Bets - Basketball

Betting - Basketball (tips on how to bet successfully)

Sports betting is a very popular form of gambling, and basketball betting is by far the largest form of sports betting in Lithuania. Players who are knowledgeable about one sport or another usually choose to analyse the possible outcomes of a match or other results in order to win money from a betting company. In this article, we will discuss the best ways to place basketball bets.

Basketball betting - the biggest and easiest offer

Basketball is a hugely popular sport all over the world, not just in Lithuania. Many betting companies will have a very wide range of bets to choose from, as both regular and recreational players often bet money on the outcome of basketball matches. With competitions taking place all the time in sports ranging from the LKL to the NBA, basketball betting will be a suitable form of leisure time activity for both regular and recreational bettors. If you are a fan of the sport, taking part in betting will add to the excitement of the game. Every point scored or rebounded will bring your favourite team closer not only to victory, but also to a potential cash prize.

TOP betting companies for basketball bets

Before placing any basketball bets, it is a good idea to first choose a sport to bet on based on your interests. For example, if you are mainly interested in Lithuanian basketball, it will always be the most suitable betting area. Even if the bets are just for fun and more excitement in watching the games, knowing the betting area will help you protect your money and lose less in the long run.

We always recommend choosing the best companies for betting. The Poker School has already selected and analysed the betting companies, so we suggest you choose one (or more) of the following. To protect your money for as long as possible, we recommend that you take advantage of all the bonuses and bonuses offered by the company. This way you can bet more and have more fun for longer!

Of course, there are many more betting companies, but we have not checked them. There are a number of factors that should be considered before choosing a place to place your bets. First of all, whether the company is well-known or has a long history of operation. If at least one of these factors is valid, you can be free from any potential problems. Otherwise, internet searches, reviews on other sites and customer comments are always useful. Remember that if you put your money in a room you don't know, you risk losing it. This is very rare, but problems from untrustworthy companies can range from frozen accounts to withdrawals that take a very long time (or simply don't happen).

Basketball - betting and probabilities

The stakes can vary slightly from sport to sport, as betting companies offer bets not only on winners, but also on point totals or other results related to the sport. In basketball betting, as in all other sports, you will find an endless variety of bet types. Some bets may offer very good odds but be too rare to be profitable. For example, bets on the exact amount of points scored in a match may offer very good odds, but the probability of hitting is incredibly low, so winning any amount of money on such a bet is unrealistic.

Basketball betting has several commonly used and most profitable bet types. These types are based on specific possible match situations such as total points scored by teams or advantages. Of course, this doesn't mean that you are betting money without any strategy, but you will make money using these bet types. We recommend that you look at any bet as a way to spend your free time and to watch the competition with even more excitement.

Basketball - bets and best selections

The most profitable bets in basketball are: handicap, totals and moneyline.

1. Handicap - it is clear that in almost all competitions one of the teams is the favourite. For example, if Šiauliai were to play Toronto Raptors, the chances of the second team winning would be extremely high, so the odds would be very low for them. Advantages allow for a different understanding of the match - for example, imagine that Šiauliai was given an automatic advantage of 5, 10 or 20 points. Then, the probabilities would change slightly. Handicap reflects exactly this type of betting - the amount of points given to a team in the event of a bet. Therefore, for example, if the Šiauliai team were given a 15-point advantage and the match ended 70-80, the bookmaker would consider all edge bets on the Šiauliai team to be winning. Handicap bets can be profitable because it is difficult for companies to assess what the real point advantage is except in very specific cases.
2. Team totals - this type of bet is also sometimes called an over/under bet. Usually, this type of bet involves betting on whether or not the teams will go over (or under) a certain amount of points. For example, you can bet money that a basketball team will score more than 80 points in a match. These bets can be profitable if the player has a good knowledge of the teams' line-ups, playing styles and balance of power. Usually, if a team scores as many points as indicated at the time of the bet, but neither above nor below, the money is refunded (sometimes referred to as a "push/refund"). Of course, the probability of hitting the exact amount of points is extremely low, but in rare cases it can increase EV.
3. Match Winner (moneyline) - the most famous and simplest bet. In this case, money is placed on the winner of the match. Of course, the simplicity of this bet means that bookmakers can usually predict the odds well, so you should be very careful when choosing a winner bet, but with a good understanding of the teams, the competition, the balance of power and the potential, moneyline bets can be very profitable.

All these bets can only be profitable if you have a good knowledge of the game. Match winner bets can be the easiest way to make the most of a good pastime, but it is advisable to first analyse the game thoroughly before using more complex betting systems.

TOP betting companies for basketball bets

If you are unfamiliar with the competition, but still want to bet money because the odds seem to be worthwhile, it is best to check out the teams and the matches using the media and forums. Often these places will provide valuable information that will help you make any decision before placing your bet. For example, it is always a good idea to look at the teams' point averages over the course of the season before using a totals bet. Of course, the bookmaker will also include these statistics in the odds, but this knowledge can sway the decision in one direction or another.

A simple but crucial tip: put your money on events you watch and understand. Professional punters, of course, choose to bet their money on the knowledge and odds offered. For newcomers, it will be easier to get involved and gain experience if the games are closer to the heart and familiar to them. Even if you don't win money, betting will add more excitement to watching your favourite team play.

Betting on basketball

Even if you know the most profitable bets and have information about the games and teams, not all bets will be equal. Some bets may offer very high odds and look attractive, but it is always worth remembering that betting companies calculate the odds in a very targeted way. Betting on basketball can only pay off if you have a good understanding of both the betting practice and the game itself.

It is best practice to look for the average value before choosing your bets. Bets that have odds of 5 or more will rarely be profitable. Many of the more frequent bettors will choose 1.85-1.95. Such average odds mean that the company does not have a clear favourite in this area. Most often, odds of 1.85-1.95 will be offered on edge or team totals selections. If such bets are found, they are likely to be among the best possible for that match. Occasionally, companies will offer 1.85-1.95 when the favourite is not clear. In such cases, the secondary factors of the match can be useful - last match won/lost, coaches' or players' comments before the game, teams' style, strategy and so on.

Sometimes it may happen that there are no suitable events or odds for a good bet. In this case, it's best to just skip and wait. There are enough basketball matches around the world throughout the year to find suitable and rewarding bets within a few days.

Finally, it is always important to assess the amount of money available for betting. As recommended by all betting companies and their regulators, never gamble with money you can't win. Always have two separate amounts of money - for living expenses and for betting. Never mix the two. The quickest way to get into extreme financial trouble is to start playing with money that is meant to pay bills, buy food and other essentials. All players are sometimes tempted to lean back or believe that now you will win. Simple maths and reality can mean that this will not be the case and you will only find yourself in even bigger trouble.

Basketball predictions - the most popular leagues in this sport

NBA League

1. NBA - The league was founded in New York in 1946 and today has 30 teams. The teams play in two distinct conferences, the East and the West, and the conferences are divided into 6 sub-conferences.

 The NBA regular season lasts about 7 months (from 22 October to 18 April), after which the top 8 teams from each conference qualify for the playoffs.

 As you can see in the figure below, the first-placed teams in the conferences will play the 8th-placed teams in the first round, the 2nd-placed teams will play the 7th-placed teams, the 3rd-placed teams will play the 3rd-placed teams, and the 4th-placed teams will play the 5th-placed teams. The team with the highest regular season ranking secures home court advantage for the respective series. The winner of the regular season guarantees home court advantage for all playoffs, so it is very important to finish the regular season as high as possible.

However, there is a recent perception that regular season standings don't really matter, because teams don't play at 100% capacity and the real NBA battle doesn't start until the playoffs. This can be partially accepted, as teams with less potential give more playing time to youngsters during the regular season as part of the so-called "densification" process in order to get a higher rookie draft pick.

 A tip for profiting from bets in this league is to always check the line-ups of the teams, which players will be registered for the match and which players might miss the match. Also keep an eye on previous matches, if it is the second match in a row for a team and they have to play an away match the next night, there is a good chance that the team will not play as well as you may be used to seeing.

 In the regular season, the biggest profits come from betting on so-called "underdogs", where, for example, the bookmakers' favourite plays three games in four nights or the full line-up is unclear. You can find all of our NBA basketball predictions available at here.

Euroleague

2. Euroleague - is the second strongest league in the world, with 18 teams currently competing (up from 16 to 18 in the 2019/2020 season). The regular season in this league starts at the beginning of October (3 October this year) and ends in April (10 April this year). The top eight teams in the regular season go on to the play-offs.

As you can see in the figure below, the first place team in the regular season plays the 8th place team, the 2nd place team plays the 7th place team, the 3rd place team plays the 6th place team and the 4th place team plays the 5th place team. The playoff series is played to 3 wins and the team that wins the series advances to the Final Four. The Final Four is a one-win game, so unlike the NBA playoffs, there are more surprises and unexpected results.

 

The basketball played in the Euroleague is very different from what we see in the NBA, so players coming from the NBA are often overrated. There are cases where players who have adapted to the European style look great (S. Larkin, D. Williams, R. Beaubois, etc.), but that is only a small part. Euroleague basketball is much more physical and tactical, so the players don't have the freedom they are used to getting across the Atlantic. For this reason alone, it is very important to take a look at the line-ups at the start of the season, to see if the players have played in Europe, how they have adapted to a different style of play, and to take advantage of this by betting on the underdogs or by taking the plus side.

In the EuroLeague, home court advantage is also much more important, and a good example of this is Lyon Asvel, which before the EuroLeague started was considered to be the weakest team in the tournament. In fact, this team has won just once on the road, beating Crvena Zvezda by one point, while at home they have achieved 5 wins in 7 games, beating even teams like CSKA Moscow, Panathinaikos, Olimpia Milano, Baskonia and Olympiacos.

 Many gamblers who bet on Euroleague games are throwing their money on team names only, even though in this much strengthened Euroleague, all teams have good players and it is important to consider other aspects, including court advantage, before betting.

 For our analysts' outlooks and suggested Euroleague predictions, you can available at čia.

TOP betting companies for basketball bets