It seems like a dream or a fantasy. Can you really bet on both sides of a sports contest and come out a winner? How about a big winner? The answer is a surprising yes. It’s something that is not talked about too much, but it exists. This article is going to explain how you can win at sports betting by betting both sides of an NBA game. The concept is very easy to follow and you will be able to go out and use it in just a minute or two from now. Are you ready? Here we go.
Line Movements & the Basics
The concept is based off the fact that the NBA line normally moves up and/or down with each NBA game. For example, a team might open as a 2 point favorite and close as a 2 point favorite, but during the day, the team might have been up to a 5 point favorite. The totals line in the NBA is always full of movement. A game might open at 192 and close at 196. Line movements on the totals line of 3-4 points are a normal occurrence.
To perform this sports betting maneuver, you are going to bet each side at different times. Not all games are viable options for this strategy, because not all games have movements. As mentioned before, the totals line moves for most games. There are four main rules to follow:
1. If you bet the favorite, you need to bet the underdog when the line goes up.
2. If you bet the underdog, you need to bet the favorite when the line goes down.
3. If you bet the over, you need to bet the under when the line goes up.
4. If you bet the under, you need to bet the over when the line goes down.
Now that we have the general rules and concepts in place, let’s look at an actual NBA totals example.
Betting Example
Our example consists of the Miami Heat, who is a 3 point favorite, playing at home against the N.Y. Knicks. The over/under for the game is at 168 and the line just opened. You will be making $110 wagers—since it’s easy, mathematically, to see how things work.
You make an initial bet on the OVER 168 for the game for $110. Through monitoring the line off and on during the day, you notice the line has moved to 173. You decide that a 5 point swing is good enough and make a $110 on the UNDER of 173. You now have two tickets in play and here are the possible outcomes.
1. The game can end at 169 or 174. This is a push and you only lose your vig on one ticket.
2. The game can end at/over 174 or at/under 167. This is a push and you only lose your vig on one ticket.
3. The game can end at 168 or 173. You pushed one ticket and won the other. You have won $90. ($100 minus vig)
4. The game can end at 169,170,171 or 172. You win both tickets and receive $190.
In our example, the worst that can happen is you lose $10. The best-case scenario has you winning $190, which is 19 times your risk.
The Catch
So what’s the catch? You need to know which way the line is going to move and if it will move at all. Let’s say you bet that OVER 168 and the line did not move. You are now playing the OVER 168. If you like this bet, there’s no problem at all. However, if you bet just hoping it would move, you now have a bet you don’t care for.
Next time you make a NBA basketball bet, pay attention to the line moves. You just might find a way to capitalize on it without risking much.