Point Spread Betting Basketball Explained

Point Spread Betting Basketball Explained
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Spread Odds Boston Celtics +3 -110 Los Angeles Lakers -3 -110

Dennis Schroder takes on 'King James' at the rim © Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Why would you bet on negative odds?
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NBA point spread betting online is a wager on how many points a team will win or lose by. This is one of the only wagers where you can bet on a team to lose, and as long as they keep the final score within the spread number, you still win your wager.

Betting on the NBA point spread is choosing the correct team to either win/lose by a specific margin set by the sportsbook.

A fan favorite for sure, point spread betting in the NBA is by far the most attractive type of bet placed by all bettors.

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Point spread betting in the NBA is an electrifying way to wager on NBA teams. Whether you think a favorite will win by a margin or you predict an underdog to pull an upset by keeping the game close with the potential to cover a large spread. You can almost always expect a thrill with a lot of ups and downs during the NBA contest.

In each NBA game there’s a favorite (the team predicted to win) and an underdog (the weaker team). If you’re betting on the favorite you’re betting that they will win the game by a certain margin. On the flip side, if you’re taking a wager on the underdog, you’re betting that the weaker team in the matchup will lose by less points than the same amount. If the underdog wins the game outright then the wager cashes also.

For example, let's say the Los Angeles Lakers are a -3 favorite vs the Celtics. This means the Celtics are a +3 underdog.

If you bet the Lakers to win on the spread then you need the Lakers to win the game by 4 points. Conversely if you bet the Celtics on the spread then you need the Celtics to lose by 1 point, 2 points or win the game outright. In this example if the Lakers win by 3 exactly or the Celtics lose by 3 exactly it’s considered a push and bets are refunded.

Essentially, you’re predicting the team that’s the favorite will win by the margin set by the bookmakers or the team that’s the underdog to not lose by that same margin. The margin, also referred to as the ‘spread’, is the number of points either team has to cover in order to win.

As mentioned earlier, point spread betting in the NBA is the most popular wager type of NBA bettors. One of the reasons point spread wagering is also the most enticing way of betting NBA is because of the odds. Most sportsbooks will have each side set odds close to -110 on both sides. This gives equal un-juiced lines to the favorite and the underdog in this spot. Long term profits are secured by betting the books on standard lines near -110.

Point spread betting is best suited for skilled bettors who have profound knowledge of the two teams in the contest. A proficient gambler will consider injuries, travel situations, revenge narratives and other factors on both sides before placing a point spread bet on either side.

Bettors can expect a convenient and simple process when placing a NBA point spread wager. Since it’s the most highly sought-after bet type in NBA wagering, you’ll always be able to find the point spread bet first on any home page of a given NBA contest. Clicking on the spread number will highlight that bet. For instance if the Lakers are 3 point favorites, you’ll see “Lakers -3” with the indicated odds typically beneath the spread. Afterwards, simplifying adding the desired wager amount then placing the bet will complete the wagering process.

Using a betting calculator to understand both your risk and potential rewards can be a highly productive tool to assist with math equations. Whether straight bets or parlays, users have the ability to enter their odds and the amount they’d like to wager to calculate profit.

Our Odds Calculator can show you how much you'd win based on your bet total.

Understanding betting odds are an essential part of understanding sports gambling of any kind. Odds are typically formulated by a variety of different factors. Computer algorithms, advanced mathematics and power rankings are just a few different components that determine who’s going to be the favorite (-) and who’s going to be listed as the underdog (+).

There’s also American, decimal and fraction odds. Decimal odds are used in large parts of the world such as Europe and Australia while fraction odds are typically used in the UK and Ireland. To keep the confusion at a minimum we’ll focus solely on American odds. Whenever there’s a minus (-) in front of the odds it means you'll have to bet more than the initial state in order to win that amount. For instance, if we use the example of the Lakers being 3 point favorites (-3) at -115 odds then it means you’ll have to bet $10 to win $18.70 on this bet. However if the Celtics were +3 on the spread at +120 odds then it would mean betters who risk $10 would win $22. Keep in mind that as the bet size increases so does the potential profit.

Most NBA bettors will typically place a bet on the point spread rather than the moneyline and for good reason. Unless there’s a small spread, let’s just say 4 points or less, you really start to lose value on the moneyline as the spread grows. For that reason specifically, as spreads get bigger bettors can expect less on their return because of the ‘juice’ paid.

‘Juice’ can best be described as how much the sportsbook charges for taking your bet. If your bet wins you get the juice and your profit returned. However if you lose, you’ve lost your original bet and the juice paid to the sportsbook to place the bet as well.

The difference between betting on the spread and betting on the NBA moneyline is that wagers placed on the moneyline only require the team you bet on to win the game outright. While betting on the spread requires the team to win by or lose by a specific margin. Certain factors influence point spread betting that most likely only more experienced bettors would know. Sometimes it’s the smallest pieces of information that makes bettors feel they’ve found an advantage and want to place a point spread wager on a team. For instance: updated injury news, rest advantages, revenge narratives or pre-game interviews are all key components to finding an edge on the team you’re wanting to place a wager on.

Betting on NBA spreads can be a roller coaster ride. A +7 point spread means there’s a 7 point underdog in the matchup and that another team is favored to win by seven according to the sportsbook. If you place a point spread bet on a team at +7 you’ll need that team to lose by six or less in order to win the bet.

More frequently than not: point spreads are extremely accurate. Point spreads are calculated by a variety of different tools including computer algorithms, advanced mathematics and power rankings and player’s availability amongst other things

All point spreads don’t have to be whole round numbers. If we choose to back the favorite in this spot we’ll need them to win by 3. This also means that if we choose to wager on the underdog we’ll need them to lose by 2 or less in order to win that bet.

Negative odds indicate that the probability of our bets cashing are higher than if they were plus odds. With increased probability comes negative odds. If we feel like we’re exceedingly confident that our bet will cash based on our research, what we may find is that the sportsbook agrees.

Betting the spread means you’re choosing a team to win by or lose by a certain margin. In comparison to the moneyline, where you just need a team to win outright, betting the spread requires the favorite to cover the line set by the sportsbook.

Chris is a sports betting expert who has spent years learning how sportsbooks work and how to beat the markets. In addition to his own personal success with betting, Chris now also spends his time producing educational content for his followers across YouTube and Twitter. As a huge NBA, NFL and MLB fan, Chris enjoys the entertainment sports betting can bring, but also understands the hard work required to develop his knowledge and keep up with the markets in order to turn a consistent profit.

Who do you think will win? If you want a simple way to bet on basketball, bet the moneyline.

Get bigger odds and bigger returns - learn how to make the most of parlays.

Find out more about the bets inside the game to keep you in the action.

Find out why betting over/unders, AKA totals betting, is an important skill for any online bettor.

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© Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports, © Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports, © Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports, © Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

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A Spread Bet is basically an assumption of how an NBA match-up will pan out, with points handicaps given to each team.
NBA Point spread betting is recognizable by the use of the + or – symbols.
Spread betting is a type of betting in which a bookmaker will handicaps a match-up by setting a margin for each team, which essentially makes the game equal. This estimated margin outcome is referred to as the ‘spread ‘, which is where the term spread betting comes from. A spread bet is only available for events where there are two possible outcomes, such as a game of NBA basketball, where there are no draws.
A typical spread will look something like this: Chicago -8.0 @ Philadelphia +8.0
For example; if the bookmaker believes Chicago is an 8-point better team than Philadelphia, the bookmaker can handicap Chicago 8 points. The spread bet becomes Chicago to win by more than 8 pts or Philadelphia to be within 8 points at the end of the game.
Both outcomes should be of equal odds roughly -105 to -110 or $1.91 .
The above example would be listed by the bookmaker as: Chicago -8.0 @-110 | Philadelphia +8.0 @-110
When you play the point spread, you are not betting whether an NBA team is going to win or lose a game, you are betting how many points they will win or lose by.
If you think Philadelphia are a decent chance to beat Chicago in the above example, taking a spread of +8.0 would be a great bet. Alternatively if you think Chicago will dominate the game, a -8.0 spread is a good bet to take.
With a spread of +8.0, Philadelphia must win the game outright or lose by 8 points or less to cover the spread and be graded as a win. Alternatively, Chicago must win by at least 8 points to cover and be graded as a win.
For picking the Spread in NBA basketball, the main aspects to focus on are –
I guess the best advice here is to WATCH THE NBA NEWS! Get ahead of the bookies and find where the traps are st, and set your own traps.
The bookmaker will list the spread as either a solid number, or to a decimal point.
For example; the bookie may list the spread as -8.0 or -8.5.
The odds for the solid number will usually be less, as there are now 2 outcomes that can favour the bettor, not 1.
If the spread is set as -8.0 and the winning margin is 8, the bettor has “Pushed” the bet, and (depending on bookie) will get their outlay refunded.
If the spread is set as -8.5, the only outcome for the bettor is a Win or Loss.
If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800 GAMBLER

OddsShark Sports Betting What Is A Point Spread And How Does It Work?
A point spread in sports is a way for oddsmakers to make a matchup between two unbalanced teams more balanced by giving points to or taking points away from each team.
The favorite in a matchup, indicated by a minus (-) sign, will have a given number of points taken away from its final score, while the underdog , known by its plus (+) sign, will have the same number of points added to its final score.
Be sure to check out our sports betting glossary to assist you with some of the terms used in our sports betting guides.
NFL spread betting is probably the most common and popular way to bet on football as it adds some excitement and better odds over just picking an outright winner. If you are new to betting the NFL altogether, be sure to check out our great How to Bet on the NFL guide.
Here is an example of a point spread for an NFL game and how it would look:
As you can see, Dallas is the 4.5-point favorite, which means the Cowboys
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Point Spread Betting Basketball Explained

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