NBA season has come around again! It’s the perfect time to place a bet on the action, but how do you get started with your first wager? In our expert guide, we take you through the basics of NBA betting so you can start profiting from the game. So, what are you waiting for – brush up your skills and you’re ready to go!
Is There A Secret To NBA Betting?
The first thing that you need to know about NBA betting is that there isn’t a single secret to it. No system, trend or statistic can guarantee your wager will be successful. However, on the upside, there are lots of tips and tricks that you can put into action to give yourself the best chance of betting success. Armed with a few basic strategies, you can choose the right wagers for you and scoop your share of the profits.
What Types Of Bet Are There?
The first thing you’re going to need to know is which types of bet are available for you to choose from. The most common include:
- Moneyline bets – this is the most basic type of bet. Essentially, you choose which team you believe will win and place your wager accordingly.
- Spread bets – this is a bet on the victory margin. You’ll need your chosen team to win by a specific amount of points.
- Total bets – this is a bet on the final amount of points to be scored by both of the teams in your chosen game.
- Parlay bets – these are multiple bets. If they all come in, you receive a payout, but if any of those bets lose, you won’t receive anything back.
- Player prop bets – these bets are on statistics for one or more players. One example of a player pro bet is on a specific player to score more than 22.5 points. Assists, rebounds or free throws are other player prop bets which are commonly seen.
- Game Prop bets – this wager relates to particular events which could take place during any given game. Some examples include betting on which of the two teams will score ten points first.
Know How The Odds Are Created
All spreads are primarily determined by the three factors outlined here:
- Both teams’ power rankings
- The home team’s home court advantage
- Other situational factors which concern the game
Power rankings are a list of teams based on their overall strength. The rankings illustrate how each team would fare against the average team. Keen NBA bettors keep power rankings of their own, regularly updating them to reflect the teams’ recent play and any player injuries which have occurred. Meanwhile, the average home court advantage for NBA teams is around three points.
When it comes to betting based on these two factors, it’s important to look at the validity of the spread. If you believe it’s correct, you can’t profit from wagering on the game. A valuable strategy, therefore, is to only bet on a game if you believe the spread is a minimum of two points off. This will give you the best chance of success.
Don’t forget, however, that situational factors must be factored in too. Factors such as fatigue from a team having travelled a long distance to the game, motivation due to one team needing to win more than their rivals, and matchups in style of play all need to be borne in mind to determine whether a spread is correct. Game day injuries are something else which can affect the outcome of a game, and it is this factor which makes it advisable to only place a wager as close as possible to the start of the action. Often game-changing injuries take some time to be reflected in market odds, so as soon as you hear the news, take action straight away!
Manage Your Bankroll
Perhaps the most important thing of all when betting on the NBA is to manage your bankroll properly. Punters who bet with their gut are destined to lose overall. Having a clearly disciplined plan for your finances is therefore essential. Always know precisely how much money you’re prepared to wager on any single game. By having this discipline, you won’t chase your losses or risk betting more than you can afford to lose.
The best bankroll management strategy is to only bet a certain percentage of the total bankroll on every wager. 2% of the total bankroll is a good amount. This strategy means you’ll risk less automatically, and, should you hit a losing streak, it’ll mitigate the damage to your bank balance. On the upside, if you hit a hot streak, you’ll be capitalizing on your wins by betting a slightly larger amount on each wager during the hot streak.
Placing Your First Bet
The above tips should be sufficient to get you started with your first NBA bet. If you’re a complete beginner in the world of NBA wagering, this advice should get you off to the best start and help you to avoid making any common novice bettor mistakes such as chasing losses and wagering too much of your bankroll on any one bet.
The key to starting out with wagering on the NBA season is really to employ trial and error. After every game that you bet on, whether you lose or win that wager, ask yourself what happened during that game that you expected to happen and what happened to surprise you. Over time, you’ll find trends and angles which you can add to your team evaluations and inform your future wagers.
Once you’ve mastered the basics of wagering on the NBA, you’ll be ready to look more deeply into the world of sports betting, and learn a few more complex strategies. However, it’s always most important to start off slowly and then progress at your own pace. Remember, sports betting should be fun, so enjoy yourself – and we wish you luck!
