In North America, basketball (along with baseball and ice hockey) is one of the most popular sports, and basketball is an important part of all sports betting. Not only is North America home to one of the strongest basketball leagues in the world, but the number of equivalent outcomes basketball has to offer is very important.

The vast majority of professional gamblers and punters, of which there are many in America, gamble on exactly such “half chances” to make as even a profit as possible in the long run. In every basketball game, there are at least two equally likely events you can bet on, such as handicap and a total. This feature has made basketball one of the most popular objects for big bets.

ADVANTAGES OF BETTING ON BASKETBALL

Betting on the NBA is done by the vast majority of players, including the majority of US players who traditionally make big bets. To achieve this goal, the best bookmakers try to create the most comfortable conditions for basketball bettors by offering generous betting limits for the most important results as well as handicaps and totals. 

Moreover, the NBA is often the only competition that can be bet on every day, including holidays, as also gambling in casinos such as PlayAmo.

DISADVANTAGES OF BASKETBALL BETTING

Unlike NBA games, European League and European games usually have very modest limits, and the odds are also 3-5 points lower than NBA odds. All this makes betting on the same European League, not the most attractive business.

BETTING BASIC RULES

The number of outcomes you can bet on in a basketball game depends on which bookmaker you use. Some bookmakers offer three basic outcomes, P1, X and P2, where an overtime win is also possible, while others offer only two outcomes, P1 and P2, which means that in case of a tie, the winner will be determined in overtime. 

HANDICAP

A handicap in basketball shows the final score difference in favour of one of the teams. You are required to guess whether it will be more or less than the specified value. For example, if you bet on a team with a handicap of -5.5, you need the team to win by at least 6 points. In case you bet on the team with a handicap of +5.5, you would expect the team to lose by at least 5 points. Handicaps in basketball are not much different from handicaps in other sports and most bookmakers allow to buy more handicaps, in which case the odds usually fall by 8-10 points for each point purchased. Adding up is usually possible from 4 to 12 points (the exact value of each office defines itself).

TOTAL

Total is a bet where you try to guess if the final result of the game will be more or less than the offered value. Almost always the odds for “more” and “less” are the same. Totals, as well as handicaps, can be topped up, and both up and down. The dynamics of change in odds, in this case, are often similar to the dynamics of changes in odds quotes.  Bookmakers accept bets for the total in regulation time, and the total with OT in basketball, and it is important to understand that when calculating these bets will consider different time intervals of the game. Calculation of the total in basketball in the main time is based on the results of 4 quarters.

BASKETBALL TOTAL BETTING STRATEGY

It is enough to look at the previous results of the teams and analyse how many points they score per game. However, it is not that simple: anything can happen in one particular game, and several factors can affect the game of the team at once: from the psychological state of the players to their physical condition.

This type of betting is very popular with those who like to bet on basketball. A quarter in basketball is a little match. Often in betting 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 the quarters: scored more points, committed more fouls, etc. So, betting on basketball is not so easy, but how about taking risks?