As one of the most popular professional betting leagues in the US, the NBA’s biggest handle is generated from betting the spread in each game. Betting on the total line creates another big piece of the action. Third on the list would be betting games through the use of the money line odds.
The money line is based on a straight-up result which can be easier to predict. You have to risk more money to bet on the favorite while boosting your return betting on the underdog to pull off the upset. The bigger the gap between the favorite and the underdog, the higher the risk or reward.
For example, if the Los Angeles Lakers are 10-point favorites on the spread, you might have to wager $650 to win $100 on a money line bet. If the Philadelphia 76ers were slight one-point favorites against the Boston Celtics, their money line odds might be set at -110.
While the spread for a NBA game remains pretty consistent from one online book to the next, there is quite a bit of variation in the odds when it comes to betting a NBA game’s money line. Going back to the examples above, you might find the Lakers at -650 at Book A and at -580 at Book B. That is quite a bit of difference when it comes to actually placing that bet.
The same could be said for betting on Philadelphia as the slight favorite. Book A may be at -110 but Book B might bump that up to -115 or even -120 if most of the money is coming in on the favorite. It could fall to -105 if there is some heavier action on Boston.
Money line odds move around quite a bit from the time they are first released right up until tip off. That is why it makes good betting sense to shop those lines before pulling the trigger on an actual bet. Saving $5 or $10 in commission on a losing bet as well as making an extra $5 or $10 on a winning underdog bet can add up to quite a bit of money over the course of an entire NBA season right through an extended postseason run.
While it may not be practical to manage several online betting accounts across a large number of online books, working with two or three could be the way to go if you are betting the games on a regular basis. This gives you an automatic hedge when betting money line odds.
Whether you take advantage of a favorable line when it is first released or track the movement right up until the start of the game, having the ability to choose the best betting line between two or three books will enhance your overall return.
This strategy can be especially helpful when betting underdogs on the money line. Upsets are rather common during the NBA regular season. Betting two or three-point underdogs can produce an attractive return on a straight-up money line bet at +120 or +130
The cream does tends to rise to the top once the playoffs get underway to add more value to betting favorites. This is especially true when the game spread is not that wide.
