NBA betting

NBA Betting – How to Choose the Best?

The NBA (National Basketball Association) is one of the most popular basketball leagues in the world. Although the NBA only takes place among US teams, many basketball fans from Europe and Asia actively follow every game. Due to the league’s popularity, NBA betting is one of the most common among professionals and newcomers. In this article, we will discuss everything you need to know about NBA betting.

NBA – Betting, Where to Start?

The National Basketball Association league is quite different from many European leagues or tournaments. Even experienced basketball bettors may need to seek new information or look differently at the most popular types of basketball bets for NBA betting.

Due to the NBA’s worldwide popularity, all betting companies offer bets for this league. Before starting any betting, it is always crucial to carefully select the companies where the bets will be placed. Poker School has ranked and provided the best betting companies both in Lithuania and worldwide, so we recommend using this list:

Top Betting Companies

NBA bets can be placed throughout the season, but at the very beginning of this league, attention should be paid to one of the most unique and important events for all upcoming games – the NBA Draft.

NBA Betting and the Draft

The NBA Draft is probably one of the most important events in the league. During the draft, all teams select new, promising players. These players are usually from US college or university basketball teams, but foreign players are also included in the league through the draft.

In terms of betting, the NBA Draft is crucial for making decisions about bets during the first part of the season. In this part of the season, the strength of the teams is unclear due to new players, so it is potentially possible to find many more valuable bets. However, news from the draft and new team compositions should be used very carefully. In the first games of the season, new players may not meet initial expectations, so there will be much more variation in the games than usual.

Before starting betting in the first part of the season, it is very important to find all the information not only about the team’s performances last season but also about changes after the draft. Each new player should be evaluated very carefully, based on their performances in US college or university games (or European and Asian tournament results if the new team member is from a foreign country). Once this information is gathered, you just need to find the best types of bets and suitable odds.

Best NBA Betting Types

In all basketball games, some bets are traps for players, while others can be profitable. One of the most obvious trap examples is betting on the exact total points. No matter how good the offered odds are, no bettor has such precision and knowledge about the NBA or basketball, so in the long run, making such bets will only result in losing money.

Many professional bettors use only a few types of bets. Sticking to just a few types of bets makes it much easier to place profitable bets than not using such a strategy and making many different types of bets, as gathering valuable information about absolutely every element of NBA games will be too difficult or take an enormous amount of time.

If the types of bets are limited, then finding all the necessary information will be much easier, making betting much more effective.

NBA Betting Types

1. Money line (win). The simplest and probably the most commonly used bet. This bet pays out if the chosen team wins the game. The downside of this type of bet is the long-term practice of betting companies. Betting companies are well aware that this is a very popular bet, so they pay extra attention when setting the odds.
2. Totals (sum). Total bets require guessing the total points scored by both teams within certain limits. This type of bet is very popular for a simple reason – with a good understanding of team compositions, their playing style, and average scoring, it is often quite easy to determine the expected number of points.
3. Handicap (advantage). This type of bet usually appears and is used when the game has a clear favorite. In such cases, bets on the favorite are unprofitable due to very low odds. This problem can be solved by using handicap bets. Handicap indicates the margin by which a team must win (or lose) for the bet to be considered won.

Sometimes “Quarter” or “Half” bets are used, which allow selecting bets by quarter or half. These types of bets are advised only for very experienced betting company visitors, as the variation in betting on a quarter or half of the game can be much greater than in other bets.

When looking for valuable bets, it is always important to pay attention to the offered odds. Experienced bettors usually look for odds of 1.85-1.95 for their bets. These ranges allow for frequent, albeit small, profits. Many newcomers are attracted by huge odds such as 10 or 15, but betting companies set these very purposefully. Although there is a possibility to earn a lot of money at once, such odds are offered only for bets with very low probability. Earning money from such odds in the long run is almost impossible, as betting companies calculate probabilities very carefully in these cases.

NBA Betting – Tips for Newcomers

For betting newcomers, both NBA and other basketball game bets can lead to many losses. Although betting is just a fun pastime for many, by applying betting strategies and tips, you can protect your money and play with the same amount for much longer.

TOP Betting Companies

Firstly, even if betting is used just to make watching your favorite team’s games more enjoyable, it’s best to place bets on teams you are not a fan of. We all want our favorite team to win, but often such bets are based on emotions and lack rational justification. For newcomers, who often understand a bit less about betting, it can be harder to separate their emotions and rely solely on cold logic.

Secondly, it’s always important to gather as much relevant information as possible. Information should be gathered in two ways – independent and related to the bet. In the first case, the collected statistics should reflect general trends of the matches and the entire league (or tournament), such as team profitability, number of wins and losses, player performance, and so on. In the second case, specific and very clear statistics related to the upcoming bet should be collected. For example, when a totals bet is chosen, it is necessary to carefully evaluate many factors related to performance – average team profitability, playing style, player injuries, and so on. Of course, some information will be general, but it’s important to evaluate the collected statistics in both ways and then place the bet.

Newcomers are recommended to stick to traditional, valuable bets (totals, winner, and handicap). Some more experienced bettors use other bets such as quarter point totals, player time on the court, and so on. These types of bets have much more variation and require very specific information and gambling experience.

Betting and Variation

Finally, for all newcomers, it’s best to start all betting by looking for a good way to have fun watching NBA games rather than seeking profit. All bets and gambling are games of chance, so thinking only about earning money without testing yourself in this field would be naive. Betting is an area where good money management, mental preparation, and mathematical knowledge will bring the best results. Betting and gambling experience will help improve all three of these areas, so thinking about long-term earnings in this field should only begin once you have a decent understanding of betting.

In all areas where there is significant variation (betting, poker, and other gambling), the most important thing is to develop an appropriate money management strategy. In almost all areas, it is recommended to separate your money into two parts. The first part is for daily living needs (food, bills, etc.), and the second is solely for gambling. These funds should never be mixed, and money intended for daily living should never be used for gambling. In many cases, it is recommended to have a second source of income, at least for a short period. Often, even with a good understanding of betting, the sport, and all other factors, it is possible to lose a lot of money simply due to mathematical probabilities, so a second source of income can help when you find yourself in the unfavorable part of the variation.