A Brief History
Today, basketball as we know it; is an interesting game that provides betting enthusiasts with a fun way to make some decent profit. It is an easy sport for even the most casual sports fans to grasp the rules and regulations. Handicap betting can be a valuable option when in a basketball match, one of the teams is heavily favored over their opponent. As you may already know, handicap betting also goes by a variety of names, including Asian handicap, spread betting, line betting, and points betting. Bookmakers offer the handicap betting to counter the perceived bias in ability and level the playing field.
There are two main ways through which a handicap can work: either the favorite has points taken off their tally or the underdog is given extra hypothetical points at game start. This tends to even out the odds while making betting on uneven matches more competitive. With handicap betting, the player also gets a chance for higher odds or to turn a risky bet into a safer one. And as you may already know, the best way to maximize your sports betting profits is to analyze matches beforehand and use reliable betting tips. Jimmy, from Boyds Bets, says that for basketball picks to work best, you have to be sure you’re getting them from a reliable provider. And to ensure that they’re not only in it for the money, the tips provider should also provide free ones that in turn can make you profit.
As you search for the best betting tips, however, here is a brief overview of what handicap basketball betting is all about.
Digging Deeper
Real-world example
To explain handicap betting in action, let’s take an example of a real-world bet. Let’s say the match is between GS Warriors versus LA Lakers. The handicap bet could be offered as a ‘Handicap- including Overtime’ bet, meaning you are predicting that the Warriors will win by a margin of at least 6 points (-5.5) or that the Lakers will not lose by more than 5 points (+5.5). The handicap basketball betting number often displayed as either – or + a figure, such as the ones in the example, is factored into the final match results to determine the winner of the bet. You win the bet if you placed your handicap bet on the Warriors and they win, say by 7 points. Likewise, if the Lakers lose by not more than five points, you’ll still be a winner. At times, the handicap outcome is entirely different from the true result of the game.
Understanding the odds
An example of how the outcome could be different from the true result of the game: Let us take a game between the Rockets and Indiana, with the following odds – Rockets: (+6.5) 2.0, Indiana: (-6.5)1.8. To interpret the odds, it simply means that the odds of the Rockets to win the game while starting with 6.5 extra points is 2.0 while for Indiana to win with 6.5 fewer points is 1.8. Now, if Indiana won the match (90-86), any wager on their handicap would lose. This is because, for the purpose of this bet, Indiana started with 6.5 fewer points, thus the bookmakers will have to deduct 6.5 points from the final results, making it (83.5-86) to the Rockets’ favor. If Indiana had won (90-80), the adjusted outcome, according to the handicap would be (93.5-80), which means that they would still have won the wager and any placed bet on them would be a winner. Not only can you bet on the full-time result, but you can also apply the handicap bet to the end of the first quarter, halftime, and also the third quarter of the match. This flexibility allows you to have plenty of options to choose from while also increasing your chances of winning. If you feel that the team you are backing starts bright, but then tends to fade as the game nears the end, you can bet on the first quarter or opt for the halftime bet.
Basketball betting
In betting, some rules have to be followed for your bet to be valid and celebrate your well-earned payday. Some common rules on most betting platforms include:
- For bets to stand, at least 35 minutes of the gameplay must have elapsed.
- Unless otherwise stated, betting on the game may include overtime scores.
- Overtime doesn’t count in bets placed in the fourth quarter or towards the half-time or full-time result.
- Unless stated before a competition, matches must take place on the stipulated date, at the planned location for the bet to be valid.
- Matches must be played on the stipulated dates for wagers to be valid. For any rescheduled matches played on the same day at a different time, the wagers will be valid; however, if a match is rescheduled for a different date, all wagers will be null and void.
Basketball betting is a popular market in sports betting, which is also fun and straight forward. And among the many betting options it provides, handicap basketball betting is a great way to manage risks in your betting portfolio. Due to the rise in the popularity of basketball, there are many competitions around the world. From the continent-wide Euro League to the Asia League, which is steadily growing, and the NBA, which is the mother of them all your market options are endless when it comes to handicapping basketball betting.
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Editors of Sports Illustrated. Sports Illustrated: The Basketball Book. Sports Illustrated, 2007.
The featured image in this article, a photograph by 12019, is licensed under the Pixabay License.
