Basketball Betting Guide – How to Bet on Basketball

Author: Taylor Smith | Last Updated: March 2024

As one of the four major professional sports in the US and a fan favorite around the globe, basketball continues to deliver excitement to spectators and sports bettors all year long. And if you’re looking to up the excitement or if you’re always picking winners and want to turn those picks into cash, stay tuned. In our basketball betting guide, we’re going to lay out all of the details and resources you need to start betting on basketball right now.

If you’re ready to get started betting on basketball for real money today, check out one of our top-rated basketball betting sites listed below!

Basketball Betting Resources

Now that you know where to bet on basketball online and the different types of basketball bets you can place, the next step is expanding your knowledge. An educated and well-informed sports bettor is one that sportsbooks fear. Here are some great resources to get you on that level.

Basketball Betting Blogs

The game of basketball changes fast with on-court and off-court news and happenings. Our basketball betting blogs not only inform you in real-time of the news, but our experts break down what it means for you as a bettor. Never get blindsided by news or rumors that could greatly impact your ability to make money betting on basketball.

Caitlin Clark Favored in Early WNBA Rookie of the Year Odds

Shaun Stack, April 25, 2024

How to Play the BetOnline NBA Playoffs Contest

Shaun Stack, April 19, 2024

Bronny James Draft Odds: Which Team Will Draft Bronny James?

Shaun Stack, April 18, 2024

NBA Coach of the Year Odds: Is Mark Daigneault a Lock to Win?

Shaun Stack, April 11, 2024

Types of Basketball Bets You Can Place

When it comes to NBA betting online, betting on college basketball, or betting on any other leagues in the world, you have options. There’s nothing wrong with keeping it simple and just picking game-winners. However, that doesn’t always align perfectly with your picks and predictions. While you can certainly be a huge winner just choosing game-winners, it’s nice to be aware of what your options are just in case.

Moneyline Basketball Bets

When we talk about betting on the winner of a basketball game, we’re talking about moneyline bets. All you need to do to win a basketball moneyline bet is pick the winner of the game. If you’re right, you win.

While it really is that simple, there is one nuance you need to be aware of. Not every team that wins is going to pay the same amount. Basketball betting odds on moneyline wagers are based on the likelihood of the team winning. The bigger the favorite a basketball team is, the less you’ll get paid for a win. The bigger the underdog, the more you’ll get paid.

For example, let’s say the Miami Heat are playing the Boston Celtics. The NBA basketball odds for a moneyline bet might look like this.

In this example, the Celtics are favored to win. If you put $10 on the Celtics, a win would pay you a profit of $7.41. A $10 bet on the Heat, though, would pay you a profit of $11.50. These varying betting odds are based on the likelihood of each team winning and how the public is choosing to bet the game at NBA basketball betting sites.

Tips for Betting Moneyline

Shop Till’ You Drop

You’ll see this tip with just about every type of bet we talk about. This is because there is nothing more important than this. If you want to be successful at sports betting, you have to be willing to look for the best lines offered. If one sportsbook is offering a bet at +200 and another is offering the same bet at +225, you would be a fool not to place a bet at the sportsbook offering +225. If one sportsbook is offering better odds on the bet you want to make, then you make your bet there. It’s as simple as that.

Remember the Victory

This one may seem straightforward, but it definitely needs to be mentioned. You must remember that to win a moneyline bet, the team you select has to win the game. This can be forgotten when you see a big underdog that you think is way better than the spread shows. Make sure if you are making a moneyline wager on an underdog that they’re going to be able to finish the job, not just make a great showing. If you are unsure, just bet the point spread bet and take the easy money. If you are confident, though, aim for the big win with the moneyline bet.

Make Sure It’s Financially Worth It

This pertains to betting basketball favorites specifically. Even if you are pretty confident a team is going to win, make sure the payoff is worth your time and effort.

For example, let’s say the Miami Heat are playing basketball against a college team. We can be almost certain that they are going to win. For this reason, the Heat are -1100. Some people might think you should bet this because it’s almost a lock. The problem here is that a $100 bet will net you a profit of a massive $9.09. You would literally be betting $100 for the chance to win $9.09. For some people, this is ok and part of their strategy. For us, the risk vs. reward seems a bit off and not really worth our investment.

Betting Basketball Point Spreads

Moneyline bets are great, but they do leave a bit of a void. What happens when you think a team is going to outperform what the analysts and fans think but not win the game? Or what happens if you agree that a team is going to win a game but by way more than other people think? Shouldn’t you be more rewarded for a more precise prediction?

This is where basketball point spreads come into play.

NBA betting sites determine which team they believe is going to win the game, just like with a moneyline bet. However, the book goes a step further and determines by how many points. From there, you can bet on whether or not a basketball team is going to outperform the prediction.

All a team needs to do for you to win your bet is outperform the point spread. Here’s an example.

In that same Celtics and Heat game, the sportsbook decides they believe the Celtics will win by 2 or 3 points. Here’s what the spread would look like on the board.

In this example, a bet on either team pays the exact same amount of money. Let’s look at the outcomes of a bet on the Heat at +2.5.

• If the Heat win the game by any number of points, you win your bet.
• If the Heat lose the game by fewer than 2.5 points, you win your bet. So, a loss of 1 or 2 points is still a win for you!
• If the Heat lose the game by more than 2.5 points, you lose your bet. So, a loss of 3 points or more is a loss.

For a bet on the Celtics, here’s what that looks like.

• If the Celtics win the game by more than 2.5 points, you win your bet. So, a win of 3 or more points is a win for you.
• If the Celtics win the game by fewer than 2.5 points, you lose your bet. So, a win of 1 or 2 points is a loss for you, even though the Celtics won the game.
• If the Celtics lose the game by any number of points, you lose your bet.

Point spreads attempt to “level the playing field” where you can bet on any team even if you expect them to lose. All the team has to do is outperform the point spread, and you win. Additionally, half points are often used to prevent ties. If you’d like to learn more about these bets, check out our basketball point spreads betting guide.

Tips for Betting Point Spreads

Don’t Bet Every Game

A common mistake that new bettors will do is to bet every single game. Unfortunately, this is not a winning strategy no matter how sharp you are. Stick to betting the games where you actually see value.

Only bet games where you have a clear prediction on a team covering the spread. Look for lines that you think are incorrect and put your money there. The idea here is to be making intelligent picks that you actually believe will win. If you’re betting every game, you’re just gambling and no longer letting your skill and knowledge base shine through.

Predict Line Movements

The betting public as a whole is not very smart. There is a reason it is such a lucrative business to be in for the sportsbooks. The public loves to bet popular teams, great storylines, and trends that don’t have a lot of merits. If you think that the public is going to bet a lot and shift the line more in your favor, just wait. The worst that might happen is the line doesn’t move, and you then take the bet before the game at the original line that you still thought had value. Yes, there is a possibility of the point spread moving the other direction. If this happens, you shouldn’t make a bet on this game and wait for the next one. This also comes into play for games where you think the line is correct.

Have an Idea Before You Look

Point spread lines can be tricky in the fact that they can help shape our views of a game just by looking at them. You may have no opinion of a game until you look at a point spread and then your brain immediately starts looking for evidence to back up the line. This can cause you to build your view of a game off of what the sportsbook thinks and not what you think. The best advice here is to have an idea of what you think the line is before you look at the sportsbook’s lines. This will protect you from being influenced by what they came up with and help you to spot bad lines.

Don’t Just Look at the NBA

When it comes to sports betting, sportsbooks prioritize setting accurate lines for popular sports and leagues to minimize potential losses, leaving smaller sports and leagues with less responsive lines. To increase your chances, consider exploring college basketball or smaller European leagues, but be diligent in researching and understanding the nuances of each league as they differ from NBA betting, where lines are adjusted more rapidly due to active bettors and sportsbook corrections.

Basketball Totals

When you have a prediction on game tempo but you’re not sure who will win, a totals bet could be what you’re looking for. A totals bet is a basketball wager on the total number of points scored in the game by both teams. The sportsbook sets a line, and you choose over that line or under that line. If you’re right, you win.

For example, the total in the Celtics Heat example might be 208.5. Again, half points are often used to prevent ties. In this example, if the total number of points score by both teams is over 208.5 (209 or higher), a bet on the over wins. If the total when you add both team’s scores together is under 208.5 (208 or lower), the under wins. Generally, both of these bets pay out the same amount of money.

Tips for Betting Basketball Totals

Matchups

Ultimately, to figure out the over/under of a particular game, you have to dive deep into the tendencies and characteristics of the teams playing that game. There are a number of factors that should come into play, such as:

• Past head-to-head matchups: If the two teams have already played a lot in the season, what were the totals scores like in those games? Seeing if the two teams tend to play in shootouts or defensive slugfests should help you decide what the latest contest will be like.
• Player matchups: Does one team have an edge at a position that could lead to a high-scoring situation? By contrast, does the high-scorer on one team face the best defender on the opponent’s team? If that’s the case, the overall scoring of the game could be lower and lead toward the under.
• Trends: Looking at trends for the teams involved is a good way to break down the over/under situation. For example, if one team is on a streak of playing six games in a row where the total went over, it could be a trend worth exploiting. Just make sure that there aren’t opposing trends that could contradict each other.
• Pace: Because of the analytics movement in basketball, we can now tell how quickly or slowly a particular team likes to play on offense. You can use this data to help with your basketball over/unders. For example, a team that likes a fast pace and finally meets another team that does the same after several games against slower-paced teams could be the perfect spot to bet the over.

Injuries and Other Roster News

Betting on basketball, whether it’s the NBA or college, requires knowing the overall status for both teams’ rosters in the game. That is certainly true for over/under bets, because who is and who isn’t playing can have a great effect on the amount of points scored.

Injuries are a part of life in basketball, where it can be a grind night after night. As a bettor, you have to know exactly what is going on with the rosters of each team and if there are any injuries occurring. You wouldn’t want to bet the over on a game and find out that one of the high-scorers on one team has to sit out.

Scheduling

One of the factors that comes into play often in the world of NBA betting are so-called “back-to-backs.” These occur when a team is scheduled to play two nights in a row. In a league so competitive and physical, such scheduling can be draining on the team having to endure it.

As a result, many bettors might favor the under when a game involves a team on a back-to-back. By the same token, a well-rested team might be primed for a point explosion. You should take into account all of this when betting on basketball over/unders.

Line Movement

Many bettors believe that they can determine the best wagers by what other bettors are doing. When they see a line move one way or another, they believe that it is the result of “smart money” forcing oddsmakers to react. The trick is knowing when to take advantage of this when making your basketball totals bets.

If you wait too long, the adjustment made by the oddsmakers might nullify the edge of the line moving. You should do research on over/under line movements, in terms of how far it moves, to see when it makes a definitive effect on totals outcomes.

Basketball Prop Betting

The last type of real money basketball betting bet to be aware of is proposition bets (prop bets for short). These are wagers on whether or not something will happen during a basketball game. While that might sound confusing, it’s much easier when you see examples.

Prop bets are a unique way to cash in on basketball betting predictions that don’t fit neatly into the more common types of bets. If you correctly pick if something will or will not happen, you’ll win the bet. Much like moneyline wagers, different sides of a basketball prop bet might pay out different amounts based on the likelihood and how the public is betting.

Tips for Betting Props

Bet on Who You Know

Our common tip for sports betting is to only bet on the teams or sports that you know. While that continues to be true with prop bets, it goes a step further as you are now betting on individual players in a game. This will require you to be even more knowledgeable about specifics. While this will require more work, it opens up some new opportunities. The more data that is present, the more chances there are for the line makers and for the public to make mistakes. If you can spot these mistakes, you can capitalize. It all begins, though, with making sure you are knowledgeable on what and WHO you are betting on.

Use the Correct Data

As we just discussed, there is a lot more data that comes into play with individuals. You have to make sure that you are looking at the correct data that is pertinent to the actual bet you are making. For example, if you are betting on how many three-pointers someone is going to make, their total points average for a game is pointless. Also, the other team’s basic defensive stats are not worthless, but there are more accurate data points you can look at. Instead of looking at regular defense stats, look at stats specifically against the three-point shot.

The key here is to get as exact and specific in your research as possible. The more you can dial in on the exact thing you are betting on, the stronger and more accurate your prediction is likely to be.

Make Sure Your Bets Work Together

One of the biggest blunders sports bettors tend to make when making a lot of bets is not making sure their bets are working together. This means that you are not limiting the amount you can win through bets that are contradictory to each other.

Try and make sure your bets all work together so your potential win ceiling is the highest it can be. The best way to do this is to ask yourself before you place a bet how it impacts all other bets on that game. It doesn’t take a lot of rocket science to see when you may have accidentally set something against yourself.

Most Popular Basketball Leagues You Can Bet On

When it comes to betting on basketball, you’ve got a lot of different options. The two most popular options are the NBA and college basketball. Additionally, you can bet on international leagues all over the world and the WNBA, the women’s professional basketball league in the US.

NBA

The National Basketball Association (NBA) is the premier men’s basketball league in the world and the most popular basketball betting option in the world as well. The best of the best from every corner of the globe strive to make it to the pinnacle of sports—the NBA. The league is based in North America, with 29 of the teams located in the US and one team located in Canada. That’s why it’s the most popular option for basketball betting.

Here are some fast facts about the NBA.

• The regular season runs from October to April every year.
• Each team plays 82 games during the regular season.
• The NBA was founded in 1946.
• The head offices for the NBA are in Manhattan, NY.
• The top eight teams in each conference make the playoffs every year.
• Teams compete to make it to the NBA Finals, where they can win the championship and take home the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy.

Current NBA Teams

Eastern Conference

Western Conference

Most Recent NBA Champions

• 2020 – Los Angeles Lakers
• 2019 – Toronto Raptors
• 2018 – Golden State Warriors
• 2017 – Golden State Warriors
• 2016 – Cleveland Cavaliers

For more information on betting on the NBA, head on over to our dedicated guide on real money NBA betting now.

And if you’re looking for the safest online NBA betting experience, make sure to check out our list of the best NBA betting sites.

College Basketball

College basketball, sometimes referred to as NCAA basketball, is the US-based basketball competition between colleges and universities. Generally, college basketball is where future NBA stars prove their worth in some of the most exciting real money basketball betting action on the globe. The league is broken down into several divisions based on the size of a school and conferences based on the school’s location and affiliation. Division I men’s basketball is the most prominent.

Here are some fast facts about college basketball.

• The season-long champion is decided through a single-elimination tournament known as NCAA March Madness.
• Currently, the tournament starts with 68 teams, but that number has fluctuated over recent years.
• There are 350 Division I college basketball teams.

College Basketball vs. the NBA

There are some substantial differences between college basketball and the NBA when it comes to the league, gameplay, and betting. Here are some of the most important differences to be aware of:

• The NBA plays four 12-minute quarters, while college basketball plays two 20-minute halves.
• The NBA is a professional sports league, while college basketball is technically an amateur competition.
• Because of the last point, NBA players are paid, and college basketball players are not. However, some college basketball players may receive scholarships in return for playing.
• The shot clock in the NBA is 24 seconds. In NCAA basketball, the clock is 30 seconds.
• NBA players can play for as many years as they’d like. College basketball players have limited eligibility, which means they can only play a maximum of five years.

Most Recent NCAA Champions

• 2019 – Virginia
• 2018 – Villanova
• 2017 – North Carolina
• 2016 – Villanova
• 2015 – Duke

March Madness and Bracket Building

When it comes to betting on basketball, nothing is more exciting than March Madness. The tournament that decides the National Champion is crammed into about a month a half, which means games, games, and more games. The excitement level for a college basketball fan is unmatched by anything else on the planet.

The 68-team, single-elimination tournament starts in mid-March and runs through April every year. In addition to the ability to bet on every game, many people partake in what’s known as bracket building. Once all 68 teams are announced, fans try and predict the winner of every game all the way to the championship.

Fans then join bracket leagues where points are awarded for correct picks. Whoever gets the most points from the most correct picks, wins! Generally, the top 10% to 15% of winners are paid in a tournament-style payout (1st place getting the most, etc.).

If you’re looking to bet on individual games during the tournament, head on over to our complete March Madness betting guide.

And if you’re looking for the ultimate resource for filling out a winning bracket, you’ll definitely want to check out our March Madness bracket betting guide. It’s filled with tips, tricks, resources, and expert insight into building a winning bracket.

Tips and Strategy Advice for Brackets

Use Your Time Wisely

When betting on brackets, you need to be strategic about where you spend your time. Focus on the first round games with teams that you think are going to go deeper in the tournament. As each pick piggybacks off the earlier round, it’s important to get as many teams that will be going deep in the tournament through. Some of these will be fairly easy to pick like the 1 seed vs. 16 seed games, but some like the 8 vs. 9 games will be a bit more challenging and require a bit more time. The point here is to not spend a million hours on games that might not have as much of an impact later in the tournament.

Work Backwards

A popular strategy for bracket bets is to work backward by selecting your champion first and then selecting your final four teams and then working outwards from that. This ensures that the teams that you want to be in the higher point rounds will be there. Almost all scoring structures give more points, sometimes a lot more, to correct picks in the later rounds. A lot of popular point structures give one point for a first round pick and 32 points for a correct champion pick.

Use Vegas Lines

A lot of people that don’t have a lot of time to make their picks will do so based on the seeding. The problem with this is that there are some specific rules that will move the seeds around a bit having better teams a little lower than they should be. The seeding is also done by a group that are not experts in games and aren’t as equipped to predict who is better than who. Vegas and online sportsbooks, on the other hand, will set lines based on who they think are going to win the game and by how many points. This can help you to spot “upsets” that aren’t really upsets. You can find teams with worse seeds that are actually favorites against the teams they’re playing. While this isn’t an actual upset, it will be one on the bracket sheet, and a lot of amateur players are going to miss it.

Upsets

There are two things you need to know about upsets.

1. They are going to happen
2. They are less likely than a lot of new bettors think

Number one is something a lot of people forget to notice. They think that the best team or higher seeded team is always going to win. We see time and time again that this is just not the case with college basketball.

Number two is the check and balance on number one. It’s always fun to root and hope for the underdog to pull off the upset, but you don’t want to get too crazy with the upsets. Remember, teams are usually seeded higher for a reason.

If you’re looking to bet on individual games during the tournament, head on over to our complete March Madness betting guide.

March Madness Betting Sites

International Basketball Leagues

If you’re wondering where to bet on basketball, it doesn’t just stay in the US and North America. International basketball leagues have grown in popularity over the years, especially as fringe NBA players have moved overseas to work on their games in hopes of making it back to the NBA. Some of the most popular international basketball leagues are in parts of Europe, mainly Italy, Spain, and Germany.

Some of the more prominent leagues include:

• EuroLeague
• EuroCup
• Liga ACB (Spain)
• Basketball Super League (Turkey)
• VTB United League (Russia)
• Lega Basket Serie A (Italy)

How to Bet on Basketball

You’ve got two main options when it comes to betting real money on basketball—betting at a land-based sportsbook or online basketball betting. Here are the step-by-step instructions for placing a basketball bet with each option.

Land-Based Sportsbooks

1. Find the closest sportsbook. In order to bet at a land-based sportsbook, you have to go there in person. Find the closest book that you want to wager at. Keep in mind that it may be at a casino and might not be a standalone operation.
2. Complete your research. You’re not going to have your computer with you at the sportsbook, which means you need to do most of your research at home. You will be able to use your phone, but that might not be optimal, depending on how in-depth your research process is.
3. Drive to the sportsbook. Once you’ve got your research and picks in mind, head to the sportsbook.
4. Check the betting odds. A major drawback to betting at land-based sportsbooks is that you don’t know the odds until you get there. When you get there, look at what the odds are on the board. For more specific bets, you may need to ask an agent for updated basketball betting odds.
5. Decide which bets you still want to make. As your bets are heavily dependent on the basketball odds offered (or at least they should be), you need to decide which bets you still want to make.
6. Hop in line. The next step is to get in line and wait for an available betting agent.
7. Check the odds again. Depending on how long the line is or who bets in front of you, the odds may change while you’re waiting. Double-check them again and decide the bets you want to make.
8. Make your basketball bets. The last step is to make your bets! Do make sure to check your tickets before leaving the counter to make sure the agent didn’t make any mistakes. Sportsbooks are loud, and agents work long hours, which can make for the possibility of mistakes

Betting on Basketball Online

1. Create an online sports betting account. The first step for how to bet money on basketball online is to create an online sports betting account. This should take about 10 minutes max and only needs to be done the first time you bet.
2. Complete your research. Take the time to do your research and start to look into which basketball bets you want to make.
3. Shop your basketball betting odds. One of the huge perks of real money betting on basketball online is the ability to shop your bets around. What this means is you can check the odds at multiple different sportsbooks to get the best lines and odds available. This isn’t an option at land-based sportsbooks unless you want to drive to another sportsbook.
4. Place your bets. Once you’ve decided on your bets, there’s no hopping in line and hoping the odds don’t change. Select your bets, choose the amounts, and hit submit.

Basketball Betting Strategy Tips

While our guides linked above give you free access to online basketball betting strategy and thousands of basketball betting tips, there are a few quick tips we want to share now. If you’re in a hurry to get a bet in, make sure to check these tips out first and bookmark the more in-depth basketball betting guides for later.

Always Check Your Betting Slips for Accuracy

No matter if you’re betting on basketball online or betting on basketball in person, you’ve got to check your betting slips immediately after you make your wager. What you’re looking for is that the bets are correct, the amounts are right, and there’s nothing that seems out of the ordinary.

Sportsbooks are loud, and sometimes we may misclick and make mistakes. There’s no worse feeling when betting on basketball at a sportsbook or online NBA betting than thinking you won a bet only to find out that your bet slip has a mistake on it. Take 30 seconds and check every time you make a wager.

Defense Is Just as Important as Offense

There’s a tendency among new basketball bettors to focus only on the offense. Sure, it’s the most fun part of the game, but it’s a tunnel-vision approach that can get you in trouble. When you’re making your basketball betting picks, make sure to pay equal attention to the defense. How are the different offenses and individual players going to match up defensively? Just because a player or a team has been hot on offense doesn’t mean that will continue against a defensive powerhouse.

Monitor Injury Reports Closely

We can’t tell you how many stories we’ve heard from bettors who thought they were cashing in on an incredible line, only to find out later that the reason the line was so juicy was because a star player was injured or sitting out. Make sure you stay on top of injury reports and rumors as much as possible. You won’t be able to catch all of them, especially if you bet early, but you can do your best.

Understand Basketball Betting Odds

We’ve covered this extensively in our guide on how to bet on NBA basketball, but it’s worth repeating until the cows come home. Not all basketball bets pay the same amount of money. While you probably get this, make sure you know that this goes even further. There are times when you should avoid making a bet you expect to win because the payout odds aren’t good enough. Additionally, there are times you should make a bet you think is going to lose because the betting odds are too good to pass up.

The secret to winning online NBA betting or betting on anything else is making wagers that have value. Value is a fancy word for the potential to get a better payout on something than you really should.

This is an instance where you might make that bet to take advantage of the value. Sure, you still think the Gators are going to win. However, you think it’s going to be a very close game, which means one or two buckets the other way, and you win your bet. Because the sportsbook is paying out way too much for something that’s more likely than they think, this is a great value spot for real money basketball betting.

Know the Implications of the Game

It shouldn’t be surprising that some teams outperform expectations when a game is important. Additionally, teams that don’t have anything to play for might be more likely to “mail it in” and not give 100% effort. These teams with nothing to play for also might work to protect star players, as the risk isn’t worth the nonexistent reward.

As a basketball sports bettor, this is one of the most important basketball betting tips to know. Make sure you don’t put too many eggs behind a team that doesn’t care about winning.

Points in the Paint vs. 3-Pointers

Paying attention to how a team makes most of their points can be important when looking at consistency. A team that relies heavily on 3-point baskets is great, but it’s a lot easier to go cold on shooting 3-pointers than it is on posting up and driving to the basket.

Teams that focus more on points in the paint are going to be more reliable and are going to be less susceptible to cold streaks.

Check the Team’s Schedule

Fatigue significantly affects basketball teams’ performance due to the frequency and varying schedules of their games. Consider the team’s recent game count, potential long road trips, and the toll of away games and extensive travel. Additionally, the impact of fatigue intensifies as the season progresses, providing more opportunities for advantageous betting.

Road Favorites After a Blowout Loss

A popular betting strategy is to take a look at teams that are favored in an away game after getting blown out in their previous game. These teams are clearly strong enough in talent to be still favored on the road after a big loss which means they have a lot of actual talent and substance that the oddsmakers still like.

These teams are also going to be fired up after getting embarrassed. Teams that have been blown out by 15 or more points and are still road favorites in their next game have covered the spread over 60% of the time in the last 10 years.

Big Home Underdogs

No one likes to lose at home in front of their own fans. This seems to be true when it comes to basketball as well. Teams have a strong tendency to cover the spread when they are big underdogs (10+ points) at home.

A lot of this has to do with the emotional desire to impress at home, and a lot of it has to do with the other team usually letting off when they’re up quite a few points. They’ll put in second stringers and rest their big names because it only matters to them if they win, not by how many points. Even though we care about the spread, teams playing the game do not. A win is a win, and a loss is a loss to them.

Watch for Moving Lines

One of the best ways to dominate sports betting of any kind is to recognize that there are experts out there who are practical geniuses at sports betting. If you’re one of them, this won’t affect you as much, although it always helps to know what the other experts are doing. If you see a line moving in one direction after the public has bet heavily on the other side, you’re probably witnessing the experts taking advantage of the uneducated public, making bets based on emotions and trends. Timing is crucial in capitalizing on these opportunities, but it’s essential to bet selectively based on your strategy and ensure that the line movement is driven by experts rather than the public.

To make this all easier, here are some quick tips to go along with this strategy.

• Know WHY the line is moving. Don’t just bet because it moved.
• Only bet if you think the new line is a good bet. Don’t just bet because it moved.
• You don’t have to wait to jump on a bad line, but timing and waiting can be beneficial as well.
• Sportsbooks are wise, but they still make mistakes too.
• Sometimes the public will be right.

Watch Out for Your Favorites

We always want our favorite team to win but it is important to refrain from betting on your favorite team unless it aligns with a solid strategy. Emotional bias can negatively impact your profits in the long term. Additionally, be cautious of the advice and news sources you rely on, as the public tends to sensationalize stories and hype up games that may not be as close as portrayed. Make independent picks based on your own analysis before considering others’ opinions.

Cherry Pick Your Games for Value

It is no secret that the oddsmakers are good at what they do. Most of the lines they put out are going to be spot on and will make finding value a challenge. That doesn’t mean that value does not exist. When there are lots of games going on, it’s much more likely that you might be able to find some lines with mistakes in them. Smaller games in popularity are also going to have less time spent on setting their lines. There really is no secret to when to try and find bad lines. The key is to have a strategy in place that helps you spot these lines and take advantage of them.

Check the Lineups

This is a fairly basic tip that unfortunately is ignored way too often. When you’re betting on games, make sure to check injury reports and rosters before you make your wager. Make sure that the players you are banking on to help you win your bet are actually slated to play in the game. It only takes a few minutes and can save you a lot of money in the long run.

Basketball Betting FAQ