For both coaches and players, bettors and oddsmakers, the NBA regular season is a marathon. There are 30 clubs, an 82-game regular season, and a postseason that is two months long. And just like any other major sport, there is no way to predict which way an NBA is going to go.
However, regularly beating the point spread established by oddsmakers that are required to make a profit is considerably more difficult.
But, like anything we gamble on in life, there are some ways to get an advantage when betting on the NBA. With a new season approaching, there’s no better time than now to talk about how to bet on NBA games and how to bet effectively on basketball overall. Here are the four best ways to bet on the NBA.
1. Early betting
Starting to place your wagers as soon as the markets are open every morning is one of the best strategies to gain an advantage when betting on NBA games.
Nothing slips through the cracks in a sector as large as the NBA. Market inefficiencies, injury news and erroneous NBA lines are swiftly adjusted as the sharpest NBA punters try to grab some value on sides and totals before the value is sapped out of the line.
As we get closer to kickoff, bookmakers and bettors can get even more information on upcoming games, so betting early helps you to profit from inaccuracies in the initial lines that oddsmakers announce before they are adjusted.
As the day goes on, sportsbooks alter their odds based on the information they get, health updated, and other things, making the lines more precise.
Consistently beating the closing line is one of the most important markers of a good long-term bettor.
2. Betting in real-time
Because it allows sports fans to bet after the game has already started, live wagering is a really popular way to make a wager.
Since in-game odds fluctuate often based on what’s going on, bettors can take advantage of the constantly shifting odds, capitalize on a game’s volatility, and even offset earlier bets to profit.
The processes and models that bookmakers employ to construct live lines are only as good as the data that goes into them, and there’s a lot of new data that we don’t get before the game starts.
Here are some basic live betting rules:
- During commercial breaks or pauses, bet.
- Profit from pricing errors caused by faulty data.
- Injuries that occur in real-time, bet.
- Profit from volatility – it’s a game of runs, as the saying goes.
- Rotation learnings are essential for success.
3. Examine and respond to injury reports
When it comes to betting, the importance of NBA injuries cannot be emphasized enough. Unlike football, which has 11 players on each side of the ball, and baseball, which has nine, a basketball team only has five players on the court at any given time, allowing one player to have a greater influence on the match than other team sports.
While taking a punt early can give you an advantage, you may not be able to keep up with injury news that emerges all through the day.
Our recommendation is to approach NBA online betting in stages. Bet as soon as the market opens in the morning, but make sure you also check in during the afternoon to remain up to date on the latest injuries and bet on matches where an injury might have a big effect.
Because it’s typical for top players to miss back-to-back games, you’ll need to predict which players will be absent based on the previous play, media accounts, and betting marketplaces. One of the best places for bettors to gain an advantage is at sportsbooks that aren’t as fast to respond to injury news when adjusting their totals and spreads.
4. Keep track of your NBA wagers.
Tracking your wagers — from your moneyline to your prop bet to your point spread — is one of the easiest ways to become an NBA bettor that walks away with some profit.
You’ll need an app that informs you about your ROI(Return On Investment) for each wager type, so you can start recognizing patterns and figuring out your strengths and limitations.
After keeping track of your bets, you’ll know where to focus your efforts when placing wagers in the future.