How to Start Betting College Basketball Totals
How to Start Making College Basketball Bets
With the start of the NCAA Basketball season in November, sports bettors instantly have hundreds of new wagering opportunities. But prior to betting, you need to set up an account with at least one online sports book. If you want to wager over the Internet, off-shore sports books are the most common places to open an account. Whether you bet online, use a Vegas book or both, you will find many options for wagering.
It is better to bet at a place with an established track record of booking sports bets. You may get a better sign up bonus at a new book, but be sure of customer service, ease in placing bets and as many wagering opportunities as possible. A book that has been around for five or more years usually has that part of the game down and is financially rock solid.
The first thing to do when looking for a sportsbook to make your college basketball bets is to consider that it takes American bettors and then check to make sure it has ample NCAA Basketball wagering opportunities. Overall, the initial elements you’re looking for are great customer service, solid wagering choices on college hoops and ease in placing bets.
Once you locate those online sportsbooks that fit the basic criteria, you need to designate some specifics regarding your level of importance. Not all books have an array of betting choices. Some are simply more basic than others. If you are going with the three standard bets—the point spread, moneyline and totals (over/under)—then a book that just focuses in those areas along with offering parlays and teasers and maybe a few other types of exotics will be enough. A big deciding factor is the “live betting” option you will need access to when ready. If a book does not offer live betting, I would pass.
Other Things to Consider.
Do you want reduced juice. Not all books offer this. What about betting minimums. These vary with some sportsbooks offering bets as low as $5.00 and a few with minimums as low as $1.00. Others set their minimums at $10.00. Books vary a lot when it comes to maximums. Do not get too infatuated with a huge sign up bonus. The fact is you will have to spend a certain amount before you can clear that bonus.
If odds are important to you, click to a college basketball live odds page. You will get a good idea of the types of lines offered by some of the biggest online books around and you can do so without clicking from book to book. If you find more than one site that you like, then it makes sense to set up a few accounts. You have to fund each so be ready to bet at any time.
Be aware that you want to have your account loaded for the weekend since about 50% of your college basketball games are played at this time.
If you do not already have a ready funding source, such as an eWallet, you should apply. This can take a few days to get established and funded. Usually Americans fund sportsbook accounts using eWallets or money transfer services. Once the eWallet is set up and funded, you can transfer cash very quickly but other money transfer services, such as Western Union or Money Gram, can take as little as minutes for books to receive your deposit.
Once you are set up at a site and funded, you will be all set to make your bets. Be sure to keep on top of the odds and get the best deals you possibly can. College basketball lines are active numbers that you need to constantly monitor. You will also need a top quality data center subscription service for your handicapping tools and computer help.
The overall process of wagering at a sportsbook in Las Vegas is the same, except you’ll be in environment with other people and where there are often complimentary drinks, reasonably priced food, big screen HDTV monitors and plenty of comfortable seating. At least, that is what you can expect from the best land-based books. You should also get friendly service, high limits and plenty of wagering opportunities.
If you do go to a Vegas book, make sure that you know how to read college basketball odds. When you place your bet at the window, you will use the rotation number of the team you are betting and not the team name. You will also need to know how much you are wagering and what type of bet your making. Know all of this before you go to the window.
A few key points when it comes to betting at a land-based book. Be sure to act and behave properly. Do not offer advice to someone who does not ask for it. It is bad manners to brag when you win. Think about it—probably at least 50% of the people in that room just lost. Whether you win or lose, do not start acting like an expert, cocky or loud and obnoxious.
A land-based sportsbook really gives you a whole new perspective on betting. It is worth the trip to settle into the live festive atmosphere. If you do visit one make sure you enter with a firm budget and stick to it. It is easy to get caught up in trying to make up for loses with one more bet and still another until you lose a lot more than you had ever intended.
College basketball betting is filled with a lot of great opportunities on spreads and totals. One thing every bettor needs to do is to find the online book that’s right for him or her. Take some time to shop around and to find the book that gives you exactly what you want in order to make the kind of college basketball bets you want to make.
NFL and college football are the two sports betting games in their prime season for sports bettors everywhere. Baseball playoffs have action but their season is almost over with few betting opportunities available. The NBA and NCAA basketball season will start shortly to give sports bettors more than enough data to keep up to date. All the major sports coincide during the fall season and present a lot to handle.
College basketball has many dedicated sports bettors who thrive on the totals and point spreads.
College totals bettors watch as many games as possible to see the story behind the final score. Knowing if a team can handle defensive pressure against a zone defense can be valuable bits of information. Field goal percentages can be misleading without knowing exactly how they occurred. These five tips will support the under total bets.
- Look for teams averaging a high number of points early in the season
- Check if they played primarily running teams
- A good under wager to bet when playing a team that stresses defense
- Monitor shooting percentages by a teams leading scorer
- Planning bets against road teams that choke away from home
Three-point percentages is another factor to consider when looking at totals. Games that should go under can to go over if a team can hit several long-range shots in the final minutes. A poor shooting 3-point team will go under the total when forced to play catch-up in the final minutes.
Most college basketball totals are going to be in the 120 to 150 range. The number of games listed with spreads, totals and limited money lines are very numerous with betting opportunities.
The oddsmakers will miss on a certain number of games in the smaller conferences compared to the bigger matchups on the card. Bettors should also pay attention to line movements throughout the day, especially on the non-televised, non-marquee games. A line movement on a nationally televised game may be the result of the public betting one particular way.
A line movement on the total between two small teams is likely sharp bettors placing their wagers.
An effective strategy to betting college basketball totals is to shop for the best line available. Because of the smaller betting limits, sportsbooks are quicker to move lines especially on totals where they feel more vulnerable. Those bettors who take more time betting on the best available number can expect some additional wins at the end of the season.
College shooting percentages can drop below 30 % on many games since the college players play better defense than offense. A team without a penetrating guard or playmaker will settle for the perimeter shot. When you find a situational matchup with average players playing a half court offensive, under betting is an edge if the numbers are too generous.
Betting overs/unders is another way to add some excitement to a game and many times will offer more betting value than trying to pick the winner. Many serious bettors concentrate on totals, believing they are easier to win than picking which team is going to cover the spread.
When betting overs/unders on college basketball, you are closer to experiencing the “total” sports betting adventure.
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