Betting on the basketball has never been easier and there has never been more markets to choose from, but if you are a newcomer to betting on the Euroleague here is a guide to everything you need to know.
We have come a long way from the days when the bookmakers offered a handful of betting markets for Euroleague games. No longer are you restricted to traditional markets such as Match Winner, you now have a massive selection of betting markets to choose from every single day throughout the season.
Here we run down the main Euroleague match betting markets...
Money Line
The Money Line market is just like the Match Betting market in soccer - you are betting on who will win the game.
However, this is not an easy way to make a sizeable profit when betting on the Euroleague because the only way you are going to land a big return here is by successfully backing an underdog to be victorious, and while upsets do happen you really have to be very confident about it to use this market.
But don't worry, that does not mean you should rule out betting on the outcome of a game because this next form of betting offers much more appeal than Money Line...
Spread Betting
Ever wanted to back a team to win but think their Money Line odds are far too short for you to claim? Spread betting offers you the chance to back a favourite at bigger odds, while you can also get even larger odds if you are looking to back an underdog.
Spread betting could not be any simpler. The bookmaker will give the favourite a fictional handicap and the underdog a fictional head start. So, for example, if CSKA Moscow were favourites for a game against Bayern Munich, the bookies could give Moscow a -11.5 handicap with Munich +11.5.
At the end of the game, depending on which bet you placed, you would either knock 11.5 points off Moscow’s total or add 11.5 to Munich’s total. If your team still wins the game after this adjustment, your bet would be a winner.
For example, if you backed Moscow -11.5 and they won 115-100, they would still be 103.5-100 winners once the handicap was taken off so your bet would be a winner. If they won 110-100, after the 11.5 points were removed they would be 98.5-100 losers which means your bet loses. If you backed Munich +11.5 and they lost 100-110, you would be a winner because the Bulls would be 111.5-110 winners once you add those 11.5 points on.
The bookmakers offer Spread Betting for every single game and there will always be a variety of handicaps to choose from. Usually it is a case that the bigger the spread, the bigger the price so for those games where one side is a massive favourite, you may end up having to back them to win by a large margin in order to land a decent return.
Over/Under Betting
You can also bet on markets like Total Points, First-Half Points, Second-Half Points, First Quarter Points etc. The bookmakers will offer you a host of options to choose from, it just depends on how many points you expect to see in a game. Are two great defenses going to be on show? If so, go for a low total. Are two incredible offenses going to keep the scoreboard staff busy? Go high.
So, for example, CSKA Moscow and Fenerbahce went head-to-head twice in the 2017/18 regular season and in both of those meetings the two teams combined for in excess of 159 points. So if you expected to see more of the same when they met again in future, you could back Over 159.5 Total Points. It would not matter who had scored what points, as long as the combined points total for the match was 160 points or more your bet would have been a winner. And of course, the bigger the risk with the Over/Under you select, the bigger the reward if your bet is a winner.
Over-Under Betting is a great way to make a profit when betting on the Euroleague and you will not be short of options each and every day throughout the season because these markets will be available for every match-up from opening night right through to, and including, the Championship Game itself.