How To Bet On The NBA

NBA fans will find many different ways to bet on a game. Those who are new to sports betting would do well to start out with a straight bet on the moneyline. Players who have been at it for a while might opt for a totals bet or point spread bet. This next section will tell you all the different ways to wager on the NBA. Odds types can be split up into three separate categories: game lines, props, and futures. We will begin with the various types of game lines.

This is the easiest, most basic type of wager you can make. It is a bet on which team will win the game, regardless of the point spread. When looking at the moneyline, you will notice that there is a positive or negative number next the team. These numbers simply indicate how much money you stand to win. If the Houston Rockets are at +110, you will win $110 for every $100 that you wager. If the Golden State Warriors are at -150, it simply means that every $150 that you wager will pay out $100 in profit. Easy, right?

Point spread betting is very popular these days. The way it works is that the bookmakers choose a favorite and an underdog based on their own calculations of who is more likely to win. The favorite will have a negative spread, and the underdog will have a positive spread. It is important to remember that with spread betting, the negative or positive number corresponds to the opposite of what you would think. This is because what is actually happening is that the underdog gains point and the favorite loses points. This is just a way for the bookies to even the spread so the same number of people will bet on both the underdog and the favorite. If the Miami Heat have a spread of +5, it means that they are the underdogs and will have an automatic 5 points added to their score. Conversely, if the Cleveland Cavaliers have a spread of -5, it means that they will have 5 points taken away from their total, and thus they must win by 6 or more points to “cover” the spread.

With totals betting, you are wagering on the over/under, meaning the combined total of both teams. The bookmaker sets the number, and you have to bet on whether the total number of points will be more or less than the bookmaker’s posted total. Totals betting saves bettors from having to choose between two teams. If both teams are evenly matched, it can be hard to choose a side to back. Totals betting remedies this problem.

Those who are interested in NBA betting have tons of options when it comes to the kind of wagers they can make. Proposition bets, or props, are wagers on various events in a game that do not necessarily affect its outcome. These can be team props or player props. Examples include whether a certain team will make it to the playoffs, how many three-point shots a player makes, or who will be the MVP of the year. Sports bettors like prop bets for their specificity and variety. Some people get bored making totals or moneyline bets all the time and want to spice things up. Prop bets can make things more interesting. All of the sportsbooks that we recommend have a variety of prop bets going on during the NBA season. Check the “Prop Bets” section to see a complete list of what is available at any given time.

If you just can’t wait to bet on an upcoming game, you can always make a futures bet. This simply means a wager on a game that has yet to be played. Bookmakers know how popular futures bets are, so they post futures odds far in advance, even before the season has begun. A few of the most popular types of futures bets are who will win the NBA Championship and who will win the Eastern or Western Conference. One reason to bet on futures is that you can maximize your potential profit because the odds are steadier. For example, if you bet on a team before the season starts, you do not have to worry about the odds changing every week, and you can lock down a winner and get a higher payout.

Although land-based sportsbooks are rather scarce in the United States except in Nevada and Delaware, legal options do exist for those who are old enough to bet. Online sportsbooks are more popular than ever in the United Sates, due to their convenience, reliability, and overall range of options and special features. In this next section, we will share with you some of our favorite online sportsbooks that offer betting on NBA matchups.