Basketball Odds and Basketball Lines | Basketball Odds Free Live Odds by Jazz Casino & Sportsbook

Odds are made to facilitate betting. If there are no odds or betting lines casinos have no way to take bets, and casinos make their money by accepting bets.

Who Makes the Odds?

Most of the odds and betting lines in Las Vegas are made by Las Vegas Sports Consultants (LVSC), an organization that has been providing lines to the various sportsbooks since 1982. LVSC also advises international clients. The company was founded by Roxy Roxborough who retired in 1999. Roxborough now writes a syndicated column on sportsbetting called “America’s Line” which appears in over one hundred newspapers.

Oddsmakers vs Handicappers

Many people confuse these terms, thinking them identical. They are not. An oddsmaker makes the line and the handicapper tries to break the line.

Oddsmakers work for the house so their goal is to make the sportsbook money by putting out good lines that will draw interest on both sides.

Handicappers are on the other side of the counter, the only side that they are concerned with is their own. Handicappers are generally serious bettors who take time to evaluate the lines before making their picks. They usually do their own research on the games they might be interested in playing, and many of them employ the same methods oddsmakers use.

Some handicappers even make their own “lines” and compare these to the official lines, and where there is a significant discrepancy the ‘capper makes his move. Most wait until the lines are posted and then they try to pick their spots.

Since most football lines are posted about a week before the game itself takes place, football lends itself to the most in depth analysis for the ‘capper, who has several days to marshal his forces.

On the other hand, baseball, basketball and hockey lines are usually posted the day before the contest, giving the serious better little time to do his homework. The internet is awash with handicapping services that promise, for a small fee (or sometimes a large one), to make their customers rich and relieve them of the tedium that painstaking research brings. The quality of such services is uneven, and the wise bettor should be cautious before choosing one.

Basketball Betting

Do you want to know a little secret? NBA basketball betting can make you a lot of money. NBA basketball is a game that has helped turn sports betting losers into happy sports bettors with larger bankrolls. It’s really no secret to winning sports bettors—NBA basketball is the easiest game to make money at. The game itself gives sports bettors plenty of opportunity and the ability to win right up until the end. Unlike Football, Baseball and Hockey, NBA basketball does not have limited scoring. In those other games you might see a handful—or less—of scoring executions per game. If your side gets behind too much, it’s over no matter how much time is left. However, in NBA basketball, your team is usually in the game until the end.

Think about it for a moment. If you were to bet a -8 point favorite in football and the game was tied with 6 minutes left and the other team had the ball, would you have a realistic shot at winning? The answer is probably not. However, let’s apply the same situation to an NBA basketball game and chop 4 minutes off the clock—so there’s 2 minutes left. Would you have a realistic shot at covering the 8 points? You bet! Teams must shoot the ball within 24 seconds and each made basket is worth 2 or 3 points. You would only need 3-4 baskets to make the 8 points. Granted, the other team can score too, but in the NBA, two minutes at the end of a game is an eternity when the teams are close.

Let’s look at another scenario. Imagine that it’s half time in Basketball and Football, it’s the 5th inning in Baseball and it’s the 2nd period in hockey. Which of these four following scenarios have the best outcome?

1.The team you bet on in Baseball is down by 6 runs. 2.The team you bet on in Hockey is down by 3 goals. 3.The team you bet on in Football is down by 21 points. 4.The team you bet on in NBA Basketball is down by 22 points.

The answer, of course, is number four. Scores are hard to come by in the first three options. While comebacks happen sometimes, in the NBA, teams always go on runs. Each season is filled with games where a team was down 10,15, even 20 points and came back to win. There are many other games where the underdog was down by a lot and game back to lose by just a few points. With the NBA, you are almost always in the action right up to the end of the game. Can you say that about any other sport?

Finally, let’s talk about NBA basketball totals. You might find that betting the total points in a game (under or over) is your thing and you would not be alone. There is a theory out there that those who can get a feel for totals betting are among the most successful sports bettors alive. You could debate that theory, but it does point out a very important idea. Totals betting in NBA basketball is full of winning opportunity and the sports books don’t set them as well as the spread. Will this translate into more money in your pocket? That’s for you to decide.

If you are not on fire right now for some NBA basketball action, check your pulse. NBA basketball presents one of the greatest opportunities open to sports bettors. Don’t miss out of a great thing. Sports bettors and handicappers look forward to the NBA basketball season every year and now you know why.

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