NBA betting strategies are becoming more and more popular with plenty of different betting markets to choose from. The NBA is one of the most popular professional sports leagues in the world. In being so, it offers bettors a plethora of opportunities to make substantial profits.
However, bettors need to take note of the basics in order to not make mistakes and to maximize their winnings. By following certain NBA betting strategies, it allows you to gamble safely and responsibly. Below we take you through some of the basic NBA betting strategies, as well as some more advanced ones.
Basic NBA Betting Strategies
Learning the basics of NBA betting strategies are the crux of what it means to be a profitable and responsible bettor of basketball. Not only are these strategies applied to the NBA, but can be utilised when betting on any sport that you like.
You may already know the fundamentals, but it is always good to have a refresh to ensure that you are not making mistakes and can earn as much money as possible when betting. We also have an entire article dedicated to teach our users how to bet on basketball.
How to Use Staking & Banking
If you want to be a profitable bettor, then the best way is to have some sort of plan for what you want to do. If you are blindly and rashly placing bets with no sort of bankroll limit or staking limit, you could easily lose a lot of money. Without realizing it too!
In order to manage risk, set a betting bankroll for the week, month and year. Be diligent and do not go over your budget. That way you will only lose money that you can afford to lose.
Another handy tool when it comes to NBA betting strategies is allocating a certain percentage of your bankroll to a particular bet. That will give you a staking limit.
Develop a Budget and Stick To It
Each NBA team will play 82 regular season games per season, meaning that there are 1230 total games to bet on. Due to the hectic NBA schedule with games on virtually every night, you want to ensure that you have enough money in your bankroll for the week’s bets.
For example, you don’t want to be blowing 50% of your bankroll on one bet on the first game of the week!
Of course, the staking limit is up to you. If you are extremely confident in the bet winning then there’s no reason why you can’t use a large proportion of your bankroll on the bet. However, if it does end up losing, stick to the original bankroll and do not chase your losses.
Watching the Schedule
Keeping close tabs on how the schedule is playing out is one of the key NBA betting strategies. However, it is also used across all sports and is a vital component to betting. Bettors can use their favorite sports app or the official NBA website to ensure they are on top of the schedule.
Sports teams will play many games throughout the season. In regards to the NBA, we have already established that the schedule is a busy one! Therefore, it is important to note if a team is fatigued or is on a bad run of form.
For example, if a team has played consecutive road games against tough opponents, they are more likely to be fatigued in the matches soon after. Even if their next games look easier on paper, the sportsbooks may not reflect this with their pricing.
Towards the end of a season, it is also important to watch out for teams who have already made the play-offs. At that point in the season, teams are more likely to bench their star players to keep them fresh. As a result, the best teams in that particular year will be less likely to win if they don’t have much to play for come the end of the campaign.
Injury & News Reports – Important NBA Betting Strategies
Team news is a vital part of NBA betting strategies. Teams will often be without their key players due to injuries. That will drastically impact their ability to perform in the match. Therefore, bettors need to keep an eye on the injury updates.
If you are able to stay on top of the injury reports and can develop trusted sources of news that deliver the information quickly, then you may be able to beat the sportsbooks before they adjust their prices.
A lot of injuries and team news does not become available until near tip-off. That means it is good to wait until as close as the start of the game to make your bets.
Not only do you need to know the starting lineups for each game but also any potential knocks that a player may be carrying. Some players may only be available for a specific time for a particular game. That could alter the likelihood of a victory, especially if it is limiting their usual ability on the court as well.
More Advanced NBA Betting Strategies
Fading the public
One of the more advanced NBA betting strategies is fading the public. This means that you are going against the general consensus of how the public thinks a match will turn out.
Public opinion will likely favor teams who are:
- On a strong run of form
- Playing at home
- Have a good history against a particular team
- Have star players on their roster
Of course, there are plenty of good reasons as to why the public are favoring a particular team. That doesn’t mean that it always makes sense to go against what the public thinks. Teams are usually priced by sportsbooks as favorites for a reason!
However, similarly to watching the schedule and injury reports, you may be able to spot significant information that the majority have overlooked. That can include:
- A team that has played multiple games in a row
- Has played consecutive road games
- Are without key players
If the rest of the public are slower to realise the information, then you can find greater value to back the opposing team. However, you will need to look out for line adjustments. This is because sportsbooks will adjust their prices based on public opinion as well and by how many bets they have received on a particular line.
Therefore, if you are able to dig a little bit deeper and find information that a lot of people don’t have, you may be able to make a more informed decision about your bet. That will allow you to find greater value in your pick and go against the public opinion.
