Basketball Money Line Betting
Seasoned basketball gamblers understand the importance of a money line bet, but some 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 equivalent to picking one favorite team from among 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 sportsbooks or bookmakers, for that matter, charge a commission on the bets placed by the bettor. This commission is known as vigorish, also called vig, in short. Sometimes, this commission is reduced at online sportsbooks, enabling the player to bet less to get the same amount of money. For example, if the odds are -110, the discounted odds might be -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, as bets are reasonably priced. Although a money line basketball bet is all about picking a favorite team to win, it does not pay even money. If that were the case, everyone would win their moneyline bets and take home 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 money than you can win. So it’s not exactly a straightforward bet that pays out even money.
For example, in the Detroit Pistons versus Golden State Warriors match, if the Pistons are quoted at -200 and the Warriors at +110, the Pistons are clearly the favorites. Since the Detroit Pistons are the 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 outright, 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 that there are hundreds of basketball matches during the season, giving punters the opportunity to make a lot 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 players’ skills; additionally, basketball players sustain fewer injuries. Therefore, predicting the results of a basketball game is much easier than in other sports like football. Many online sportsbooks 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.
