Missouri sports betting has been live for exactly one week and plenty of new bettors are getting in on the betting action. But there are certainly folks who still haven’t made their entry into the sports betting landscape.
Maybe you’ve been really interested in betting on the NBA in Missouri, but don’t know where to start. Maybe you were locked in on the Kansas City Chiefs and are pivoting now that their season is in peril.
Well, this is the best place to learn about the betting basics for NBA bettors. Right now, the biggest story in the league is the absolute dominance that the Oklahoma City Thunder have displayed to open the season. They will draw plenty of attention from bettors as will the larger market teams as the season progresses.
To understand how to bet on the NBA, you’ll need to know the basics of sports betting in general. Consider this your sports betting 101 lesson using betting glossary terms with examples from the upcoming NBA Cup games.
Moneyline
This is the most basic way to wager on any game. You are betting on the winner between the two teams, and the sportsbooks base the odds on the percentage chance that one team is expected to win.
The favorite has a minus sign next to its number and the underdog has a plus sign, which also lets you know how much you would win.
For example, the Thunder are -1650 and the Suns are +950 in their NBA Cup game.
If you wanted to win $100 from the sportsbook with your bet on the Thunder, you would need to wager $1,650. Conversely, if you wagered $100 on the Suns at +950 odds, you would win $950.
Point spread
Also referred to as the “line” for a game, this is the margin of victory between the two teams that sportsbooks let bettors wager on.
Typically the odds on these bets are -110, which is standard for most two-sided bets across the market. You may notice different odds, though, if a team is becoming a more popular bet, like -115 to -105 or -120 to +100.
Like the moneyline, the spread favorite has a minus sign and the underdog has a plus sign. For example, the spread for Knicks vs. Raptors is 4.5, so the Knicks, who are favored, are -4.5 and the Raptors are +4.5.
If you wagered on the Knicks to cover the spread, they would need to win by at least five points for you to win your bet. If you wagered on the Raptors, you would win your bet if the Raptors win the game outright, or lose by four points or less.
Over/Under
Also referred to as the total, this is the number that sportsbooks project both teams will combine to score in the game.
The Thunder vs. Suns total is 224.5, so you can bet that this game will either end with a combined score of at least 225 points (Over), or 224 or fewer points (Under).
Most sportsbooks offer you better odds if you think the game will go way over or way under that total.
Betting on the NBA?
Player Prop
This is any bet that is related to player performance. It has become pretty popular to bet player props because, frankly, it’s easier to understand the outcome for new bettors. Sometimes you can wager on player props in the way you would wager on totals, picking an over or under on a particular number and stat category.
De’Aaron Fox has an Over/Under of 24.5 points. A wager on the over means you are betting he scores more than 24 points and a wager on the under means you are betting him to score 24 points or less.
Parlay
This is when you add multiple picks to your slip as one bet. A parlay combines the odds of each bet into one, which boosts the total payout. Most sportsbooks will let you combine bets from a single event (also known as a same-game parlay) using a variety of available bets.
Let’s say you wanted to parlay a series of things around the Thunder in their NBA Cup game: the spread, the total and OKC to win both halves.
The odds for the Thunder to cover the 15.5-point spread are -115. The odds for the game to go under the total are 224.5 are -110. The odds for the Thunder to win both halves are -150.
A $10 wager on each of those individual bets ($30 total) would win you $24.44 in profit. A $10 parlay with those three bets would net you $29.80 in profit because all three of those bets combined change the odds to +298.
Futures
A bet on an event that settles in the future, such as the championship winner in a particular sport, a team’s expected win total, or the odds for a team to make the postseason.
The Thunder are the favorites to win the NBA championship for the second season in a row with +145 odds.
How to sign up for Missouri sports betting apps
If you haven’t signed up for any Missouri sports betting apps yet, there’s no time like the present. Here’s a look at the current welcome offers for new users in the state:
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Malik Smith has been immersed in the sports betting industry since 2017. He’s a data nerd with a particular focus on the NBA and combat sports. He spends his weeknights in the winter looking for edges on plus-money NBA player props.