Before looking at basketball markets it’s important to know the basics on how to bet on basketball. As a sport, basketball comes with a lot of action and in most games there is uncertainty until the last seconds of the game. All of this makes basketball the perfect sport to bet on.
At the moment, basketball is definitely considered to be one of the most popular sports in the whole world. If we look past football (soccer), then basketball surely takes the 2nd spot worldwide.
The biggest part of it’s popularity comes from the NBA league. It’s the top league when it comes to basketball because all the best players are there. However, basketball is pretty big in Europe as well. People can enjoy the high-quality of the Euro League. It’s not as flashy as the NBA because Euro League games put more focus on the tactics.
Before we share more information on how to bet on basketball, check out the most popular markets and types of bets for online basketball betting.
Bet Types
Bookmakers offer tons of different bet types, some of which are unique to a certain sport. However, first let’s explain the basics of a bet slip. Below, we will talk about single bets, combination bets, and system bets.
Single Bets
As the name suggests, these bets are based on a single selection. They are the most basic of bets because you only have to worry about a single selection. For instance, you decide to bet on a certain team to win a basketball fixture. The odds for that team winning are 2.00.
Based on that, it’s very easy to form the bet slip and calculate the winnings. Since there is only one selection, all you do is multiply the stake with the odds. In this case, if you bet $10 on the single bet, you would win $20. Basically, you return the stake and get a profit of $10.
Combination Bets
To create a bet slip with higher odds, its possible to combine several single bets into one combination bet. This increases the risk of the bet slip but the odds increase as well. For instance, lets say you want to create a combination bet with 4 selections. To make it easier, lets take the most basic moneyline bets.
- Team A wins – 1.80 odds
- Team B wins – 2.00 odds
- Team C wins – 2.20 odds
- Team D wins – 1.50 odds
The combination bet will then multiply all 4 selections (1.80 x 2.00 x 2.20 x 1.50). The total odds will be 11.88 and if your stake is $10, the possible winnings would be $118.8. As you can see the winnings are much bigger compared to the single bet; however, the risk is increased a lot as well.
System bets
Last but not least, we have the system bets which are the most complicated types of bets. They are rarely used for basketball but we will give a short explanation anyway. In the combination bets we explained above it’s clear that if you combine a lot of events, the odds will rise but the risk will also increase even further. System bets try to reduce that risk by increasing the stakes without hindering the odds.
For instance, the most basic system bet is the 2/3 System. Here is an example of how that system bet works.
Other Bet Types
Of course, the alternatives to bet on this sport do not end with the types mentioned above. Other betting types include total points per team for the whole game or for each quarter individual. Odd/Even number of points at the end of the game, double chance bets, first to score 20 points, winner of the quarter, winner at the half, and much more.
On top of that, certain bookmakers offer live basketball markets as well. These bets are extremely exciting because the action in basketball moves much faster than in any other sport.
Example
Let us imagine a basketball bet slip. You decide to bet that LA Lakers (2.0 odds), Boston Celtics (2.1 odds), and Toronto Raptors (1.9 odds) will all win their games. The 2/3 System bet on these 3 selections will create the following combination:
- Win La Lakers (2.0) and Win Boston Celtics (2.1)
- Win La Lakers (2.0) and Win Toronto Raptors (1.9)
- Win Boston Celtics (2.1) and Win Toronto Raptors (1.9)
Now lets imagine that the Lakers and Celtics win their match but the Raptors lose. That brings us to the following outcome:
- Win La Lakers (2.0) and Win Boston Celtics (2.1) -> won
- Win La Lakers (2.0) and Win Toronto Raptors (1.9) -> lost
- Win Boston Celtics (2.1) and Win Toronto Raptors (1.9) -> lost
The 2/3 System bet requires that you guess at least 2 of your selections correctly. In this case, both the Lakers and the Celtics won. However, the system counts every combination as a separate bet. So, a $10 stake on this system will turn to a $30 stake. As per the example above, the winnings would be $42 ($10 x 2.1 x 2.0). However, since one of the selections was wrong, the profit will only be $12 because you spent $30 on the stake.
How to bet on Basketball?
The most common outcomes in basketball are wins for either the home side or the away side. In the NBA, a draw is not possible and if after four quarters the game is tied, the teams play overtime until a victor is decided. This is true for International tournaments as well. However, in European leagues a draw is possible. For instance, in the Euro League if teams play a draw, both sides will get 1 point during the group stage instead of the 2 points that a winner gets. Nevertheless, these are just the basics of basketball betting. The most popular betting types are handicap bets, over/under bets and totals betting as a whole, and more.
It’s also important to note that you can bet on certain players instead of betting on the game. For instance, you can bet that a certain player will score more or less than the amount of points that are given by the bookmaker. This can also be done for assists, blocks, and rebounds.
Tips and Strategies on how to bet on basketball
Just like with any other sport, bettors need to analyze and prepare before placing a basketball bet. As a matter of fact, statistics are much easier to track in basketball, especially in the NBA. Of course, stats don’t always decide a game but they sure help you decide on which outcome to bet on.
It is essential to make a weekly follow-up of what happens in the leagues and competitions that you plan to bet on. Results, leaders in scoring, rebounds, assists, blocks, injuries, time of rest between matches, and other stats have to be checked continuously if you plan on making a winning bet slip. Sometimes players are rested and rotated so you have to keep that in mind as well.
Additional Information for basketball betting
Sometimes there are circumstances that a lot of bettors ignore and end up losing their bets. There are times when teams have to play several games over a short period of time. Some teams react much better than others when it comes to a packed schedule. The bench players are very important and some teams can really count on their bench to bail them out when they have to rest their main players.
As you can see there are loads of factors that have to be analyzed and studied before making a bet. However, that’s the only way to make an informed decision and form a winnings betting strategy. Nevertheless, sometimes all you need is luck but in betting you can’t rely on luck. The best thing you can do is look at popular trends and pick bets that make sense. When it comes to basketball, handicap bets are always the way to go.
