Culture of Hoops

Four NBA Handicapping Tips for Beginners

If you love basketball or any sport, you know that betting on them adds a certain spice to the games, especially when the finals arrive. That said, as a huge basketball fan, you are probably now convinced to bet on them and are looking for some that you can use as a beginner. There aren’t a lot of articles out there that help out beginners, so in this article, we will be helping you with tips that can help you start your journey into NBA betting.

The first question you probably have in mind is the secret of winning in NBA betting. But, there is no secret. In fact, if there was one, there wouldn’t be any website that talks about the statistics, the latest happenings in the NBA, and even NBA betting in general. That said, the main factors to winning bets in the NBA are tons of research and a little bit of luck.

The good news is that by researching, you can maximize your winnings and minimize your losses through carefully thought-out strategies. With that in mind, here are some tips on handicaps in NBA betting.

Prioritize Value

There are over 1300 games in a single NBA season, which means endless betting opportunities that you can either win or lose. However, you should not go for quantity alone. You should also take note of the value of the wagers you’re betting.

But what constitutes value, and how do you find it? Value is the percentage that you will be winning on a bet relative to the odds given. When you begin gaining some experience in sports betting, you’ll see that every bookie has a unique point spread from the others.

For example, bookie #1 put the Lakers -6.5 over the Rockets, and then bookie #2 has the Lakers on -7. That half-point alone can make the difference between you winning the bet and a push. That is when a half-point makes its value. In short, because of this halfway point, you have an additional 1.7% chance of winning.

Watch the Line Movement

Every sportsbook always has the goal of making money. That’s how they earn a profit, after all. The moment a sportsbook publishes a wager, a lot of people will go on and make their bets. That is when the odds start to fluctuate. If the action comes heavily on one side, the sportsbook will make the odds of the other team more appealing to people, making them want to bet on that side.

This is where veteran bettors often make their move. They find value based on every opportunity and make their bets when the odds are perfect. When NBA betting lines move, the value is often increased or decreased.

Home Court Advantage

For some people, this factor is trivial, but in reality, it’s often what makes the team perform greatly or poorly. Some teams are much better players while on the road, and some prefer playing in their home courts.

Not to mention the fact that most teams in the NBA have the best games in their home court because they are playing in front of their home crowd and multitudes of fans. Just look back on the 2014 regular season where 19 of the 30 teams had winning records when they had the home-court advantage.

That said, it’s a commonly accepted thing that home-court advantage is worth three or four points in the point spread, but of course, this is not always the case. Also, teams often change, so a team that prefers to play on their home court might suddenly start playing badly on it the next season or so or vice versa.

Learn from the Pros

NBA handicappers love to share their research and results, especially online. Any professional with a beautiful track record of wins will want to share them online, making it a huge learning opportunity for a beginner.

Some pro handicappers have developed a robust system of betting that stems from their years of being experienced handicappers that allow them to do unusual things but often get the best results. Of course, as you continue your journey as an NBA bettor, you need to develop your system in betting, but there’s always no harm from looking at your seniors.

For example, if a pro handicapper publishes their analysis on the Golden State Warriors, you may look at it and compare it to your findings. You can then apply the difference to your system to make it more robust and trustworthy.

Final Words

The NBA playoffs are coming soon, and it will be a lot of fun. But what else to make it more fun than to win a few hundred bucks in NBA betting? So if you’re looking to start your journey in NBA betting, now would be your time.

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