Sports fans who wager on the NBA playoffs will find that placing bets during the postseason is similar to betting throughout the regular season. With that said, certain differences exist between the two seasons and bettors need to recognize them before betting on the NBA playoffs. For example, defense plays a more significant role during the postseason than it does during the regular season.
Know Your Limits
Being a successful sports bettor requires hard work, dedication, and discipline, among other things, and it may not be suitable for everyone. Successful sports bettors do not allow their emotions to affect which games to place bets on. Making successful NBA playoff series bets requires more than just picking which team will ultimately advance to the next round.
Understand the NBA Playoffs Structure
The NBA playoffs provide an exhilarating conclusion to each season as fans eagerly anticipate watching their teams compete in the postseason. Although anything could happen during a playoff series, bettors should keep certain trends in mind before placing their wagers.
For example, teams that lose the first game tend to come back strong in subsequent contests as their motivation increases after being humbled by defeat. NBA playoffs don’t feature back-to-back games and usually fall on consecutive days, which provides more betting opportunities than normal.
Know the Betting Types
Individual game betting provides bettors with numerous familiar options, including picking one team to win straight-up (moneyline), predicting their margin of victory (point spread), or wagering over/under on total points scored (totals). Furthermore, numerous NBA prop bets provide additional betting angles and opportunities.
Betting on the NBA playoffs can be a lucrative experience, but bettors must adhere to certain principles before placing their bets. Betting lines may be complex; odds change rapidly so bettors must act fast when they see one that has value.
Know Postseason Betting Trends
Betting on NBA playoff games will likely result in wins and losses, but you can maximize profits by educating yourself on historical postseason betting trends. NBA playoff road favorites trying to close out the series have posted a record of 72-52 straight-up (SU) and 89-34 against the spread (ATS). These close-out masters have also been successful when facing do-or-die game 7s: going 25-8 SU and 19-14 ATS.
NBA teams tend to play tighter during the postseason, leading to fewer open three-point attempts and better overall defense, which makes betting the under an attractive proposition. The betting pubic generally favors betting overs because they want to route for high-scoring games but don’t be afraid to wager on the under!
Know the Team’s Strengths & Weaknesses
The NBA playoffs ramp up the quality and intensity of basketball while offering ample betting opportunities. By understanding their structure, betting types, expert opinions and trends can increase your odds of making money when betting on NBA playoff games. Players’ performances during postseason games often deviate significantly from their averages from regular season play – especially if playing on consecutive nights.
Finding Value & Exploiting the Market
Finding value in series prices is critical to generating long-term profits on NBA playoffs series bets. Bettng trends and historical data help determine whether a series price has value. For example, road favorites with a chance to end a playoff series are 39-13 straight-up and 36-16 against the spread (ATS) over the last decade.
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