How To Bet On The NBA

How To Bet On The NBA

The NBA is establishing itself as a leader in the sports betting scene, with NBA commissioner Adam Silver being one of the most vocal advocates for sports betting reform. There are a number of different bets that a handicapper can make in NBA including; Betting Against the Spread, Betting the Moneyline, Betting Totals, Betting Quarters and Halves, Parlays and Teasers, Prop Betting, and Futures Betting.  Below you will find a quick breakdown of each of these bet types and ways that you can use BetQL to become a more informed NBA bettor.

Betting Against the Spread

Betting against the spread or ATS for short is the most popular way to bet on NBA  games and is also very simple. In spread bets, a team must cover the listed margin.  Negative numbers indicate the favored team. For example, if the spread is listed as Grizzlies -3.5, Memphis must win the game by at least 4 points in order to cover the spread.  Conversely, if the line is listed as Trail Blazers +3.5, Portland must lose by 3 or fewer points, or win the game outright, in order to cover the spread. If the Grizzlies were listed at -4 and won by 4 points, it would be a push.

Visit BetQL’s NBA Spreads Dashboard for more information.

Betting the Moneyline

When betting the moneyline, you are betting on the side to win the game, regardless of the final score or margin.  A negative moneyline denotes the favored side. A positive moneyline denotes the underdog. You may calculate your potential return before placing a moneyline bet by using the following guidelines:

Favorites: The amount of money you must bet in order to return $100 on a successful bet.  Example: Jazz -200: a $200 bet will return $100 if Utah wins.

Underdogs: The amount of money you will win if your $100 bet is successful.  Example, Heat +150: a $100 bet will return $150 if Miami wins.

Visit BetQL’s NBA Moneylines Dashboard for more information.

Betting Totals

Total bets are won and lost depending on the total number of points scored by the two teams combined. An Under bet is successful when the two teams combine to score fewer than the listed number of points and an Over bet is successful when the two teams combine to score more than the listed number of points.

Example: Bucks vs. Pacers O/U 223.5

• The Under is successful if the two teams score 223 or fewer combined points.
• The Over is successful if the two teams score 224 or more combined points.
• If the O/U is a whole number, the bet is a push if the two teams score exactly that amount.

Visit BetQL’s NBA Totals Dashboard for more information.

Betting Quarters and Halves

Most sportsbooks offer bets against the spread, on the moneyline, totals, and team total bets for just one half or one quarter of play. In the NFL you typically won’t see a first half or first quarter spread dip into double digits. A popular betting trend as of late has been betting the 2nd half of games after everyone has gotten to see how both teams are playing.

Prop Betting

Prop betting is where you place a bet on the performance of one player in an NFL game. Books have a variety of prop bets available, including but not limited to: passing yards, rushing yards, receiving yards, receptions  first player to score, player to score 2 touchdowns, etc. Some player props are set up like betting on totals (ie. James Harden score over 38.5 points), and like moneyline bets (ie. James Harden will have more assists than Chris Paul tonight).

Futures Betting vs. Live Betting

Futures

NBA Future bets allow you to bet on future events that have not yet happened. For example you can bet on divisional winners, conference champions, NBA Champions, etc. These bets typically are available all year round with odds that change from week to week.

Live Betting

Live betting takes place after the game has started and features in-game props and other bet types. This style of betting features the quickest payouts in the industry and puts bettors right in the action. 

For the latest NBA parlay, teaser, prop, future and live betting opportunities, visit BetQL’s Exclusive Sportsbook Offers Page.

Parlays and Teasers

Parlays

Using parlays, you can combine multiple individual bets in order to increase your potential return.  In order for a parlay bet to be successful, each individual bet must hit. If any single component is unsuccessful, the entire parlay will be graded as a loss. This style of betting appeals to bettors who eye exponentially-larger payouts, but have much lower odds of winning. 

Example: You place the following parlay bet: Celtics -6.5 (-120) + Nets -4.5 (-112) + Bucks -8.5 (-110). If the Celtics don't win by seven or more points, the Nets don't win by five or more points and the Bucks don't win by nine or more points, you won't win the bet. To win, all three outcomes need to occur.

Teasers

A teaser is a type of parlay that has a line that is more favorable to the bettor, at the cost of a lower potential payout when the bet is successful.

Example: In the example above, the sportsbook might give a three-point teaser to the favorites to make the bet more appealing and decrease their risk of a large payout. Therefore, the teaser would look like this: Celtics -3.5 + Nets -0.5 + Bucks -5.5 with the same odds. While the upside of placing that bet doesn't compare to a traditional parlay, the odds of it hitting are higher, thus creating more safety.