5 Types of Bets You Should Try in NBA Betting
The NBA is among the most popular and fun leagues to bet money on. There are many betting opportunities and payouts to be had in NBA betting, which is why millions of people worldwide watch the NBA to bet money. And now, the upcoming 2023-24 NBA season is just a few weeks away for everyone anticipating it, they are readying themselves for another season full of fun and excitement.
That said, if you want your NBA experience to be much more fun and exciting, you should try out betting. Luckily, we’re here to introduce you to NBA betting by discussing the bets you can wager on in the league. Here are some of them.
Spread Betting.
Spread Betting
Also known as against the spread betting, spread betting is the most popular type of bet in the NBA. This betting market is one where the bookies will always try to ensure that the playing field is always 50/50, whether the bettors bet on the underdog or the favorite.
How do they do that? In spread betting, we bet on a specific number of points that each team should cover. To better understand this, let’s have an example. Let’s say the Los Angeles Lakers will be playing the Miami Heat, with the latter the favorite. The odds board will show the odds like this:
Lakers: +8.5
Heat: -8.5
In this example, since the Heat is the favorite, they need to win the game with at least 9 points for you to win your bet on them. On the other hand, if you bet on the Lakers, they need to lose within 9 points or outright win the game for you to win your bet.
Moneyline
The moneyline is another popular type of bet that bettors put their money on. Unlike spread betting, where the winner is not the main concern, the moneyline is directly tied to the winner of the game. Bookies know that not every game is evenly matched, and you can usually see that in the odds. However, they make the underdog team a huge payout to make betting on them more enticing. Let’s use another game as an example.
Lakers: +110
Magic: -130
Because the Magic is the winning team, the Orlando magic odds mean you’ll win $10 for every $13 you bet. In short, to win $100, you need to bet $130. Meanwhile, if you bet on the Lakers, you’ll win $11 for every $10 you bet. In short, you’ll win $110 if you bet $100.
NBA Totals
Totals is a bet that’s easy to understand, even for beginners. This bet aims to guess how many points both teams will accumulate at the end of the game. Usually, you have two options for this bet: under and over. If you bet on under, you’ll win if the overall points are lower than the bookie predicted. If you bet on over, on the other hand, you’ll win if the overall points are more than what the bookie has guessed. The odds will look like this:
Over 198.5 -110
Under 198.5 -110
In this example, the expected points are 198.5. You might be wondering why there’s a half point on the overall score. This is to make sure that a tie won’t happen. A tie happens when the overall score is the same as the bookie predicted. When this happens, the bets will be given back to their bettors. Also, -110 means that the bettors need to bet $110 if they want to win $100.
NBA Futures
NBA futures are a type of bet where you bet on something that is still very early to predict. A good example of this is the NBA finals, specifically, which team will win it. For example, season 23-24 has not started right yet, so it’s quite a long shot to bet which team will win the 2024 championship.
However, if you’re interested in betting long shots, you should try futures. However, NBA futures aren’t just about the NBA finals. You could also bet on the winners of each conference and even on the playoffs.
Prop Bets
If you’re more interested in betting on random things, especially during the NBA finals, prop betting is for you. Prop betting isn’t necessarily directly related to the game itself, as you can bet on the most random things that might happen during the NBA finals. For example, you can bet on what color of Gatorade the players will pour on the head of their head coach or who will sing the national anthem.
Final Words
NBA betting is one of the most popular forms of betting in sports. That said, it’s safe to assume that there are many betting opportunities in the NBA. If you’re interested in joining in on the fun for the upcoming season, then it’s best to do your research now, starting with this article.
- Alistair Prescott, Gambling911.com
