87fdaa5b64438a2162932deb72648005
Lifestyle

NBA Betting Tips for Beginners

Did you know that Kobe Bryant was not a top ten NBA draft pick despite the fact that he was one of the most skilled players in the history of the sport?

There are many ways to beat the odds when you are betting on NBA players and games. All you need to do is understand the basics of how to be a good better.

The problem is that it can be difficult to know how to get started in doing this. We’ve written a guide that breaks down the top NBA betting tips. Keep reading if you want to find out more. 

Increase Your Options 

One of the top betting tips for beginners is to open accounts on several different sports betting sites. If you do this, it will be easy to price shop in order to get the lowest moneyline for the teams that you want to bet on. 

Some sports betting sites update their betting odds more frequently than others do. And every sports betting site uses different strategies to determine its betting odds. 

If you want to stay up to date about the latest NBA betting odds, you should check out Odds Trader Betstation at https://www.oddstrader.com/nba/picks/

Pay Attention to Home vs. Away Games 

Even though NBA teams with home games have less of an advantage than they did in the past, it’s still a good idea to pay attention to which teams are playing at home. 

If you feel that a certain team’s home-field advantage is not being taken into account by a sports betting site, you should think about betting on this team. 

Bet Against the Favorites 

You can potentially make a lot of money by betting against a team that is favored to win. Even the best NBA teams have off nights from time. 

If you’ve done plenty of research and feel confident that an underdog has a chance of winning against their favored opponent, you should think about betting on this game. 

Place Bets on Momentum Swings 

If you want to make money at live betting, you need to understand how momentum swings work. 

If an underdog goes up early, their odds might rise several points in live betting. You might be able to get your bet in at a much lower price if you can place your bet as quickly as possible. 

When you are participating in live betting, you’ll need to learn how to discern which outcomes might be momentum swings and which games are mismatches. 

Make Your Bets Early 

You can gain an advantage in sports betting by placing your bets as early as possible in the day. If you live on the West Coast, you’ll need to bet around ten or eleven A.M.

Since the NBA market is so big, there is nothing that gets between the cracks. This means that people are quick to react when they hear about things such as injury news and changes in a team’s starting lineup. 

The world’s most skilled betters and betting organizations look to take advantage of unexpected changes to maximize their gains. 

Once a game is about to be played, oddsmakers will have a lot more data to work with than they had earlier in the day. 

You can take advantage of this by placing bets earlier in the day if you feel that there is an important variable that oddsmakers have failed to account for. 

But keep in mind that it is not always best to place your bets early. There are some situations where it may be advantageous to place your bets when it’s closer to game time. 

For example, imagine that the Utah Jazz are playing the Los Angeles Lakers in Los Angeles. It is likely that the public will push the Lakers’ lineup because the Lakers are a very popular team that is playing at home. 

Therefore, you might realize that it’s more valuable to bet on the underdog Utah Jazz in the moments before the game starts. 

Pay Attention to Injury Reports 

You’ll need to keep an eye on injury reports if you want to be successful when you’re making NBA picks. While there are eleven football players who line up on each side of the ball, basketball teams only have five players on each team. 

This means that one injured NBA player will have a big influence on the outcome of a game. 

Even though it is possible to gain an edge by making early bets, you also might find yourself in the dark about which players are injured. 

This is why skilled betters tend to bet in two shifts. They make several bets early in the morning. They then wait until the afternoon when teams announce injuries.

Once they have this valuable information, they make several more bets.  

You’ll also need to pay attention to what star players are doing. They sometimes sit out back-to-back games.

If you’re paying attention to what players have been on the bench in recent games, you can more accurately predict whether or not they are likely to play in upcoming games. 

You can look for sportsbooks that move more slowly. They tend to take time to react to injury news. You can use this to your advantage by placing bets before these sportsbooks update their odds. 

Watch for Scheduling Advantages 

Even though the NBA has taken recent steps to cut down on the number of back-to-backs, the average team still has more than thirteen back-to-backs per season. 

Basketball players that play back-to-back games are often worn out when they’re playing their second straight game. You can capitalize on this opportunity by betting against the teams that these athletes play for. 

You can also look for stretches of time when certain teams will be playing many games within a short period of time.

For example, the San Antonio Spurs and Portland Trailblazers will both be playing eight games within a span of twelve days.

You can choose to bet against these teams during these periods because their players will probably be tired. 

Learn How to Analyze Statistics to Make Predictions 

Some teams play at a fast pace and others play at a slower pace. Teams that play at a faster pace will have more possessions.

You can look at how many possessions a team is likely to have if you want to find out how high the scoring of a game is likely to be. 

Before placing your bet on a game, take a moment to assess which team plays at a faster pace. You should also assess what each team’s strategy is when they are coming into a game. 

If you notice that a certain team’s offense has been consistently improving during recent games, there is a good chance that this trend will continue.

If you notice that this team will be playing against an opponent that has tended to play below peoples’ expectations, you should bet on the team that appears to have an advantage. 

Learn How to Read NBA Odds 

You’ll need to familiarize yourself with the basics of NBA betting odds before you’ll be able to make informed betting decisions. 

When you are assessing betting odds, keep in mind that the team with the (-) beside their name is expected to win. The underdog is the team that has the (+) with their name. 

Suppose that the Maimi Heat are hosting the New York Nets and Miami is a -2 favorite. If you place your bet on the heat, it will be necessary for them to win by more than two points. 

This means that you would lose if Miami only won by one point. But if you bet on the Nets, you would have won because they were +2 underdogs. 

You can also choose to bet on the moneyline. This involves only betting on an outright winner.

The standard moneyline for NBA games is -110. This means that it would be necessary to bet $1.10 for every dollar that you want to win. 

Manage Your Betting Budget 

The most successful betters know how to manage their money.

They don’t place all of their bets on their favorite sports teams. Instead, they take plenty of time to do in-depth research. This makes it easier for them to make informed decisions. 

Skilled sports betters also set a budget for themselves before they start to make bets. They also work with something called a “betting unit.” 

This is the amount of money that you typically wager when you are placing a bet. A betting unit should amount to no more than two percent of your entire budget. 

For example, if you have a budget of one thousand dollars, you should set your betting unit at twenty dollars or less.

You don’t always need to limit the amount of money that you bet on each game to your betting unit.

If you feel like the odds are in your favor for making a larger bet, all you need to do is increase the number of betting units that you’ll be wagering.

Regardless of how large or small your budget is, it is a great idea to keep track of every bet that you make. You can do this by writing all of the bets you make into a notebook. 

This will help you figure out what percentage of the time you’ve earned money and what percentage of the time you’ve lost money.

You can use this information to figure out how and when to make shifts to your betting strategy. 

NBA Betting Errors to Avoid 

Those who are successful at betting on the NBA know how to avoid making errors. Here are the most important NBA betting errors that you should be aware of. 

Betting with Your Emotions 

If you are a Washington Wizards fan, you should think twice before betting on them. People who want a certain team to win often make decisions that are based more on emotions than on strategy. 

They tend to bet on their favorite teams, even when they are underdogs. It’s a much better idea to avoid betting on your favorite teams. 

Poor Management of Bankrolls 

People who are just getting started with betting on NBA picks often make the mistake of betting on every single game. They fail to pay attention to whether or not they are surpassing their budget. 

If you bet too much money on too many games, you risk losing a lot of money. It is a better idea to place fewer bets. You should make decisions that are based on research and are driven by a strategy. 

Placing Large Bets to Make Up for Losses 

Don’t make the mistake of doubling down on your bets to make up for your past losses. It’s a better idea to relax and take a deep breath before making any betting decisions. 

Even though it’s possible that you’ll occasionally make up for your losses, you’ll also risk digging yourself into a hole. Stay focused on your long-term strategy, and don’t let yourself get desperate. 

Make Use of the Top NBA Betting Tips

If you are just getting started with NBA betting, it is a good idea to make use of the top betting tips.

Open accounts on several different betting platforms and shop around to find the best odds. And remember to set a budget before you start making bets. 

If you want to find out more about the NBA, don’t forget to check out the Sports section of our website. 

Author

Leave a Reply