You can’t win if you don’t play. That’s what one bettor learned when they pulled $500k off a 23-leg parlay. You could make it big for as little as $1.10 a wager during this upcoming basketball season.
If we could give you the secret to sports betting, then there’d be no fun in it. However, we can improve your chances by slimming down your choices to only the most likely ones. And that is the essence of basketball picks.
Whether you’re new to basketball betting or simply would prefer to minimize risk, basketball picks are for you. Keep reading for the essential beginner’s guide to using sports picks in your betting strategy.
How Does Betting Work Without Basketball Picks?
When you make a bet in a typical situation, the onus is on you to do the legwork. The only resource you have at hand is your sportsbook’s odds and your wits.
For each bet you might place, the sportsbook tells you which bets you’re more likely to win. They tell you how much money you would have to put down to win them.
Sportsbooks have years’ worth of data to make their predictions. As experts in their industries, bookies have a good reading on how things will go from game to game.
The odds can appear daunting at first glance. It can take years to develop an eye for a good bet and get a feel for all the different bet types. For those who don’t have the patience or desire to slog through all of that, there is an alternative: picks.
What Are Basketball Picks?
Think of a basketball pick as a handcrafted prediction that a professional bettor (handicapper) makes for you. These are experts who have years of betting experience under their belts. They offer their services, sometimes for free, to anyone who desires them.
They aren’t making the bet for you, to be clear. They are just offering their educated predictions. You then head over to your favorite sportsbook and place the bet as you might normally.
Picks come in all shapes and sizes to accommodate the wide variety of bets at your disposal. These picks work for everything from point spread to money line.
What Are the Benefits of Using Curated Sports Picks?
Sports picks are an excellent way to dip your toes into the exciting world of sports betting. Think of it like an expert holding your hand through the betting process until you get your feet under you. Here are some of the reasons why you stand to benefit from them.
Less Work
Crafting your own wagers can take weeks or months of work. You have to have an in-depth knowledge of the team, its players, and its history. Even the smallest factors such as an MVP injury or the team getting a new coach can change the outcome.
Your handicapper has done all that work already. Instead, you can focus on placing bets.
Professional Opinion
A handicapper is someone who has done this for a lifetime. They know the ins and outs of sports betting, the techniques, and the odds. If anyone is most likely to win, it’s them.
Learn the Ropes
Learning to cast wagers yourself depends on being able to identify good wagers. Seeing the professionals “in action,” as it were, gives you a useful example to emulate.
How to Start Using Basketball Picks
So you’re sold on getting started with basketball picks. Where does one begin?
Choose a Reputable Handicapper
There are hundreds of handicappers out there, all of them claiming to offer the best picks. Make sure you vet your capper before you sink in big money.
Read reviews online. Talk to people who have used their picks. If anything is amiss with this handicapper, you’ll find out quickly if they have a problematic history.
Manage Your Bankroll
Now that you have a handicapper you can rely on, set a budget. Betting is as much about managing odds as managing your dollars. Planning ahead allows you to place a consistent stream of bets over the years without putting yourself in financial misery.
Develop a Betting Strategy
Even if you have the picks ready, you still need some sort of betting strategy. Even with a skilled handicapper who has an excellent track record, there is a ton of entropy even with common bets. You always have to budget for the potential of a loss.
If you want things easier, you can focus on simple bets. Examples include point spread and money line bets. But if you want to spice up the game a bit, you might consider parlays or prop bets.
Cross-Check Handicappers
Always get an idea of what the competition is saying. Check other handicappers and see what wagers they are suggesting. This is an excellent litmus test for bogus picks.
If your chosen handicapper is way off the mark compared to their peers, that could be a bad sign. Only in rare cases does it mean that they’re onto something the others are not.
Keep a Record of Picks and Their Success Rate
Place bets based on these picks and record them in a notebook. Catalog all the wins and losses based on those bets. Over time, you’ll develop a pattern for how successful a handicapper really is.
Eventually, you can see that handicapper’s track record. If they are consistently hitting the mark, then you are in luck!
That said, don’t fall into complacency. Things change as time goes by. If your handicapper starts to lose their touch, it might be time to go shopping for a new one.
Find the Best Basketball Picks Today
Basketball picks are an easy starting point for new bettors and a handy resource even for the experienced. It gives you a ready-made bet with no work on your part. That doesn’t mean you’re off the hook, though, so keep the above tips in mind.
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