Beginners Guide
To place a basketball bet, provide the ticket writer with the betting number of the team you want to wager on and the amount you wish to bet. Unless specified otherwise, payouts are calculated at odds of 10/11. This means that a bet of $11 would win $10 and result in a total return of $21. This type of wager is known as a straight bet. For betting purposes, NBA games are considered official after 43 minutes of play, while results for collegiate, WNBA, NBA Summer League, and European basketball are official after 35 minutes of play.
Point Spread: In basketball betting, your chosen team must “cover the spread,” meaning they need to win or not lose by a set margin of points.
Example:
| Bet # | Team | Line | Total |
| 201 | Wizards | -3 | |
| 202 | Knicks | 198 |
Note: The team listed at the bottom is always considered the home team unless specified otherwise.
The point spread is shown immediately to the right of the favored team. For instance, if you bet on the wizards, they need to win by 4 points or more for your bet to be successful. Conversely, if you bet on the knicks, you win if:
a. The Knicks win the game.
b. The Knicks lose by 3 points or fewer.
If the Wizards win by exactly 3 points, the bet is considered a push, and all stakes are refunded.
Point spreads fluctuate frequently, so the spread listed when you place your bet might differ from the spread when the game begins. The point spread on your ticket is the official spread for your bet.
Total: This refers to the total number of points scored in a game, also known as the Over/Under. You can bet whether the total score will be above or below the number provided. The result depends solely on the combined final score of both teams, not which team covers the spread. Unless stated otherwise, payouts are calculated at odds of 10/11 (-110).
Basketball Parlays: Combining multiple teams into a single bet. You can merge several teams into one wager, but all teams and/or totals must cover the point spread for the bet to be successful. The payout for basketball parlays is calculated by first determining the payout for the initial game using the Money Line, then applying that amount to the subsequent game, and continuing in this manner.
If any game results in a push, the parlay is reduced by one team; for example, a two-team parlay would revert to a straight bet.
