Searching through all of the NBA betting lines can be a difficult and trying task especially when you are unfamiliar with the intricacies of the wagering world. There are the more straightforward NBA picks like wagering on the moneyline, but there is also betting on the point spread and totals betting that can be somewhat confusing to inexperienced bettors.
Understanding lines and odds and how they work is a big part of basic betting. Once the basics are mastered, a bettor can then move on to betting on multiple games, parlays, teasers, and more. Visit this site http://pushfluids.com/
The Moneyline
The simplest of all NBA picks is to bet the moneyline. When placing a moneyline bet, you are betting on which team will win the game. That’s it. The margin of the victory has no bearing on the wager.
Moneyline bets are expressed like this:
Boston -200
Portland +180
The team with the “-“ is the favorite and the “+” indicates the underdog. In this case, Boston is favored to beat Portland. The negative moneyline indicates how much you have to bet to win $100. In this case, a $200 bet wins $100.
The positive moneyline indicates how much is won on a $100 bet. You wager $180 on the underdog, Portland, and if they win you collect $280 – your $100 bet plus the profit of $180.
Betting the Spread
Bettors can also engage in NBA picks against the spread, also known as NBA ATS picks. When betting the spread, you are betting on a margin of victory not the outright winner or loser.
Let’s take a look at an example.
Boston -6.5
Portland +6.5
In this case, the favorite is again Boston. If you bet on Boston, they must win by more than 6.5 points. A bet on the underdog Portland means, in order to win, Portland must either win or lose by less than 6.5 points.
Point spreads are often expressed using half-points. In this example, the spread is 6.5 points instead of 6 or 7. The half-point is commonly referred to as the “hook” among experienced bettors. The half-point eliminates the possibility of a tie or what is called a “push” in betting talk. Since there are no half-points in basketball, a bet is either won or lost when a half-point is added to the spread.
Totals Betting
Bettors can also bet on the total score of a game. This is also referred to as betting on the Over or Under. It’s pretty simple. Bettors wager that the final score a game will be Over or Under a total established by a sportsbook.
Here’s an example.
Boston O 210.5 (-110)
Portland U 210.5 (-110)
The total in this case has been set at 210.5 A bet on the Over means you are betting that the final score of the game will total more than 210.5 points. If the final was 106-105, you win the bet since the total is 211. Just like point spread betting, half-points are normally added to avoid a push.
The -110 in parentheses in the example is simply the amount one must wager in order to win $100. Most often, Over/Under odds are set at -110 or -105 and the payout for the Over and the Under is not always the same.
Betting on the NBA doesn’t have to be complex. Plus, there is help available at Game Advisers which uses cutting edge technology to assist bettors with NBA expert picks against the spread, moneyline bets, and totals bets.
