Basketball is not only interesting as a sport. Betting on it is in demand among bettors. And this is no coincidence. The team play is unpredictable and the line-up is varied. By learning the types of bets in a bookmaker’s office, gamblers will be able to win more often, increasing their deposit.
Basketball betting features
Basketball is one of the most popular sports on the planet. That is why it is accepted by almost every bookmaker’s office in the world. The features of basketball betting are as follows:
- The diversity of the spread. You can choose bets on equally likely events as well as special coupons. For example, on a blocked shot or a player’s layup, the first basket scored, or the first foul. By the way, Indian horse racing tipsters also take a lot of details into account, which relates to the development of the situation at the racetrack.
- Regular championships. The NBA and Euroleague, national championships, and international tournaments are held continuously. Bettors can bet all season long, choosing leagues in different parts of the world.
- Low margins. The bookmaker’s returns on basketball betting are lower than for most other sports. This means higher odds of winning.
- High competition among companies. This is a plus for the betting club client – if the rules of the office don’t suit him, you can always find a bookmaker that offers higher odds and a wider basketball spread.
- Lots of real strategies. You can bet on basketball randomly. But it is better to use specific tactics, many of which have proven to be practical after being used by experienced bettors.
Other features of basketball betting include rather low odds. Football and hockey have higher odds; however, they are not as common as leg bets. In basketball, due to the variety of quarters and possible overtime, gamblers win more often. Expression bets, which are multi-event packages, can help them make up for the shortfall in odds.
Most bookmakers offer to bet both before the start of the match (offline) and after the referee’s whistle. In the latter case, they talk about live betting.
In basketball, draws are rare, and only in regulation time. In overtime, the winner will be determined, but there may be more than one.
Given the rarity of draws, some bookmakers do not even include such an event in the schedule. However, where the possibility of such a bet is available, gamblers often manage to make a fortune. The reason for this is the high odds and the frequency in the tiebreaker matches or when unbeaten opponents meet.
Basketball betting types
The basketball betting lineup is quite diverse. But of all the types of bets, special attention should be paid to these coupons:
- On the outcome. A win for one of the teams (P1 or P2), as well as – a draw (not always available, happens rarely). A bet on a draw is only available in regulation time, after which overtime the winner is always determined.
- Handicap. The bet takes into account not just whether the team wins or loses, but also a certain result. For example, F1(+10) is a bet on the loss of the first club with a handicap of no more than 10 points. A handicap can be a solid handicap or a fractional handicap. It may happen that the teams have played out so that the handicap result = 1. In such a case, if the betting conditions take into account, the money is refunded to the bettor in the amount of 100% of the slip.
- Total. It is an exact number of events in a certain game interval. There are 2 types of totals – over or under (Tb and Tm, respectively). In basketball, it is usually bet on one team to win. A 145.5, for instance, means that the bet will win if a team scores 146 or more points, which is higher than 145.5. In contrast, a win with a score of 144 will result in a losing streak. The reverse bet is to lose a team with a certain total. For instance, 145.5. Should the winner score 144, the bet would win because the total was lower.
- Special bets. For example, on receiving a warning or a blocked shot – blocking the actions of the attacker. There are also bets on the number of goals scored by a specific player, penalties, and shots from the free throw line.
When placing a basketball bet, only bets on events that are certain to happen are worth including. The gambler must be aware of the betting conditions.
How to beat the bookmaker in basketball betting?
By choosing basketball as a betting sport with a bookmaker, it is possible to win with enviable regularity. But you need to know the peculiarities of the game and which outcomes are more likely to come through here than others.
Catching up with the underdog
A basketball match consists of 4 segments, i.e. quarters. When the game is tied, overtime is possible. When teams of unequal strength are fighting, the possibility of the underdog winning at least one of the quarters is quite high.
A winning position is betting on the overtake, or the success of the underdog. Principle of action:
- betting is on the outcome in a particular quarter;
- always bet on the victory of a weak opponent;
- start of bets – from the first game period;
- odds for betting must be at least 2.0;
- if the first outcome is unsuccessful, then the coupon amount is doubled, taking into account the double odds (or increase the odds, e.g. 2.4);
- continue to double the coupons until the underdog wins “its” quarter;
- make sure that the size of the next stake allows for covering the amount of money lost in case of victory.
For this tactic to be successful, the gambler needs to have a good knowledge of basketball. It is important to know which team is the favorite and which team is the underdog. Otherwise, there is a risk that even after increasing the coupon amount, given the small odds, the winnings will not be able to cover the funds lost to the bookmaker.
Live to bet
Online betting is not a separate strategy. But they do have the advantage of controlling the situation on the site.
Types of popular live bets:
- a bet on an equally likely event – a win for the first or second team, both in a match and in quarters;
- handicap or handicap – the difference in balls, also at the end of a match or a period of play;
- individual success – in coupons for major tournaments (Olympics, World Championships), and world leagues (NBA, Euroleague) it is possible to bet on the performance of individual players.
For online betting it is better to bet by the quarters, analyzing the performance of each team and its leaders. Live bets have lower odds than the pre-match betting odds. But due to timely analysis, bookmakers who bet online are more likely to win.
Betting on a regulation time draw
When teams of equal strengths meet, it is not always possible to choose a winner in regulation time. In this case, there is a high probability that at the end of 4 segments the scoreboard will be tied, and the outcome of the meeting will be clear in overtime.
Of course, predicting a draw in regulation time is difficult. Therefore, the odds of such a coupon will be very high. After the 2 quarters are over, you can determine how equal the fight is. A live bet on a regulation time draw is less risky, and therefore the chances of winning are higher. Even if at lower odds.
Which bet to choose?
New gamblers find it quite difficult to navigate in such bets as total or handicap. Not only a certain amount of luck is required, but also an understanding of the standings. That’s why results betting is usually reserved for experienced bettors, while for beginners it’s easier to use simple betting coupons – for example on whether a team wins or loses, without considering the difference in points.
To increase your winnings, you can include more than one event in the betting slip. The NBA and Euroleague outcomes, for example. But you should never use more than 4 singles in a single betting hand. Yes, the odds with the inclusion of multiple bets will be huge. But the chances of winning, especially without insurance, are almost nil.
Other tips:
- Analysing teams with familiar players is a good starting point. Analyzing the status of your leaders and bench allows you to be aware of possible replacements in the team. This influences the strengthening and weakening of defense and attack.
- It is advisable to choose bets on tournaments involving well-known clubs. The top teams in the standings are more predictable than the ones in the bottom or middle of the table. The “dark horses” are more likely to have unexpected results than the favorites, losing to weak opponents.
New players should opt for live bets more often. The odds are lower. But you can follow the game in real-time.