How to bet on Basketball

The most common method of betting basketball involves the point spread. With the point spread, the team expected to win will be called the favorite, while the team expected to lose will be called the underdog. The team expected to win gives, or lays, points to the team expected to lose for betting purposes. For a more detailed explanation of the point spread, click here.

Totals

The second most popular method of wagering on basketball is in betting totals, also known as over/unders. The bettor risks $11 to win $10, just as they do when making a bet against the point spread. If the bookmaker can get an equal amount of money wagered on the over and the under, he is guaranteed to make money no matter what the final score is.

Essentially, a total is the predicted combined score of the two teams playing. A number will be posted and bettors have the option of wagering more than the predicted total points will be scored (over), or less than the predicted total points will be scored (under).

Money Line Wagers

The MoneyLine is used for a number of sports where the point spread becomes irrelevant. Money line wager in basketball is a bet on the winner of the game without the point spread. But because some teams are given a better than 50-percent chance of winning, money line wagers are made using odds, so that if you bet on the team expected to win you will be asked to risk considerably more than you stand to win.

Parlays and Teasers

The Parlays and Teasers are sometimes called exotic bets. In parlays and teasers bettors must correctly predict the winners of two or more games. On parlays, bettors have the option of betting against the point spread or using the money line, while teasers are made using the point spread and players can adjust the point spread in their favor.

The one catch about parlays and teasers is that all of your teams must win or the entire bet is a loss. Even if you correctly pick five out of six games, a parlay or teaser wager is still a loss.

Click here to see a more detailed description with examples for betting on basketball.