If you are new to basketball betting but are familiar with football betting then you will find it easy to wager on a basketball game.
Point Spread
Betting basketball involves point spread. The sportsbook imposes this handicap on a single team to ensure that both teams get equal chance associated with betting. The team that people expect to win is called the favorites and the losing team is called the underdog. In a Point spread, the team expected to win lays the points for the team anticipated to lose in betting. For example, there are two teams –
- Kentucky Wildcats
- Louisville Cardinals
Home team Kentucky Wildcats is the hot favorite, so the majority of bettors will bet on this team as a winner. The point spread makes Wildcats a 10-points favorite. It means they have to win 11 + points for bettors to win. Bettors wagering on the Cardinals will win if the game is lost or won by 9 points or less. In case, the Wildcats attain exactly 10 points win then the wager is termed as a tie or push and no cash gets exchanged.
When you place a point spread bet on the UFA betting website, you are asked to lay an 11 to 10 odds. It means you risk $11 for winning $10. The $1 is the commission of the betting website or bookmaker for their services.
Totals
Basketball bets are even made on totals. Totals are also popular as under/overs. Total means a projected combined score of both playing teams. The bookmaker posts a number [total point] and you have two options to wager –
- You chose more than the posted total point’s means ‘Over’.
- You opted for less than the announced total point’s means ‘Under’.
According to the above example, in a game between the Wildcats and Cardinals, the under/over point is 177. If you bet on over then you will win if the total combined score is 178 or more. If you wager on under then you will win if the total combined score is 176 or less. If the total combined score reveals 177 points then the bet is regarded as a tie or push. No money gets exchanged!
Just like point spread, you will have to lay an 11 to 10 odds. The risk to win $10 is $11 on each under/over bet.
Moneyline wagers
Moneyline is another betting option besides totals and point spreads. It is a bet without a point spread. As some teams get more than 50% chances to win, the Moneyline bets are created using odds. If you bet on a team predicted to win then you will need to risk more than you can win.
Moneyline odds look like this –
- Kentucky Wildcats -300
- Louisville Cardinals +240
It means if you bet on Celtics then you will have to put $30 for winning $10. The ones supporting Cardinals will have to risk $10 for winning $24.
Parlays & teasers
Side wagers involved in a basketball game are parlays and teasers. These are called exotic bets. Bettors need to correctly predict winners for 2 or more games. In parlays, you get an option to bet against Moneyline or point spread.
On teasers, you need to use a point spread. In parlays & teasers, you need to pick all the teams accurately or you lose the entire bet. If you picked three out of four games correctly, you will lose in a parlay or teaser bet.
