There are many different ways one can handicap a basketball game and have an advantage over the bookie. This page will shed some light on a few solid basketball betting strategies that are sure to increase your winning percentage by a few points over the course of the season. Enjoy!
The Revenge Factor
How many times have you heard player interviews where they mentioned the word “respect”? Quite a few (if you watch pre-game and post-game shows). When one team blows another team out, you better believe that a good coach will use this variable to help motivate his players to achive a better result in their next matchup. Often times, you will hear basketball players, especially in the NBA talking about “respect”. Look for games where a team was blownout in their last matchup vs. the other team, ESPECIALLY when the blowout happened on their home court.
One Team “Owns” Another
If you’ve played basketball at any level, I’m sure you can relate to a team “owning” the team you played on. When I was in high school, there were some teams that we perennially beat up on and other teams that consistently beat us. It’s somewhat of an enigma as to why this happens, but it’s real live fact and one that is prevalent in the NBA. I’ve seen “ownage” of teams lasting up to a decade! The Portland Trailblazers could do no wrong vs. the L.A. Clippers for quite a few years and there’s many stories similiar to that one. Be sure to look at past matchups between the two teams that are playing. If you see that the same team is consistently getting over on their opponent by 20 points and the current point spread is ony 8, you may have just found a game.
4 Games in 5 Nights
It’s not a common occurence, but it does happen jump all over this one. Playing against teams who are playing their 5th game in 4 nights have historically been a gold mine to bet against. Think about it… All the travel, jetlag, sleeping weird hours, sleeping in foreign beds, eating at different places than what their used to etc. Even the healthiest of athletes can suffer from a mini-burnout in this scenario.
Watching Line Movement
There many people out there who think that if a line moves in one direction that it’s a steam play and caused by wiseguys hammering one side or the other. This is false. Often times line moves can occur when the general betting public is one-siding a game. The bookies then move the line in order to draw some wagering action on the other side and to reduce their risk. In summary, if there’s a line move, try to find out if it’s being caused by one sided action, injuries, wiseguy action or any other number of variables. Don’t follow line moves blindly. For one, it can get you in trouble and secondly, the move may have sucked whatever value the old line had out and you’re left with a bad line with no value.
Shop For the Best Value
When you go to the store to buy a jug of milk, you likely compare prices to get the best value for your buck. Why wouldn’t you apply this technique to basketball betting? All lines are not created equal. Many sportsbooks differ than others so it’s best to be well diversified so that you can shop for the best line out there. You’d be surprised how many times an extra point or even half point will save your tail when the final buzzer sounds. Good sportsbooks to bet with that vary lines quite a bit include: Bovada and 5Dimes.