Best Basketball Odds

Basketball is one of the most dynamic sports. The speed and agility of the players makes it incredible to watch. Such a fast-paced sport makes you think the players are all the Tazmanian Devil or Road Runner whizzing from one side of the court to the other. If you are keen on the sport and you keep up with the NBA league, you are sure to be intrigued by the sport’s betting odds.

NBA Odds Point Spread

The point spread (Commonly known simply as the spread) is placing a bet not only on the favourite team to win, but also on the winning margin of the victory. The online sportsbook would indicate the set number of points. Usually, there is a decimal bet .5 with the bet in order to avoid a push or a tie. A tie would be if the team wins by exactly the number of points bet, then no one would win and your original bet would be returned to you. So the decimal avoids such a situation. The positive value such as +7.5 indicates the lead given to the underdog before the game commences. The negative value -7.5 means the favourite team must lead by the indicated number of points. Essentially, if the underdog loses by 7 points or wins, the point spread is covered. If the favoured team wins by at least 8 points, the spread would also be covered.

Attached to the point spread is the NBA odds which would indicate how much would be needed to risk in order to win £100. So the vig or juice of -110 just means that you would be required to risk £110 in order to gain £100 and the sportsbook would make a 10% profit from your bet. So if you win, the bet is returned, and if you lose, you would lose the bet plus the 10% commission. If the underdog bet (which is positive) is at +105, then the required stake of £100 would give you a £105 return should you win.

Basketball Odds Moneyline

The moneyline bet is not only a common bet for basketball, but also for baseball and hockey bets. Betting on the underdog has become increasingly popular when betting on NBA odds. This type of bet is generally the simplest as the only thing that matters is the final outcome of the game. Unlike the points spread, you are only required to decide and wager on who is likely to be the favourite and who is the underdog once the final whistle is blown. Like the points spread, there are positive and negative values. For instance, the favourite is at -200 and the underdog is at +180. This denotes that a £200 wager on the favourite would give you a return of £100 if you win. Betting on the underdog for £100 would give you £180 in return if you win the bet.

Basketball Odds Total or Over/Under

The NBA over/under is the total number of points in the NBA game combining the points of both teams. This is set by the oddsmakers as the estimated final score. The sportsbooks encourage an equal number of bets from their chosen score. Similar to the points spread, the sportsbook usually chooses a total with a decimal in order to avoid a push. For example for an upcoming game, the NBA odds are set at 202.5 for the total score.

A good indicator to help you make a more informed bet on the basketball odds is to closely watch the match up. This would show if the team has a powerful offense or perhaps the team has a strong defence that would cause the opposing team to have difficulty scoring. Since there are the three different points given in a basketball game, a single shot could change everything.

Futures for NBA Odds

Futures are a popular kind of bet for the NBA odds as they can be made prior or during the season. The basketball odds are constantly fluctuating since it is a long-term bet unlike the previous ones. You can make bets on the NBA championship winning team, the MVP, the team likely to win the Eastern Conference and Western Conference among many other possible bets. The odds are refreshed as the league progresses since there may be key player injuries or other affecting situations. The betting odds would be either marked as +300, +500, +2,500 and so on, or else as ratios such as 3/1, 4/1, 25/1. The key element is that the NBA odds are locked at the time of the placed bet. So let’s say you placed a bet at the beginning of the league that the Los Angeles Lakers are likely to win the league with odds at 25/1. If the team are on a winning streak, the odds improve to 10/1 mid-season. At the end of the NBA championship, if you guessed right and Lakers win the league, you would win £25 for every £1 you bet according to the odds of your early bet.

Basketball Odds Conclusion

Such a thrilling sport can bring you joy if your favourite teams wins a match or a championship, but getting a reward for placing a bet before the results are in is equally as exciting!