Understanding the more advanced basketball bet types

Understanding the more advanced basketball bet types

By Michael Gales Mar 25, 2013

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If you’re looking for alternatives to the traditional team vs. team basketball bet, it might be time to try some of the more advanced – and potentially more exciting – bet types. Below we explain half & quarter, accumulator (aka parlay), teaser, futures and proposition betting.

If you missed our introduction to the basic bet types in basketball betting – including handicaps – click here to read about them.

Half & Quarter betting

Half or quarter betting allows the bettor to bet on the result after a quarter or half, instead of over the full 80 minutes. Bets can be placed on any of the four periods or two halves. Games will show odds for moneylines, handicaps and totals.

It is often the case in basketball that the team that wins at the final whistle does not win each quarter/half, so betting on halves or quarters gives the bettor the opportunity to use their knowledge of variations in team performances – teams that start or finish strongly for example – to make a profit.

Accumulator (Parlay) basketball betting

This bet is made up of a combination of two or more picks on one or more games. The bettor must correctly predict all selections to win. The more games they select, the higher the odds and the bigger the potential win if all selections are correct. For example a three game accumulator will look like this:

Heat to win 1.198

LA Lakers to win 1.952

Phoenix Suns to win 6.730

A 10 bet would return 157.47 (including stake), however if any of the teams lost the bettor would win nothing.

Accumulators are popular because they offer big returns for a smaller outlay – but the potential for winning decreases with each additional team.

Teaser Basketball betting

A teaser is similar to an accumulator but the odds are fixed per Teaser and the bettor has the benefit of adjusting the point handicap. Points can be added to the underdog or subtracted from the favourite depending on what outcome the bettor feels is most likely.

All of the teams selected must win in order for a bettor to win their bet. A single loss on any one game makes the entire bet a losing one.

Basketball teaser point spreads can be moved 4, 4.5, or 5 points at Pinnacle Sports, and the teasers must be between two or six teams.

Teasers continually cause debate amongst bettors, with some believing they are pointless bets, while others believe they are worthwhile, as more games tend to fall close to the point handicap. Whatever the truth, there are definitely quite a few myths that surround teasers – click here to learn more.

Futures basketball betting

Betting on basketball futures allows players to bet on a team’s chances of winning a championship or conference at the start of a season or playoffs. This can offer bettors value if they bet before the season starts, as the odds will change throughout the season, however the odds the punter originally bet with remain the same.

Proposition basketball betting

Proposition – or props – are bets that focus outside of the regular game variables like outcome, score or margin of score. They can extend to the weird and wonderful and for that reason tend to be considered some of the most successful for a player to win. Propositions are commonly offered on individual players or game scenarios. A typical prop might look like this:

Will LeBron James score 65 points in any game this season?

Yes 4.500

No 1.200

While odds for moneylines and handicaps are usually formed from the aggregated opinion from many bookmakers, bets on props are usually the bettor’s opinion versus just one bookmaker.  The key here is to know more than that bookmaker.

Understanding the more advanced basketball bet type is essential so the bettor can spot where the value lies for a potential bet, this therefore giving them the best opportunity to make as much profit as possible for basketball betting.

*Odds subject to change

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