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Watch: How To bet on March Madness
How To Bet On March Madness | March Madness Betting Guide 🏀
What is March Madness?
The NCAA Tournament (or March Madness) is one of the most anticipated and exciting sporting events and it’s maybe the most bet on tournament in the world, which is why every spring you have many new sports bettors wondering how to gamble on March Madness. Even people who don’t watch College Basketball during the season want in on the action!
With 68 of the top college basketball teams in the country competing for the National Championship, the road to the Final Four is paved with fantastic finishes, unbelievable upsets, and the most fun you’ll ever have betting on college basketball. The history of the NCAA Tournament is heavy on Cinderella’s pulling off the upset. The key here is to know what to look for to find these upsets.
How does March Madness Betting work?
March Madness betting works just like most basketball games. However, when you mix in the high-stakes tournament format and the top programs in the NCAA, March Madness betting takes on a completely different intensity.
Once the field of 68 teams is released on Selection Sunday, oddsmakers from the biggest
sports betting sites
start working on setting the point spreads, Over/Under totals, and additional March Madness odds for each tournament matchup in the First Four as well as the Round of 64.
As teams win and advance throughout the bracket, bookmakers quickly release betting lines for the next slate of games all the way through to the National Championship game, adjusting their odds to current form and matchup edges found in these unique tournament contests.
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| NCAA National Championship |
Spread from FanDuel |
Moneyline From Draftkings |
Over/Under from Caesars |
North Carolina
vs
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+160 Odds from DK |
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| +4 Bet with FanDuel |
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Our Favorite
National Championship
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Caleb Love, Over 16.5 pts -125, Bet with FanDuel |
UNC to Win by 1-5 pts +390, Odds from DK |
| David McCormack to Win MVP +1500 Bet with FanDuel |
🏀 Click to See odds
from Draftkings |
|
Understanding March Madness Betting Odds
The point spread, Over/Under and money line may be the most common ways to bet on March Madness odds but there’s nothing basic about those betting odds because the drama of the unknown is there.
Point Spread
The point spread is the estimated gap between the two teams on the scoreboard, set by oddsmakers to balance the level of competition before each NCAA tournament game. The point spread favorite must win by more than the designated spread to cover (and win the bet) while the underdog must win outright or lose by less than the spread to cover.
The opening rounds of March Madness betting can see some larger point spreads on the board when higher-ranked teams play lower-ranked opponents, such as No. 1 vs. No. 16 matchups. As the tournament goes on, the spreads will shrink as the level of competition gets tighter. The first two rounds of the tournament have been the most popular to bet on as everybody loves an underdog and that’s the real hook of this tournament.
Over/Under
The Over/Under is the projected total number of points scored by both teams in their NCAA Tournament game. Bettors can wager on whether the final score will go Over or Under this total.
Moneyline
The money line is the most straightforward method for betting on March Madness: simply pick which team will win. Each team is assigned a money line value based on its implied probability of winning the game outright.
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Other Popular Bet types for March Madness
The popularity of March Madness betting has sparked additional ways to wager on the NCAA Tournament, from long-running bets to quick and thrilling gambling options.
Futures
Futures are bets that take a longer period of time to play out, including betting on which team will win the National Championship or make the Final Four by winning its respective region. Remember the odds you have at the time of the bet will not change no matter what happens. So you can bet Gonzaga to win it all right now +380 but if one of the star players for the Zags go down you will be still stuck on the odds at the time of your bet.
Props
Props (or proposition bets) are alternative wagers set for games outside of the standard markets. March Madness props can focus on individual team or player performances or be based around events and stats, such as the total number of 3-pointers made or fouls committed. All kinds of prop bets exist on almost everything in March Madness so check them all out and find the right ones to line your pockets with cash.
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Players from Southern Illinois University and Bradley University kick off the start of the Missouri Valley Basketball Tournament.
Where to Bet on March Madness
Over 30 states and D.C. now allow some form of sportsbetting and that just keeps on going up with each passing month. As long as you’re in one of these states you should have a number of
top bookmakers
to choose from. Each one of these sportbooks will offer relatively similar odds when it comes to betting March Madness, but they all differ in certain other functionalities. Have a quick look at our
best basketball betting sites
and you’ll find your favorite in no time.
Once you found the sportsbook that’s right for you, you’ll need to sign up. The good news is, all of the major sportsbooks have streamlined this process into something that only takes a few minutes.
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Tips for Betting on March Madness
Schedule & Momentum
The strength of schedule from the regular season plays a big part in shaping the teams given an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament and it’s also a good measuring stick when betting March Madness matchups. Look at a team’s quality of opponents and notable wins from the regular season.
The other factor that we will want to look at is who’s hot coming into the tournament?
Guard play is another key factor, in College basketball, you win with guards.
Experience & Coaching
Tournament experience as well as a stable core of upperclassmen to lean on can be key to a team’s NCAA success when postseason pressures rise.
There’s a reason why you always see the same coaches advancing past the first weekend of the tournament.
Telltale Signs of a “Cinderella”
Finding a certified Cinderella team is the fast track to profits when betting March Madness. These can be small-conference schools with tricky tempos or sharpshooters who took down top-tier competition during non-conference play. A perfect example would have been Princeton back in the 1980s and 90s and the slow methodical style of play made them hard to prepare and play for.
Also, look for teams that placed fifth or worse in big conferences because those teams played tough schedules which help prepare a team for the Madness that’s about to ensue.
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Betting on March Madness is by its very nature unpredictable. One thing that can cover you if you lose, or help you soar into success when you win is taking advantage of the
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Instant Replay: How do you bet on March Madness
There’s a lot to cover before betting on the Big Dance. Here’s a recap of the most important steps to remember when wagering on March Madness.
- Spreads, Over/Under totals, and money lines are the most popular NCAA Tournament bets but more and more alternative odds and props hit the board every March.
- Consider the strength of schedule, momentum, and experience before making your bets.
