Basketball betting has two niche markets, professional and college ranks. Of the two, the college ranks has more online betting options, as the March Madness basketball tournament tends to attract more sports bettors outside of the regular basketball gambling audience. However for fans that bet on football and enjoy to place their money on the March Madness tournament, this is no problem, as basketball and football wagering are very similar. Basketball like football uses two types of bets, the point spread, and totals. Below we offer tips on all three forms and describe how they are used in basketball.
1. Point Spread - This form of betting is predetermined by the bookies in order to even out the wagering line. Essentially the favorite is team chosen by a number of points to defeat the underdog who is the team chosen to lose by that number of points. If the favorite wins by the amount of points the bookie lays, or exceeds the points, then that is called covering. If the underdog keeps the spread close for example Celtics are favored by -13 over the Raptors and the Raptors lose 97-93, fans betting on the underdog to cover will win the bet. Tip: Look at offensive statistics prior to choosing a side for point spread betting. By doing so, it allows you to make a better decision on which teams looks like it will cover the spread and make you the most money.
2. Totals - Similar to all other big four sports, basketball uses a totals over/under system in which the bookie sets an expected total amount of points accumulated by the combined final score of the game. The bettor's job is then to wager on whether or not the point total will go over the bookies prediction or under the bookies prediction. Tip: See where teams rank in terms of defense as this will factor on the overall total of the game.