Different Types of Betting in Basketball
From James Naismith’s modest fruit baskets to ten-feet hoops and polished hard court floors, basketball has indeed established itself as a global sensation. It’s a favorite among many, with die-hard fans and world-renowned leagues such as the NBA dedicated to the sport. Not surprisingly, basketball also has a strong following in the betting community. Basketball betting offers a multitude of options and endgames are often more predictable than that of football. Also, the games are held almost every night, giving bettors more odds to bet on.
There are numerous market types to choose from in basketball betting such as follows:
Moneyline – Moneyline or a straight bet is an outright market where you can bet on a team at any given odds. This is the main form of waging for bettors who don’t want to heavily rely on game points.
Two-way – This is considered the simplest market on basketball betting where you only have to pick the winner of the match.
Total (Over/Under) – If you find it difficult to take a side, you can go for the Total or Over/Under market. This market is determined by the total number of the teams’ game scores. You will have to presume whether the combined points will be going over or under the set number posted by bookmakers. This is similar to Asian Totals where you can get more value bets.
Handicap or Point-Spread – This is the most popular type of betting where uneven matchups between teams are evened out through imposing a handicap on the stronger team and upsets on the weaker. This was developed to entice bettors to back the underdogs. The favorite teams are given negative figures. They have to score over the set number to cover the spread and make it a win. Point spreads can be divided per periods or halftime. The assigned points by sportsbooks are often arbitrary. In football, Asian handicap is a popular form of betting.
Teaser – These are wagers with at least two possible odds and where you can modify point spreads and totals.
Parlays – This is point spread betting with multiple teams in tow. Parlays can be up to ten or fifteen teams depending on betting sites. Each team included in the parlay must be able to cover the spread in order for you to make a win. Otherwise, you lose the entire bet.
Round Robin – Round Robin includes multiple parlay bets. You can choose how many teams to include and what way the bets will go. This is most popular during college basketball tournaments or the March Madness.
Quarter/Period – You can also bet on total point odds and winning odds on each quarter. Some bookies tend to extend the duration of the fourth quarter to include overtime. Even the highest scoring period is taken into consideration.
Halftime/Fulltime – Halftimes are often profitable periods in basketball betting. You can bet which team will dominate the first or second half and the over/under total points at halftime.
Combo – This is a betting option that combines prediction of the game’s winner and the over/under total points.
Odd/Even – In this type of bet, you will have to assume if the sum of the teams’ scores will amount to an odd or even number. This takes into account the total points of either both the competing teams or that of just one team.
Race – This is a bet of which team will first get to a set number of points in a quarter, or at halftime. The match winner or the game’s total score is irrelevant.
Future Bets – With future bets, you can wage beforehand on which team will win the championship (e.g. NBA), the conference, or division. The earlier the bet is placed, the more it can pay off.
If Bets – This is a conditional type of wager that allows you to tie-up two or more individual bets. For instance, the second bet won’t be won if the first one loses.
Special Player Bets – These are player-based bets. You can make predictions or bets on three-point shots, rebounds, assists, and other game stats of a specific player.
Proposition Bets – This is a form of basketball betting based on possible game scenarios posted by sportsbooks. The different types of propositions might include, “Who will score first?” or “Will the first team to score also win the game?”, and others.
There are bet brokerages that have access to all or some of these markets and can help you make your positions. Aside from a solid betting strategy, reviewing betting insights from the pros and keeping track of game statistics are also valuable to win real money in basketball betting. Register with Eastbridge and learn how you can place your bets without the hassle.
