NBA Live Betting
One of the most popular sports in the United States is basketball. This sport has a large following, similar to Hockey and American football. This game is prevalent everywhere in the world, but it is the NCAA and NBA that are the most attractive betting options for bettors.
The betting tactics of players follow a similar pattern to this. Europe offers many professional leagues featuring top star, but it is still the NBA that internet bettors flock to the most.
The NBA is by far the basketball league bet on most often, and the reason is simple. The NBA features the biggest stars, best teams, and highly exciting contests. The Boston Celtics, Detroit Pistons and New York Knicks are a few of the many teams that are popular throughout the world. Online USA sportsbooks have recognized this, and therefore, feature American basketball prominently on their sites.
College basketball may not be quite the attraction that the NBA live betting is, but it still attracts plenty of excitement during their season. Most sites offer action on every NCAA game played over the course of the season. One bookie, BetOnline, offers many extra betting options for USA gamblers besides the tradition money and point spread lines. Many bookmakers in the United States offer betting only on American basketball, while those in other countries offer wagering on International and European leagues. William Hill is a good example as they offer live NBA live betting, as well as the NBL, Greek league, and more. Most International tournaments are also available for wagering, such as the Olympics and FIBA tournament.
Betting the Point Spread
Betting against the point spread is the most popular form of betting, especially in the US. If you are familiar with point spread wagering on the NFL then you already understand the intricacies of this type of wagering. The point spread is determined by the bookmaker who predicts the point differential between the two teams at games end. For example, say the Celtics and Heat are playing and Boston is listed at -6.5. That would relate to the Heat being +6.5, which means the oddsmaker thinks the Celtics will take the game by 6 or 7 points.
If your wager is on Boston, you need them to win by at least 7 points in order to collect your winnings. Conversely, if you wager on Miami, then you need them to either win the game outright or lose by 6 points or less.
Betting the Money Line
This is a popular form of betting among fans who do not want to have to worry about point spreads. There is no spread involved in a money line bet, and you are simply betting on who will win the game.
Here is an example of a typical money line:
Boston Celtics: -240
Miami Heat: +330
This basically means the Celtics are favored to win at odds of -240. This means that in order to win $100 you need to wager $240. Obviously, you are risking a larger amount than you would be winning, but that is all part of the choice to bet the favored team. On the other hand, if you bet $100 on the Heat to win, you would pocket $330 if they pulled the upset. For any winning bet, you also get your initial wager back as well.
