How to Place a Bet on a Basketball Game
Betting on a basketball game is not much different from betting on a football game, although slightly less popular. While actually winning on consistent basis is incredibly difficult, placing a bet shouldn't be.
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Instructions
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Analyze the money in your bank account and decide how much you want to bet. The amount is up to you, but if you're just getting started it's wise to bet as little as possible. Many online sportsbooks accept wagers as low as $1. It's your decision, but putting $100 into your account is usually a good starting point for a novice gambler.
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Find an outlet to place your bets. If you live in or near Las Vegas, you don't have to go far to find a sportsbook. However, if you don't live in a city with legalized sports betting, there are other options. You could contact a bookie, an individual who takes wagers just as a sportsbook would or you could bet online. There are many websites that offer betting on basketball games--both college and pro. See Resources below for links.
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Select an outlet (an online account probably being the easiest to manage) and get ready to place a bet. There are many types of wagers available, the most basic and commonly bet being the point spread wager. In every basketball game, one team is favored over another. So if a weak team (let's say the New York Knicks) is playing a strong team (San Antonio Spurs), the Spurs would be favored to win. Let's say they are favored by 8 points. You have two options here: (1) Bet the Spurs and hope they win by more than 8 or (2) bet the Knicks and hope they don't lose by more than 8. If the Spurs win by exactly 8, it's a "push" and you get your money back.
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Use a casino sportsbook. For example, if you want to bet the Spurs, approach a betting window and say, "I'd like the Spurs at minus 8 for 10 dollars, please." Unless the line has suddenly moved (to say, -7.5 or -9) the teller will confirm your bet and give you a slip of paper indicating your wager. Hold on to that ticket because if you win, you'll be cashing it in. If you're betting online, you simply log in to your site, go to the "basketball" tab, click the box next to the Spurs, enter your wager and click "Place Bet." Most sites ask you to click a box to confirm your bet. The money is immediately deducted from your account, but don't worry, if you win you are paid the amount of your bet plus your winnings.
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Be aware that it's not easy to win. Right now you're probably thinking to yourself, "Wow, this is easy! I could definitely go at least 50%." Therein lies the problem. No sportsbook (in Vegas, online or anywhere else) will pay you even money for a wager. So in the aforementioned hypothetical game, regardless of which team you took, your $10 bet would not win you $10. Instead, you'd only receive a $9.09 profit, because of the 10% rake the sportsbook takes. So, if you truly want to make $10, you have to bet $11. This is called the "house advantage," and is the principle reason why sportsbooks earn money. Going 50% for the season means you lose. You need to do better than 53% to break even.
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Be smart to win. The house takes all your money if you lose and keeps a little for itself even when you win. Doesn't seem fair, does it? Betting 10 games every other day is not the way to win in the long run. It's much wiser to choose two to four games you are confident in and bet those. Try to go two to one and make a small profit instead of attempting the near impossible. Also, if you don't like one particular team, there are other bets offered, such as the over/under, in which you bet whether the total points in the game will exceed a certain number or not.
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Tips & Warnings
Stay within your limits! Unless you're a very wealthy person, betting a large amount of money is not wise.
Gambling, like drinking, can become an addiction, and a costly one at that. There's nothing wrong with setting a little money aside for gambling - it is, after all, entertainment - but never bet more than you can afford to lose. Remember, there's no such thing as a guaranteed winner when it comes to sports betting.
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Comments
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I so agree. my first bet won so I got very hooked. I like the parlay bet. I get to follow like 4 games and try to get them right. works for me because I bet $5 at a time. a 4 or 5 game or esp 6 game parlay pay well.
