The best sports bettors, known as handicappers, utilize multiple sportsbooks to win big on college basketball. The reason handicappers use multiple books is to line shop and find the best odds for contests.
Most sportsbooks will have slightly different odds for games. A small difference in the odds or a half-point on a spread could make or break your bet. Small details are important to consider when you are placing your wagers.
To find college basketball betting lines, you must understand when sportsbooks release data for games. This will help you know when the best time to place a bet is for an upcoming contest. There is no exact science to knowing when lines are released, but some general tips can help.
When are Odds Released?
In college basketball, the schedule is very sporadic. There are games every day, and sometimes teams will play in back to back games. Other times, programs will have a week off in between games. There are over 100 Division I basketball programs in the United States with totally different schedules.
Additionally, every night of the week, college basketball games are being played throughout the nation. This makes things tough for oddsmakers to get accurate lines well in advance. As a general rule of thumb, college basketball betting lines are released the day of the games.
They are typically out in the morning. Lines for a 7:00 PM game on the east coast will usually be released before the contests on the west coast. Additionally, if a team has questionable starters or a key player who may not play, lines will be delayed.
Some sportsbooks will release some lines the night before games after the preceding day’s contests end. Although do not lock in these wagers unless you feel there is a tremendous amount of value. Not all sportsbooks are this efficient, so you are eliminating your chances of line shopping by placing this early of a bet.
There are multiple betting lines that you should look into for every game. The traditional markets will all be released at different times throughout the day. The point spread will usually be first, and it should be up by noon.
The totals and money line odds will be out by the afternoon. In many cases, the point spread will shift when the totals and money lines are given.
Tips for Searching for College Basketball Lines
All sportsbooks are different, but they have patterns, so it’s your job to learn this as a bettor. Many websites house all the college basketball lines for individual sportsbooks. Nevertheless, you will likely not use all these platforms.
You should pick the books that you want to use and focus on them for college basketball betting. Books will have a pattern, and after a few days of studying, you will have the ability to determine trends.
This will help you know when the lines will be released so you can begin shopping for the best deals. Another tip is not to rush your betting selections.
When line shopping, you want to wait for all the bets to be released before rushing into a bet. This also requires a balance because lines constantly change, so you need to be ready to act when you see stellar odds. When you learn patterns on sportsbooks, this will help your chances of winning big.
Lastly, when finding college basketball betting lines, you need to accept that it’s a different sport from the rest. With professional sports, there are fewer teams and days off built into the schedule. This allows sportsbooks to prepare lines in advance.
You can wager on a football game on Tuesday for the following Sunday. This is not a luxury of college basketball betting, so never rush wagers because this will affect your preparation. You only have a short time to study lines, so make sure you are placing the right bets.
