Introduction
When betting on the outcomes of massive sporting events, like those hosted by the NBA, there’s a lot of information out there for gamblers to use. If you’re a beginner to the world of sports gambling, it can be overwhelming. Savvy gamblers make use of this information to make informed bets that are more favorable to them.
Given the differing nature of each sport, what increases your success chances in football won’t give you the same chances in basketball. With that in mind, we have gathered five useful tips that gamblers should use to make their bets on NBA basketball games more successful. By keeping the below tips in mind when placing a bet, you should be able to make informed estimates on the events of a game.
Before we get into our top tips, remember that knowing the odds is the first step to beating them. You’ll need to consult the odds for the NBA.
1. Track Rest
Athletes are people too and people get tired. Being one of the best basketballers in the world, and playing against the other bests in the world, has a way of tiring out NBA teams. If a team is in a back-to-back setup where they’re entering new games right after finishing others yesterday, their performance is going to take a hit. This is obvious, to the point that most oddsmakers factor them into pricing.
Know the schedule of the teams you’re planning to bet on. Have they had ample rest time? Do they have a cluster of games in one week? If so, are you recognizing their performance will suffer on the second, third, maybe even fourth nights? Accounting for the fatigue that NBA athletes may be facing can be a great way to navigate through busy periods where the teams are pushed to their limit.
2. Track Injuries
More serious than tracking rest, you should also track the relevant injuries related to the teams and games you’re betting on. The lineup of players on game night is important, for both the results of that game and the betting market who are trying to predict wins and losses.
Injuries are common enough that you should be vigilant. Stay on top of relevant athletes so that you know their condition and whether they can contribute to the game. You can only know so much since some absences on the game night are game-time decisions, in which case you won’t have enough time to use that information when making your bet. Fortunately, many sites and sportsbooks have feeds that track injuries for interested gamblers to factor into their bets.
3. Crunch The Numbers
Any data you’ll have will be from past performances but that doesn’t mean you can’t use it to gauge the general performances of your favorite teams over time. Crunching data can help you to fade the public, who may be betting on the victory of their favorite teams for emotional reasons that aren’t backed by data. When most of the betting public is on one side of a bet, which you can see when looking at market trends, then you may see a better opportunity in betting against them.
4. Compare Lines
Like you’d search for a better deal when getting a product, you should line shop when placing your bets. Find the betting venue that offers the most favorable expected value on your NBA bets, which you can then use to maximize profits. Find a list of the biggest sportsbooks in your state and compare the odds on your planned bets, going for the one that’s best for you.
5. Know Your Strengths & Weaknesses
If you want to keep your head and your wallet while betting on the NBA, you should keep track of your own performance as if you were one of the athletes you’re betting on. Some apps will track a lot of these useful metrics for you too, like your live bet cover probability, and these apps can even do it across every sport that you bet on. By identifying your strengths, you can make more successful bets in the future while avoiding areas where your bets don’t turn out very well.
