Betting 101: How to bet on the NBA for beginners

Looking at the various sports betting options centered around the NBA, with betting advice, tips and definitions of key terms.

Interested in betting on the NBA, but don’t know where to start? Below is everything you need to know about betting on the NBA, including key terms to know, odds and much more!

NBA betting: Ways to bet

Access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list of today’s sports betting odds and lines.

  • Single-game betting: The most common is betting on the final outcome of a single game. Bettors can either bet on which team will win outright or cover the point spread. Single-game bets are offered for every NBA game, whether it be during the regular season or the playoffs.
  • Futures Bets: Players can wager on events in the distant future, such as division winners, player and coach awards and the NBA Finals. Futures bets are becoming more popular as bettors can watch and root for their bet over the course of an entire season.
  • Live Betting: With the help of mobile apps and sports betting becoming legal in more and more states, players can bet instantly on the NBA, guessing which team will score the most points in a quarter, updated moneylines and point spreads.

NBA betting: Key betting terms to know

  • Favorite: The team expected to win the upcoming game. Favorites are usually expressed in the moneyline with a (-) sign, followed by a number. These odds can fluctuate from -105 to -1200 depending on the game location and opponent.
  • Underdog: The team expected to lose an upcoming game outright. Underdogs are usually expressed in the moneyline with a  (+) sign. These odds can fluctuate from anywhere from +105 to +1000 given the two teams.
  • Moneyline: The moneyline refers to a team’s odds to win the upcoming game outright. As mentioned above, favorites will be listed with a (-) sign and underdogs will have a (+) sign.
  • Spread: The spread refers to the number of points a favorite is expected to win by and the amount the underdog is expected to lose by in a given contest. The spread offers more value to players as the odds are typically the same or similar on each side. In NBA contests, favorites could be anywhere from -1 to -21 point favorites, meaning they would need to win by at least 2 or 22 points in order to cover the bet.
  • Over/Under: This refers to the total amount of points that will be scored in a given contest. Often times, this number will bet set with a half-point, in order to avoid a push.
  • Push: Every once in a while, the spread or the point total will land exactly on the number set by the sportsbook. In this case, all bets will be refunded to bettors on either side.
  • Chalk: This is a term meaning a favorite is too risky to bet on due to such a small payout. In the NBA, a chalky favorite would typically carry odds of -250 or lower.
  • Parlay: This is when two or more bets are combined into one single bet with higher odds. All outcomes need to be considered “won” in order for the entire parlay bet to cash.

NBA betting: How do odds work?

Most bets are displayed via a single number. An example of this would be a moneyline favorite of -200, where a $200 wager would return a profit of $100. An underdog of +300 would return a profit of $300 for every $100 wagered.

Get some sports betting action by placing a bet with BetMGM today. For more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

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Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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