Understanding NBA Betting Lines
Betting on NBA games invokes excitement in sport fanatics and sure it’s easy to throw down money willy-nilly on a game and risk it all. But understanding the real intricacies of NBA betting is a whole other thing and can help ensure that you have a better chance of keeping your money and earning more on top of it.
This guide to understanding NBA betting lines is comprehensive and covers nearly everything you need to know about the NBA lines.
NBA Betting
The NBA is the top tier league for basketball, and naturally has so many variables in terms of how a game can play out. With that, there are many different ways to wager money on your favourite team. Betting on NBA can be as simple as picking a winning team down to the small details like rebounds and assists that a particular player might get.
Picking An NBA Betting Site
When picking your NBA betting site, it is a good idea to stick with the tried and tested platforms with the best ratings and most trustworthy name.
There are in fact many great selections when it comes to betting sites and personal preference is truly key when choosing your favourite betting platform. Some fantastic options that would ring a bell to most sports betting fans are sites like DraftKings.
Single Game Bets
Single game bets will have three different lines and those will be moneyline bets, spread bets and total bets.
Single game bets are simple and should be easy to grasp, but even this type of betting needs a small amount of knowledge that has to do with the odds.
Moneyline
The easiest way to wager money on the NBA is the moneyline. This is the most common bet available and also the most popular among betters. This bet is as simple as choosing who will win the basketball game.
Understanding the moneyline odds is very easy. The team who ends up with a ‘+’ next to their name will end up being the underdog, meaning they are predicted to lose the game. The team with the ‘-‘ next to their name is obviously the favourite and is predicted to win the game. The numbers that can be seen next to the team are the probabilities that a particular team will win and will coincide with your earnings or lack of. Each site will have their own calculations, though they should all be somewhat similar.
Every odd is based on a theoretical $100 bet and here is an example of a moneyline:
Denver Nuggets +180 versus Golden State Warriors -200
Using the above example, if you were to bet $100 on the Denver Nuggets and they ended up winning the game, then you would win $180, ending up with a total of $280. In the instance of the opposite wager of $100 on Golden State winning the game one would only profit $50.
Point Spread
A point spread is a completely different type of wager than a moneyline bet. It involves placing your money on a team to win or lose by a specified number of points
Here is an example of betting the point spread:
Like the moneyline odds, Golden State Warriors, is the current favorite to win the game. If you were to wager on the Warriors, then you are hoping that they will beat the Nuggets, by at least 7 points to ‘cover’ the spread and win you some money.
An easy way to calculate if your team is the winner or loser is to subtract 6.5 points from the team’s total points. After deducting 6.5 points, if your team is still in the winning column then they have covered the spread and you will earn some profits. You might be asking, “why would they use half points like 0.5”? This is called a ‘hook’ and is used to eliminate a tie when it comes to betting.
Totals Betting
Totals betting is another style of wagering that is fairly easy to grasp. It is a bet that is to be placed on the over/under of the total points scored in the game regardless of the winner or loser. This can be calculated at the end of the game by adding both teams points together.
Let’s say that the betting site has the total set at 210.5 points. If you were to wager on the over, you’re betting that the two teams' combined points at the end of the game will be greater than 210.5 points. Again half-points are used to avoid a tie.
Parlays
A parlay is a bet that is placed to combine more than one outcome of a single game or multiple games.
Imagine making a moneyline bet on the nuggets to win the game, and also making a total bet on the score of the game being under 210.5 and combining the two together to greatly increase your winnings. Keep in mind, even though the payout is larger, the risk becomes even greater given the probability of predicting multiple events correctly is pretty low.
Teasers
Another option for a parlay is a teaser wager. With this type of bet all of one’s wagers are placed on the total points or against the spread as they say. Also using this style of betting allows you to adjust the spread/total in your favor. Your total winnings will be reduced every time you shift the numbers to your advantage.
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