Basketball Money Line Betting
Seasoned basketball gamblers understand the importance of a money line bet, but there are some who don't know how profitable it can be when it comes to basketball wagers. Playing the money line in basketball can be a simple and profitable venture, simply because it is betting on a team to win or lose. It is equal to picking out one favorite team from among both the participating teams to win the basketball match.
There is no point spread for the money line bet; if you pick out the right winner, you win your wager and if not, you lose. Generally, most online sports books or bookmakers for that matter, charge a commission on the wagers placed by the bettor. This commission is known as vigorish, also called vig, in short. Sometimes, this commission is reduced at some online sports books, enabling the player to benefit from betting less to get the same quantum of money. For example, if the odds read -110, the discounted betting odds might read say, -105.
In a money line bet, there is no vigorish although the odds may be presented inclusive of the sports book's commission. Betting on basketball can be more profitable in the long run since the bets are reasonably priced. Although a money line basketball bet is all about picking up a favorite team to win, it does not pay even money. If that was the case, everyone would win their money line bets and take away money each time.
In basketball betting, one of the teams is the favorite to win while the other is the underdog. If you want to place a money line bet on the favorite team winning, you need to wager more than you can win. If, on the other hand, you select the underdog, you put in less amount of money than you can win. So it's not exactly a straightforward bet that pays out even money.
To give an example, in the Detroit Pistons versus Golden State Warriors match, if the Pistons are being quoted at -200 and the Warriors are quoted at +110, the Pistons are clearly the favorites. Since the Detroit Pistons are favorites to win, the bettor needs to bet $200 to win $100. To bet on the underdogs, i.e., Golden State Warriors, the bettor will need to invest only $100 to get back $110.
In the money line bet, if you are skilled enough to pick out the underdogs to win up straight, you can make a reasonably good amount of money without risking much of your own. If you are adventurous enough, you could even combine the money line bets into a parlay bet so that the profits are higher even with a small initial investment. Thus, the money line bet risks a little to help you win a lot. Betting on basketball can therefore be much more profitable than any other kind of sports betting.
Another advantage is the fact that there are hundreds of basketball matches taking place during the season giving punters the opportunity to make lots of money. Compared to other sports, the basketball playing season is also quite long, which again benefits the sports betting enthusiasts. The outcomes depend on the skills of the players; additionally, basketball players encounter fewer injuries. Therefore, predicting the results of a basketball game is a lot easier than other sports like football. A number of online sports books offer free basketball betting picks. The gambling enthusiast can take advantage of these free picks to place their bets on games. This is a cost effective way to ensure that your basketball bets turn out a profit in the long run.
