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 The
NBA and NCAA college
basketball seasons are in full swing. So if you're interested
in learning how to bet this sport, now is a great time. In
this article I will cover some basics to get you headed in the right
direction, but make sure you do extensive research before you begin
using your hard earned dollars.
First you need a plan of attack in order to properly make your
picks. A system or handicapping method that fits your logic
profile and/or personality is preferable. There are a
few reviewed here
and here
on this website that will help in this area as well as outline a money
management system that should be followed to the letter.
Without a plan you will lose, it's that simple.
The typical cost to bet basketball is about 4.5% going to the house,
but shop around. Online sportsbooks are usually the way to go
as you'll get the best deal. You'll also want to shop the
online sportsbooks because they're very competitive. You may
find one that has a special sign-up deal geared specifically toward the
basketball bettor.
Like football betting, you'll be dealing with the point
spread. The spread is essentially the odds for a game
expressed in a system type (see Sports
Betting Basics - How Sports Betting Works
for more info). The basic purpose of this is to bolster the
weaker team in an attempt to even the betting market to equal numbers
of bettors on each side of the bet. As an example, if the
Rockets are playing the Nuggets and the spread is 3.5 points, with the
Rockets getting the points it would be expressed like:
Nuggets
-3.5; Rockets
The favorite is always indicated by a minus sign.
Next, you'll need a system in order to pick the games you want to bet
on. As mentioned before, it should be a method that you are
comfortable with and makes sense to you. Extensive testing
should be done using an imaginary account so you can learn and make
mistakes without it costing you real money. Simply
understanding the game itself is not enough as there are many factors
that have to be analyzed.
The Internet can be your best friend when it comes to collecting data
on the games you're interested in. You can find services
online that will brake down key statistics and establish various power
ratings. The online sportsbooks themselves many times have
information like this available to members. Signing up on
various basketball betting forums can be a great source of information
and a great place to ask questions. Many of them have a
'newbie' section dedicated to the first time bettor.
Look for trends in the data. If a team has just pulled off an
emotional upset they could experience a let down in the next game or
games. There is also a tendency for a team to not cover the
spread the longer they're on the road. Much of this is common
sense, logical type stuff, so go out and find as many of these
scenarios/trends as you can. Many of the guys and gals that
bet on sports for a living have more than likely talked about them
either on a blog, article or sports betting forum somewhere.
Let Google be your guide.
In closing, I've just scratched the surface here and I encourage you to
take the time to do as much research as possible. Don't be in
a hurry, learn and have fun with it. If you have no idea
where to start, purchase a system geared specifically toward pro or
college basketball. Once you become proficient with it and
see success, expand on that system to make it work better for
you. I wish you well!
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