You can bet on the Raptors by taking them on the point spread, moneyline, team total, live betting or many other options. (Photo credit: Philadelphia 76ers / Foter / CC BY-ND)
As the Raptors become more and more popular, more Canadians are getting interested in basketball betting.
If you’re just getting into basketball betting or don’t have a lot of experience doing it, don’t sweat it.
There are tons of ways to do NBA betting or college basketball betting.
Here’s a breakdown of your basketball betting options.
1. Basketball point spreads
Making basketball spread picks is the most common way to do basketball betting, just like it is in football betting.
The point spread is basically a handicap that takes points away from favourites and adds them to underdogs. Think of it as like a faster runner giving a slower runner a head start in a race.
If a team is +5, imagine adding 5 points to their final score and determining whether they would win the game.
Likewise, if a team is -5, subtract 5 from their final score and determine whether they would win the game.
Point spreads are a great way to do basketball betting because you can bet on either team at nearly even odds, rather than having to lay heavy prices to bet on favourites.
2. Basketball moneylines
Basketball moneylines are a much less popular way of doing basketball betting, but they have their advantages now and then.
If you take a 3-point favourite on the moneyline, you don’t need to worry about that last-second three-pointer that turns the favourite’s margin of victory from 5 to 2 points.
It can also be lucrative when betting on underdogs, since the return on your wager is much higher on the moneyline than the nearly even odds you’ll get if you “take the points” on the point spread.
The favoured team will be negative on the moneyline (-210, in the above example), meaning you have to lay 210 to win 100, while the underdog will be positive on the moneyline (+175), meaning you lay 100 to win 175.
Don’t worry, unlike Proline, a game decided by 5 points or less won’t be graded as a tie.
3. Basketball totals
Also known as over/under, basketball totals betting can be both a fun and profitable way to bet on basketball.
The oddsmakers provide a projected total of points that will be scored in the game, and you bet whether the final score will be less than (under) or more than (over) that total.
Totals are ideal when you aren’t sure who will win the game but have a strong feeling about the flow of the game, whether it will be a high-scoring shootout or a defensive struggle.
And, like point spreads, you can bet totals at nearly even odds at any sportsbook.
4. Basketball parlays
It’s always enticing to go for the big score, or sometimes you really like a heavy favourite but don’t want to lay the big money for little return.
In either case, parlays can be the answer.
Parlay is the term for betting on multiple outcomes, increasing the payout but requiring you to be correct on all your selections.
Parlaying 2 games on the point spread or over/under can increase your odds from -110 to +300, while combining 2 favourites of -200 can drop the odds down to the even-money range or better.
5. Basketball teasers
Teasers are most commonly used in football betting, but they have their place in basketball betting as well.
With a teaser, you can move the point spread or total a few points in your direction by betting on more than one outcome.
For example, instead of making separate bets on the Raptors -7 and the Celtics +3, you can use a 6-point teaser to make one bet of Raptors -1 and Celtics +9.
These extra points can come in handy in the final minute, when teams start fouling and a 2-point game can turn into a 6-point game rather quickly.
The more outcomes you combine on a teaser, the more you can move the point spread or total — but don’t forget that you need to be correct on all your picks to cash your ticket.
6. Basketball team totals
This is similar to game totals, except that you’re just betting on one team’s point production in the game.
Team totals are based on the game betting lines (a one-point favourite in a game with a total of 201 is projected to win 101-100, so their team total would be 101 points). You can bet over or under this total.
It’s a nice betting option when you feel one team will struggle to score or score with ease, but aren’t sure enough about their own defence to bet on the point spread, moneyline or game total.
Again, team totals can often be bet at -110 juice.
7. Basketball first half and second half betting
This one’s simple enough. You can bet on the first half of a game before it starts, or you can bet on the second half of a game during halftime.
The odds for the first half will usually be roughly half of the full-game line, while the second-half odds will be partially determined by the full-game lines and also partially by the flow of the first half.
First- and second-half betting options include point spread, moneyline, totals and team totals.
8. Basketball quarters betting
Most sportsbooks allow you to bet on the first quarter of games, while some allow you to bet on the other quarters as well.
One example where quarters betting can come in handy is if you think a team might come out “fired up” and get off to a strong start, but you’re not convinced they can hold it up for the entire game.
Quarters betting might also pay off if a team has struggled with shooting or turnovers so far in the game and you expect them to make the necessary adjustments, or when a team’s lack of depth makes them more vulnerable in the second quarter when substitutions come into play.
Quarters betting options generally include point spread, moneyline, totals and team totals.
9. Basketball live betting
Basketball’s a game of runs, and live betting can be a great way to cash in.
Through live betting, you can place a bet at any time during the game and often take advantage of some adjustments to the point spread.
It’s not uncommon to see a 10-point favourite trailing in the first quarter, and live betting might allow you to bet on the favourite while laying only 4 or 5 points.
The teams might start on a torrid shooting pace that you know won’t keep up, so live betting could allow you to bet under a much higher total than the original game line.
10. Basketball betting props
We don’t bet props very often, but they can certainly make a game more entertaining.
Prop betting allows you to bet on things like which player will have more points, rebounds, assists or other statistics.
Since all players aren’t created equal, these props will often either have a handicap (ie. Kobe Bryant -3.5 points versus Derrick Rose) or a moneyline (Kobe Bryant -200 versus Derrick Rose).
Closer to game time, you can also often find odds on how many rebounds, assists or points a specific player will have (ie. Kyle Lowry over/under 20.5 points).
11. Basketball futures betting
Instead of betting on individual games, you can bet on season-long results through basketball futures betting.
Futures betting is most commonly done on which team will win the championship, though you can also bet on division and conference winners, season over/under win totals and even end-of-season awards.
One downside of futures betting, however, is that you have to wait months to win your bet, rather than getting paid immediately after tonight’s game concludes.
Futures betting can be done throughout the season, but you might find you get the best odds on longshots before the season begins.