One of the best things about the legalization of sports betting in the US is that it has brought about lots of options. You can bet on more than just a few selected sports, and your bets can be more than just a moneyline bet. One of the best ones among the options are futures bets, which are usually readily available among College Basketball predictions.
But what exactly are futures bets and how can you ensure that you increase your chances of winning? In this guide, we’ll look at these types of bets in the aspect of both the NBA and college basketball betting.
Understand the Nature of Futures Betting
Before you spend any money betting on NBA or NCAAB futures, it’s important that you first get a clear understanding of what it all entails. First, you need to understand that this is a unique type of betting that doesn’t pay up immediately after the game. In fact, it can take the whole season depending on what you’ve bet on. Typically, these types of bets are usually placed before the season begins, but many are still available for the most part of the season.
The reason for this is that as the name suggests, futures betting usually involves outcomes that won’t be decided until later on in the season. For example, you can bet on the team you think will lift the trophy at the end of the season. You can also bet on individual player accolades such as Most Valuable Player (MVP) and Rookie of the Year. There are also other bets such as teams that will make it to the playoffs and the total number of wins over the regular season. Note that these odds are usually adjusted as the season progresses.
Conduct Thorough Research
Knowledge is the secret weapon in sports betting, and it’s especially important when it comes to futures betting. This is because there are lots of things that can happen during the season. A strong contender from the last season can just fall off to mid-table or a team can experience several long-term injuries to key players. This means that before you place your futures bet, you need to do proper research and consider the inherent risks.
The best starting point is of course the previous seasons if the season has not started. If it has, you then need to combine this with the current season and try to come up with any relations. Has there been an upward trajectory, or are there too many players that are aging and the team is just starting to fall off? Ensure that you also consider player transfers and coaching changes. You should then stay ahead of the sportsbook regarding player news. If a team that was injury-hit is almost getting its key players back, you can jump on that opportunity to get the most value for your bets.
Hedge Your Bets
Basketball seasons are usually long, and a lot can happen. This can be in your favor or against, and it’s always wise to twist the favor towards you if possible. One way of doing that is through hedging your futures bet. This generally involves mitigating the risk by placing additional bets. The aim is usually to offset potential losses or even secure a guaranteed profit, regardless of the outcome of the original bet.A simple way of hedging a bet would be to place multiple bets within the same category. For example, if you’d wagered on a particular state to win the NCAAB championship early in the season and they advance to the finals, you can choose to hedge your bet by wagering on the opponent. One of the beautiful things about such a strategy in futures betting is that you get very good odds early in the season.
