My foray into the world of sports betting was as a punter, primarily following the ups and downs (well, mostly downs…) of my local team as they battled against the ever-present threat of relegation. Over time, I began to become more and more interested in the ins and outs of various strategies and became adept at spotting a good operator.
My day job was, at the time, writing and editing for a local newspaper, so turning my professional skills to my interest in sports betting followed naturally. I started writing about sports betting as a hobby initially with my own blog, analysing odds and providing betting tips where I thought I could find value. Eventually, I was headhunted to write the same content for a betting firm, which resulted in me leaving my local paper job behind and turning my professional interests solely to sports betting writing by 2017. Since then, I have been proud of the body of work I have been able to produce.
Using my interest in all aspects of the sports and gambling world to guide me, I now write for Betting.net, compiling operator reviews, bonus reviews, and sharing the tips and tricks across our various sports betting guides. When I’m not at my keyboard, I am an avid rock climber, with an ultimate goal of eventually ascending the Seven Peaks — if I can fit it in between penning the latest bookmaker review, that is!
An easy comparison of the best basketball odds like the one here at betting.net can save you time and make sure you get the best basketball odds for today, tomorrow and every big game coming up.
If you’re looking to place a wager on the latest basketball game, obviously you’re going to want to do it at the best odds possible. Visiting each sportsbook separately can work, but will take a long time – and, by the time you’ve finished your journey, that good price you saw earlier may have changed.
Compare odds to make sure you get the best price and the biggest profits
To make the biggest basketball profits, you need the best basketball odds. While you might think that the prices to place the same bet would be exactly the same at each operator’s sportsbook – in reality that is not the case.
A simple check of the odds in upcoming games here at Betting.net will show that prices will vary from one sportsbook to another, especially a week or more before the start of the game. This is important as getting the bet you want at 5 in decimal odds (more on that later) instead of 4 on a wager means you end up with an extra $25 in your pocket.
This might not seem like much, but that is from just one game. If you do the same at 5 or 10 of the games you visit as you travel through the season, then you could end the season much better off, just because you compared the best basketball odds for exactly the same bet.
If you do not usually bet online or have never placed a bet online before, there are some compelling reasons for doing this rather than visiting an offline betting outlet. Most obviously you would have to travel to bet offline which can be time-consuming and may also limit which wagers you can place.
On the other hand, many operators, including all of the best sportsbook operators, have apps you can download to your Android or Apple device so you can bet without having to make a special trip or even stop what you are doing. Not only that, but these apps also allow you to take advantage of the latest offers which can change quickly and save you a trip to the bookmaker.
Another advantage of having the apps for all of the major sportsbooks on a mobile device is that you can place a bet on whichever one of them you want, whereas if you are at a single offline outlet, you are limited to what they have to offer.
Popular basketball bets and basketball betting odds explained
While basketball betting odds often concern who will win any given game, the more popular NBA wagers concern how many points a team will win or lose that game by. This is known as spread betting, and there will be a more in-depth explanation of how that works later on.
The ‘spread’ is typically less than 20 points either way, but anomalies do occur. On December 17, 1991, the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Miami Heat 148–80 which is the largest recorded spread in NBA history.
Basketball betting odds for spread betting and the more straightforward wagers are displayed in three different formats, which you can usually switch between using a toggle on the top right hand corner of an operator’s website. The three formats that most sports betting odds – including boxing betting odds and the best golf odds – are displayed in are decimal, fractional and American.
How decimal odds work
Decimal odds are also known as European odds and you may see them called this on some sportsbooks. These are generally regarded as the simplest to work with, as they have a simple numerical value so it’s easy to spot a favorite or an underdog.
The number displayed shows how much you’ll win for each dollar you wager on that particular outcome. The thing to remember here is it will show the total you will be paid out if you win, not how much profit you have made on that wager.
So, (and using the 1991 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Miami Heat as an example) if the odds prior to the game were Miami Heat 4.0 Cleveland Cavaliers 1.8 and you wanted to place $10 on Miami Heat to win, your total payout would be $40, (your $10 stake + $30 winnings)
If you chose more sensibly to bet on Cleveland Cavaliers on this game, your total payout would be $18 (your $10 stake + $8 winnings)
How fractional odds work
Fractional odds are also called traditional odds, and you may have seen these when looking to place a wager on a horse race. These are written in two different ways although the meaning is the same – i.e. 2/1 is the same as 2-1 – and you will see them written both ways on sportsbooks that use fractional odds.
At first glance, these seem simpler to understand than decimal odds. For instance, 2/1 would mean you’d will $2 for every $1 you bet on that outcome. However, when you see prices such as 15/8 it is not so quick to calculate which is why decimal odds are normally considered the easiest to understand at a glance.
How American odds work
American odds are probably the ones you will be most familiar with, as they are usually displayed by default on the majority of sportsbooks you will have visited before. Here again, the favorite is easy to spot as their odds will be preceded with a minus sign, and a number which is a simple representation of how much you would have to wager to win $100.
Underdogs, meanwhile, are represented by a positive sign, so it is easy to make an informed choice
How the best basketball odds are calculated
Calculating the odds explained above is a difficult task which is affected by many factors. In general a similar process is used for calculating the best golf odds or the soccer odds for today, but the defining factor is the operator’s expert knowledge of the sport in question.
The initial prices will depend on the team’s relative standing in the sport. So, if the top of the championship table (or last year’s champions) are playing the bottom of the table, you would realistically expect the ‘better’ team to be favorites.
The next factor is current form and if any team is experiencing a winning or losing streak, which may alter the gap in the prices. Other factors affecting best basketball odds are injuries or suspensions to star players, or off the field factors such as a coach being sacked, or a team being taken over by new owners.
The closer the game gets, the more the best basketball odds can change as the effects of these factors become known. It is how different operators respond to these factors, or how quick they are on the uptake of a change, that causes the discrepancies in odds between operators. This presents the opportunity, by using a comparison like the one here at Betting.net to make a greater profit from pacing exactly the same bet in the right place at the same time.
Using the best basketball odds for ‘value’ bets and betting strategies
It is when a particular operator has (in your opinion) misread a situation that it is possible to place a ‘value’ bet, where the odds offered by a sportsbook operator are different to your expectations. Occurrences like this are at the root of betting strategies, which with analysis (or following somebody else’s ‘system’) can increase the level of your winnings.
Techniques like working out where teams score most of their points, and how that lines up against the opponents defensive strategy, whether one team has had a busy schedule while the other has had some downtime, or just had a confidence sapping loss but are still showing as favorites for the next game.
Spotting discrepancies like this can add to your basket betting odds profits, but only if you are careful about which games you pick. A common mistake is to make a betting strategy fit the games you want to bet on, rather than the other way around.
As with all betting strategies based on statistical analysis, the weak point is usually the bettors’ reluctance to stick to the plan and instead do what they think is best. Remembering to do what the plan says, even if there isn’t a qualifier for weeks on end, is the best way to profit in the long term.
The most popular bets for basketball odds comparison
Like all sports, basketball has markets in which more bets are placed than others. While you might expect moneyline bets (where you select the winner of the game) would be the most popular bets, they are not.
Both moneyline and Parlay bets (where your payout is dependent on a number of factors at compounded odds) do take up a share of the money, but the most popular betting market for the best basketball odds tomorrow is point totals and point spread betting, which are explained in more detail later on.
Odds comparison FAQ – how to avoid the top five mistakes when looking or the best basketball odds
Why shouldn’t I bet with my usual sportsbook?
Making the right sportsbook your destination is key to making the biggest profit from your preferred bet. Using a comparison like the one here at Betting.net will show you the best odds for your preferred bet at a range of reliable and trusted operators. The best basketball odds can vary from one sportsbook to another and the best odds will leave you with the biggest profit.
What is the difference between betting offline and using odds comparison?
By betting offline you may be limiting yourself to the bets available for that operator at that particular outlet. By using odds comparison you get to see all of the possibilities across all of the sportsbooks available in your state. For this reason, it is also wise to install all of those operators apps on your Android or Apple device.
Is odds comparison just for moneyline bets?
While moneyline bets are very popular they are not the only markets covered by odds comparison. All of the markets available on a sportsbook should be displayed, including (in the specific case of basketball) points scored and point spread betting. This is useful for discovering new markets you may not have been aware of, and increasing your potential profit on a winning wager.
Will picking the best odds guarantee a profit?
While operators base odds on what they believe will happen, as we all know that is not always the result. This can sometimes work in the bettors favor, as seen with betting strategies, but securing the best odds will not guarantee a profit. Many operators offer cash-out facilities to their members, where you can close a bet early at the current odds and either secure a profit before circumstances change, or mitigate the size of a potential loss.
Can I use odds comparison for live betting?
Live betting is where odds comparison can come into its own. With fast moving odds, it can show the discrepancies of the sportsbooks that are lagging behind, and increase the chance of you placing a value bet. However, in faster moving sports like basketball, it might not be best to use this as your starting point.
Why point spread betting is an essential part of profiting from the best basketball odds
As mentioned before, in basketball betting odds, it’s not so much about who wins or loses, but how much they win or lose by. One way this is reflected by operators is to place a bet on the number of points a team will score, which you will find in the ‘total points’ markets.#
Another way is to place a wager on how many points a team will win by, or how close the underdog can get to the winning score. This is known as point spread betting.
When placing a bet, the point spread is the number of points a sportsbook decides must win by, or stay within, for your bet to be successful.
When this is displayed on an operator’s sportsbook, the favorite will have a number of points with a minus sign in front of it. If they win the game by more than that number of points, they have ‘covered’ the spread and any bet on that outcome would win.
Conversely, the underdog in this situation will have a similar number preceded with a plus sign. If this team either wins or stays within that spread number, bets on that outcome would win. As a bettor, this operates as a more flexible alternative to a straight moneyline bet, and has several options on odds comparisons to increase the profits on a winning bet.
The point spread options can vary, but will usually be in half points as opposed to hole points. This means a spread might be displayed as +7.5 instead of +7. The half point technique is used to avoid something called a ‘push’ where the final score matches the spread exactly and the bet is void and bettors refunded. Because it is impossible to score half a point, having a +7.5 point spread can either be exceeded or not, but never matched exactly.
Why odds comparison at Betting.net should be your #1 destination for the best basketball odds
Odds comparison is not just for basketball, but works for a number of sports, such as the NFL, soccer both here and in Europe, and you can even find cricket odds comparison here at Betting.net. However, odds comparison is particularly suited to basketball:
Firstly, odds comparison saves the time and energy you would spend looking through all of the different options one at a time, looking for the various prices, both online and offline. Secondly, odds comparison allows you to see the best odds or value bets at a glance, and act quickly to capitalize on them for maximum profit. Lastly, odds comparison like the one here at Betting.net connects to reliable and trusted sportsbooks, so you know the results are legit.
Overall odds comparison is an essential tool for the savvy bettor, and the one offered here at Betting.net should be an essential stop on your journey to making bigger profits from your winning bets.
Basketball Betting Odds FAQ
❔Which sportsbook has the best basketball odds?
Many sportsbooks offer odds for basketball in a number of markets. As a result, the number of different odds on offer would take too much time to compare by visiting each sportsbook individually. To find the best odds it is usually best to use an odds comparison service
🏀 What are the most popular basketball bets
In basketball betting, it is not so much about who wins or loses, but by how many points. Point spread betting is usually the most popular betting market for basketball and means a team must win or lose a game within a certain number of points. The odds on this can vary and the best odds can be found by using an odds comparison service
🏀Where can I find the latest Basketball scores
Basketball scores can easily be found on any news outlet, either online or on a TV. However, the most up to date scores and statistics and how you can take advantage of them can be form on a odds comparison service
📖Where can I find the best basketball Betting tutorial
Basketball betting can be quite simple if you are just placing straight moneyline bets with your usual sportsbook. However, by looking for more information here, you can learn about point spread betting and where to find the best odds to increase your profits on winning bets
🏆Who will become NBA champions
You can find opinions on who is likely to win the NBA championship in any given season by looking online or switching on a sports channel. However, you can learn just as much by finding out who people are putting their money on, and who as the best odds of winning by looking on an odds comparison service
