Sports Betting For Beginners – College Basketball Betting
The sportsbook is one of the busiest and most exciting areas of the casino. It is also one of the few areas where players can go home as winners. However, there are several steps that must be mastered in order to be consistently successful.
Bet sizing, bankroll management, bet types (spread vs. money line), basic knowledge of the sport you are betting on, and researching each game have all been discussed in my previous articles. Today, the focus will be on betting college basketball games (NCAA).
There are several factors to consider before risking your hard-earned money on a basketball game. These include whether to bet the spread or the money line, where the game is played, determining which teams are playing well and which are not, and whether there are any key players unable to play due to injury.
bet types
There are two types of bets to consider, the spread and the money line.
The money line bet is preferable when betting on the underdog. A money line bet might say “UCLA +$160 / Oregon -$180”. This means that for every $100 bet on UCLA, you win $160! However, if you bet on the favorite Oregon team, a bet of $180 is required to win $100.
Bets on the home team
Always bet on the underdog playing a home game. Forever. Home court advantage is very important in college basketball. However, if the money line is +$300 or more, don’t bet, because such a large line usually means a mismatch that is too difficult for the home team to overcome.
Who is playing well?
Make sure the team you trust is playing well at home. Check their home scores for the season and if they haven’t won at least 60% of their games, it’s not worth your investment.
You’ll also want to check your opponent’s history. If the opponent has won more than 35% of their away games, you don’t want to bet on this match.
key injuries
If you have found an underdog who is playing a game at home, and his record and his opponent’s record are within the above parameters, and he is nothing more than a +$300 dog, the last piece of the puzzle is damaged.
If your team has recently lost a key player to injury, or your opponent has a key player returning, that’s a good reason to put your money back in your pocket.
By following this simple formula, along with proper bet sizing and bankroll management discussed in previous articles, you should be a winning player when you bet on college basketball.
Good luck!
