Making Money Betting Round Ball
by Marc Brown of Madwinners.com - 11/11/2006

Pro Basketball seems to be the most polarizing of all the major sports. Ya love it or ya hate it. I know guys in Baltimore who will stay up until 2 a.m to watch all forty eight minutes of a game between Charlotte and Golden State while other guys haven't watched pro basketball  since Jordan nailed that jumper against Utah. The same holds true for gamblers.  A while back we had a poll up on the site asking people to vote on which sport they thought was the easiest to handicap. College basketball ran away with the results while the pro game got four percent of the vote. A large part of the reason why the NBA is so frustrating for the average player is because the factors that influence a game often have nothing to do with offensive production, defensive production or anything that's happening on the court.

Below you'll find the FOUR KEYS to basketball handicapping.  Some of them apply to both NCAA picks and pro picks but mostly this stuff is for the NBA. I call it the ATMS of hoops wagering. Okay, silly maybe, but if you read this stuff carefully you'll be pocketing money like you own a bunch of ATM machines.

ATTITUDE- There's a real "schoolyard" mentality in the NBA. Rivalries are formed and grudges held. Guys like to take certain opponents to "school" as they say. When trying to handicap an NBA game it's good to find out where this mentality might come into play. Is a kid matched up against a kid who showed him up in college? Was a veteran released by one team and sent to another? If so, he might have something against the opposing players and coach. Now, remember, attitude can work for or against a player. If a guy tries too hard to show off and keeps firing from all over the court his numbers could drop signficantly. You have to study the NBA really closely to get a sense of which players might catch fire, and for what reason, on any given night.

TRAVEL FATIGUE- It's a long, grueling season in the NBA. Baseball players play more games but the physical nature of pro hoops makes it FAR more draining on the players. Also, it's one game and onto the next city in the NBA. No time to relax really, which makes me wonder how the hell these guys always seem to find the time for strip clubs? Anyway, before you make a bet in the NBA you better know which team is on the tail end of a long road trip and which team has cake walked past their last few opponents.  What's the overall age of the team? How many minutes has that aging superstar played the last few nights? This kind of information is invaluable and MUST be obtained to improve your winning percentages against the spread.

MONEY MANAGEMENT-  Pro basketball is the streakiest game there is and, if you don't have enough of a bankroll, or you fail to manage that bankroll wisely, one bad losing streak and it's "sell the furniture" time. Even the best pro 'cappers in the world are gonna hit that 1-9 patch. It happens. If you're able and equipped to ride that out then you'll still be around for that 14-2 streak. Last  year MADWINNERS hit a record 13 games in a row and while that is pretty damn awesome, we also had stretches where guys were ready to mail us anthrax. Overall, we did well for the season, but if you're not able to make it through the whole thing, you'll end up down for the year. We suggest you make your average play about 5% of your total bankroll and definitely play your NBA selections smaller than your football selections.

STREAKS- All teams go through them. You win five in a row,  you drop three. Seems like some of my clients think it's the only stat in basketball. We'll give out, let's say, the Bulls and the guy asks "even though they lost three straight?"  Of course you want to look at streaks but, more importantly, you have to find out the underlying reasons and what it might take to end the consecutive wins or losses. Maybe a team's been on fire because the matchups have gone their way. Or four out of the five teams they beaten had injured stars or no bench strength.  Or a team that's lost six in a row... never bet the "DUE FOR" theory. Bet a losing streak because of the particular matchup and for no other reason.

Study the ATMS and you're gonna make money. Problem for the average player is, who has time or the resources to get into the minutiae of all that stuff?  No one does! I couldn't do it on my own either.  But with the talented staff here at MADWINNERS and the 10 other handicappers splitting the work load, we get the job done most every week. To find out more about our NBA and college hoops PERSONALCAPPER service just call us at 1-800-511-3003. Yes we'll have free basketball picks, college picks and NBA picks, but basketball betting isn't about one game here and one game there. Take our basketball picks every day and you'll  make profit for the season!

The Madcappers are always available to answer your questions regarding anything related to sports betting. Even if you are not yet enrolled in our Personalcapper service we invite you to call us at 800-511-3003 with any questions. Or email us madcappers@madwinners.com