? That’s the simple mechanic of the bet itself.
Golden State Warriors @ Phoenix Suns:
Under (227.5) 1.92
Over (227.5) 1.88
But again, the simplicity is deceptive. It's not as though you have to predict the exact combined score is it? Well, no. But it's still harder than it looks. And harder still to make any money at it if the odds aren't generous.
Previous form between the two teams playing is important.
How does each of them perform on the road vs at home.
How strong are their current rosters?
Do they have injury issues?
And so on, and so on...
Futures bets:
Future bets are those that predict events further in the future. They are more likely to be concerned with which will win their individual divisions and conferences. Who will prevail in the NBA Finals? And so forth.
There is almost no limit to the details that punters can place a future bet on. From how many points a team will score in an entire season to whether or not they will qualify for the NBA Playoffs.
Futures bets are also placed on the many awards that the NBA gives away each year.
Who will be the Defensive Player of the Year? (DPOY)
Which will be chosen for the NBA All-Star first team?
Will the Most Improved Player match the predictions?
How will the players be chosen in this season’s NBA Draft?
The options are almost limitless. Experienced NBA betting aficionados will certainly look to make some futures bets as part of their overall NBA betting strategy. There is such a wealth of information to pore over and that is to the advantage of the sharp bettor.
Prop bets:
Proposition bets are those that focus on a specific action or statistic within any given game. The final score or result of the game itself is usually irrelevant. This approach is outside the 'normal' range of NBA betting markets and these are sometimes described as 'exotic bets'
How many points LeBron James scores on the other hand? Crucial
Expect to find betting markets on player points, assists, blocks, steals etc…
There are often team prop bets to be had too. Dig around, as far as we’re concerned, prop betting is where it’s at.
A well-informed player prop bet can save your day if the teams you backed let you down.
And we don’t necessarily mean financially
We listen to our own advice here at The Jump Hub. Our sports betting activities are done purely for entertainment purposes only. Do we also hope to win a few bucks? Of course! But we don't end up losing our houses if things don’t go our way.
We see sports betting as a perfect way to enhance our experience of watching the game we love so much. And it does that perfectly.
Especially player prop bets
You might have bet on the Milwaukee Bucks to overcome the Brooklyn Nets. Events unfold and it looks like you were wrong. The Nets look set to win the game.
But wait! You also backed Giannis Antetokounmpo to snatch 10 rebounds and he’s currently sitting on 8. And as a sneaky little side bet, you dropped a few dollars on Kevin Durant to score big. He's hovering just below 25 points. His career average is over 27!
Game on...
It might be that the amount you will win should he prevail does not make up for the amount lost on the straight bet on one team winning. But it’s something to cling onto. That's why we love player props.
It gives hope that the day is not a bust in terms of betting.
However, if it is a bust, you have to be able to handle that situation mentally.
College basketball
It's not just major sports that attract people who want to make an educated wager or two. The amount of money taken by legal sportsbooks during March Madness is actually the stuff of madness.
We're talking BILLIONS of dollars. On an amateur competition...
College basketball is huge. Not in terms of its popularity, although that it also true, but the sheer number of games played every season.
There are 30 NBA teams and over 350 college teams.
You’re looking at almost 6,000 regular season college games vs 1,230 in the NBA.
This has certain repercussions in betting terms. You can expect NBA odds to be less generous for a start.
Online sportsbooks can’t keep up as easily. If you are immersed in the world of college basketball then you have a certain advantage over the bookmakers.
This can often lead to there being plenty of value in the betting odds for NCAA games.
If you know where to look…
One effect of so many teams and games is that there are huge disparities in talent and general standards of play between many of them. It is not uncommon to find a point spread of 20 points or more. Something that is almost unheard of in the NBA.
College games are shorter than their NBA counterparts by 8 minutes. This has an effect on the potential over/under totals. The predicted totals of points scored tend to be rather lower. In fact, the average combined score is around 145.
Team playing style is crucial here and research is essential. There are top teams that deliberately slow the game and seek fewer points. They are happy to allow the scoreline to creep up whilst continuously thwarting their opponents. There are others who like to play ‘smash and grab’.
But this in itself presents us with a problem:
Although there are certainly similarities, the differences between betting on the NBA and betting on college basketball are significant.
When it comes to the NBA, the amount of stats and information that are available is staggering. There are only 450 players across the entire league. Any serious NBA fan is likely to be familiar with, if not acutely aware of most of them.
This is simply not the case in college basketball, there are whole conferences that have no recognisable players. Even the best teams have relative unknowns on their roster. Media coverage is minimal, even to those in the local area.
You are going to have to dig!
But so are the sportsbooks. If you can find a source that they have missed then you have an edge.
It’s all about those edges!
Parlay and round-robin bets
Last and most certainly least, we have the parlay, multi-bet, or accumulator depending on where in the world you live.
It hurts us to have to describe these abominations to you but it is our duty.
This type of bet involves multiple outcomes (usually from separate games) resting on the same stake on the same ticket. The whole bet is lost if ALL of your predictions are not accurate. One strike and you're out.
So, one three-team parlay contains three separate wagers that are intrinsically linked. If the first wager is successful then the winnings roll over and become the stake of the next bet. Repeat until all the results are in.
This way, a large amount of money can be won from a relatively small stake.
It won't be but people still flock to place them
And the fact remains that, given the difficulty of predicting the outcomes of multiple scenarios, the odds that the sportsbook will give you are an insult.
A three-team round-robin consists of three separate two-team parlays.
Take it from us; parlays, multi-bets, accumulators, whatever you want to call them, are dastardly and sinister.
In the interests of preventing a rant, it is simply easier to link you to our article entitled 'What is a parlay bet?' and let you experience the full-on bile there. Life is too short and blood pressure is too high to get into it again here.
They are the nasty, distasteful side of sports betting. The bastard cousin who steals your beers, annoys the neighbours, and ruins the atmosphere every time they come over.
Avoid them like the plague...
Final thoughts
Basketball betting is incredibly varied and satisfying. Introducing some betting action can make a dull game interesting. There's nothing we love more than livening up big games with a cheeky wager.
Because of the nature of NBA games and how they operate, online sports betting options are diverse and intriguing.
But, as with all kinds of gambling, that makes it so easy to get sucked in and lose control of the situation.
Before you lay even one more bet on basketball, or anything else for that matter, assess your betting habits. Ask yourself the following questions and think about whether you might have a gambling problem.
What happens if I lose more money than I win?
Am I able to bet a sensible amount of money and stop at the agreed limit no matter what?
Do I sometimes throw money at a long shot without any real evidence or research?
How much money have I spent with my chosen sports books this month?
Talk to people that you trust in your life and ask them to give you an honest assessment of the situation. Do they think you might have a gambling problem?
If you cannot speak to anyone you know personally, then there are lots of other outlets you can use. Check out your options online and never be ashamed to talk about it. There are more people in the grip of problem gambling than any of us might care to admit.
The most valuable tool you have in all this is your mind. Keep that healthy and everything else is plain sailing.
Always follow the golden rules:
Never risk more money than you can afford to lose
Don't bet under the influence
Control the betting. Don't let the betting control you.
When the fun stops, stop
