Basketball: How to play it and how to bet on it
Basketball (along with football and hockey) is one of the most popular sports, and basketball betting is a serious percentage of the number of sports bets placed. At the same time, it is not only the fact the best basketball league in the world is located in America but rather the equally likely outcomes that a basketball line offers.
The vast majority of professional players and droppers, of which there are many in America, play on “half-hearted” outcomes to get the evenest profit possible. In every basketball game, there are at least two equally likely events that can be bet on - the handicap and the total. It is thanks to this that basketball has become one of the most popular objects for large bets.
The virtues of basketball betting
A large number of equally likely events. As mentioned above, basketball is one of the most suitable sports for fans to bet on equally likely events.
High NBA betting limits. The NBA bets are made by the vast majority of droppers, including the lions share of U.S. players who traditionally make big bets. In pursuit of this traffic, bookmakers try to create the most comfortable conditions for basketball bettors, offering generous limits of bets on the main outcome, as well as a head start and total. This feature is more a feature of Western bookmakers. Domestic gambling establishments most often offer limits for NBA matches not higher than those given for the Euroleague, for example.
The low margin for the NBA. The same competition between bookmakers in the fight for the largest players has caused the fact that in almost all leading establishments in the world the margin for NBA games is less than all of the other competitions offered in the line of competitive sports.
The regularity of games. The fact that most basketball teams play 2-4 games a week makes this sport the most attractive for statisticians in the calculations- the sample of analyzed NBA games is very solid and allows you to perform fairly accurate forecasts. In addition, the NBA is often the only competition where on any given day you can place a bet, including the holidays- even on December 31 and January 1, the league invariably plays at least two or three games.
Types of bets
The main outcomes. The number of basic outcomes for a basketball game depends on which bookmaker you decide to play through. Some gambling establishments offer three main outcomes: P1, X and P2, adding overtime-based wins to the mix, while others offer only two outcomes, P1 and P2 (meaning that in the event of a draw, the winner will be determined in overtime). Before you start betting on basketball, it is very important to clarify which positions in the gambling institution are taking into account over time, and which do not, because it often happens that the head of the total is calculated according to one rule, and the main outcomes – on others.
Handicaps. The handicap in basketball shows the final difference in the score in favour of one of the teams. You are required to guess whether it will be more or less of the specified value. For example, if you bet on a team with a handicap of -5.5, you need it to win by at least six points. If you bet on the same team with a handicap of 5.5, then you would root for them to lose by no more than five points. The handicap in basketball is not much different from the odds in other sports, and most bookmakers allow you to buy odds. Most often the odds fall by 8-10 points for every point purchased. You can usually buy from 4 – 12 points (each office determines the exact value for itself).
Totals. This is a type of bet where you will choose whether the final result of the game will be more or less than the proposed value. Almost always the odds for “more” and “less” are the same. Totals, as well as odds, can be bought, in larger and smaller ways. The dynamic in the change of coefficients, in this case, is most often similar to the dynamic of the change in quotations to the head.
Remember! Bookmakers take bets on both totals during the main time of the game and totals with OT in basketball, and it is important to understand that the calculation of these bets will take into account different time segments of the game. The calculation of the total of main time in basketball is composed by the total score of the first four quarters.
The strategy of betting on totals in basketball seems simple at first glance. Just look at the previous results of the teams and see how many points they score per game. However, it is not that simple, anything can happen in a match, and a team’s game can be affected by several different factors: from the psychological state of the players to their physical condition.
Basketball betting on quarters. This type of betting is very popular with those who bet on basketball. A quarter in basketball is a mini-match in and of itself. The head coach uses different tactics, player combinations can change, and players can constantly be replaced by others on the court. Player fatigue accumulated from the other quarters also affects the result. Often in the bookmakers’ lines, you can see a bet not only on the outcome, handicap and total of each quarter, but also on the comparison of the performance of each quarter: scored more points, committed more fouls, etc.
The strategy of betting on basketball quarters also has its own peculiarities. In this style, you need to have a good idea of the team usually performs in the first half of a game, as well as in the second half. And what are the differences in the teams’ playstyles in different quarters? In the case of quarter bets, you need to keep a close eye on what happened on the court in the previous quarter.
Other suggestions, in addition to the standard set of positions, the vast majority of bookmakers include additional markers in their lines. Additional markers can offer a variety of betting options: on the handicap and the total of each quarter, on individual totals of leading basketball players, on the presence or absence of overtime, etc.
“even-odd”. Basketball is a game in which a large number of points are scored. And the score after the meeting or quarter is sure to be even or odd. Bookmakers also offer bets on this statistic. This type of bet, by the way, is the purest form of guessing and does not require any knowledge from the player whatsoever about the game.
Pre-match analytics
Pre-match analytics of basketball games are somewhat easier to analyze in basketball games than in football games because the lineups in basketball are two times less, and the teams play twice as often, so information about the opponents is always available.
What do basketball analytics include?
The current form of the opponents. The specificity of basketball lies game changes here are traditionally much less than, for example, in tennis and football, and therefore tracking the current form becomes much simpler. It also helps with the fact that each team plays 2-3 matches a week, which means that is possible to get the latest information about a team’s level and physical form. Do not forget to look at the results of the last five-six matches of each team. Separately, pay attention to statistics of both home and away matches. Basketball is a sport where the home-court advantage is so decisive, that when analyzing the statistics, evaluate home and away matches separately.
History of face-to-face confrontations. We should not forget about the history of the rivals’ past matchups. It is not uncommon for the teams’ previous encounters to tell you more than dozens of live matches against other opponents they have played. Again, do not forget that in basketball statistics of home and away vary significantly, and therefore it worth evaluating them separately.
Tournament position and motivation. And, of course, we could not forget about the all-important factor of motivation- in such a tough and strong-willed sport as basketball, motivation is of particular importance. Be sure to assess who and what is needed of a team as they enter the upcoming match so that you do not bet on a team that is playing for nothing, against a team who happens to need one win to make the playoffs.
List of injured and suspended. Given the busy schedule of basketball competitions, it is not surprising that injuries and suspensions occur quite often. In order for you to place a bet with absolute certainty, you need to regularly monitor the press to keep up with all personnel changes in the composition of each team. During major basketball tournaments on the Legalbet website, you read our forecasters expectations, find out what basketball bets they recommend you choose, as well as familiarize yourself with their arguments in favour of one option or the other.
