7 Minor Tweaks NBA Bettors Should Make for Major Results

Sports gambling is a tricky business.

Most gamblers typically either achieve minor success or flame out in a spectacular fashion. Whatever the case may be, they’re often susceptible to second-guessing every one of their moves.

During this process, it’s easy to mentally get to a place where it seems like a good idea to engage in a complete system overhaul. Obviously, something needs to change, so why not change it entirely?

Overreactions are typical when gambling, especially when wagering on sports. Instead of approaching the process with a level head, it’s often easier to be unrealistic and extreme.

But changing everything about your betting system and approach to real money sports betting is often not the right answer. Instead, simple changes can work wonders for your record sometimes.

Seeing as the NBA season is upon us once again, many gamblers will turn their attention to basketball. If you’re struggling to get off to a decent start, don’t pull the plug on your system just yet.

Here are seven minor tweaks NBA bettors should make that can lead to major results.

1 ‒ Focus on Defeats Instead of Reveling in Victories

Generally speaking, it’s a lot more enjoyable to celebrate success rather than overanalyze losses. That’s certainly the case when it comes to betting on basketball.

When mulling over results, gamblers tend to focus on the good while ignoring the bad. It’s a natural reaction, but it’s one that won’t fix any of your gambling issues.

It’s typically a smart practice to analyze your results at some point. Whether that’s every week, or every month, taking time to reflect will keep you honest about your current situation.

This is an ideal time to think back about any significant losses rather than patting yourself on the back for your wins. I typically engage in this process once or twice a week to figure out where my issues are coming from.

No one likes to dwell on losses, but doing so can help reveal any issues that are plaguing you. Sometimes, you might even notice a pattern that can easily explain some of the losses.

2 ‒ Be Consistent With All Wagers

Most gamblers differ in how they handle their bankroll and decide how much money they place per bet. Some vary their bet sizes depending on their level of confidence in individual bets; others base it on the type of bet.

This may work for some, but it can also be ineffective for others.


Less experienced basketball gamblers tend to make inevitable mistakes that could easily be avoided. One of these is being incredibly inconsistent with the percentage of their bankroll they put on wagers.

That typically occurs because some bets seem like locks while others are riskier. The fact of the matter is that no bet is ever a sure thing.

Regardless of how confident you are in a particular wager hitting, there’s always a chance things can go awry.

To eliminate the risk of a lock missing, it’s worth putting the same amount of money on each bet. This is otherwise known as flat betting.

By engaging in flat betting, you’ll decrease risk and give yourself more time to figure out where your profit is coming from.

3 ‒ Start Getting Picky With the Content You Consume

Sometimes, a gambler is only as good as the people, or content, they are surrounded by.

If you lack a strong network of people, or sources to rely on for information, it can be much more challenging to win on a normal basis. Having said that, not all sources are created equally.

When deciding which personalities and outlets to consult, you should focus on a few factors:

• Is the person in a question a trusted journalist?
• Does the outlet you depend on get favorable feedback from gamblers?
• Are these sources trying to entertain or inform?
• Do you think they are informed enough to be taken seriously?

Some media personalities are undeniably funny and entertaining. Others are more rigid and subdued. But more often than not, the latter offers more valuable information than the former.

It’s more enjoyable to listen to bombastic sports media talking heads yell at each other on TV. However, their gambling advice typically leaves much to be desired.

4 ‒ Cut Bets in Half After Tough Weeks

Catastrophic losing streaks often call for a complete questioning of your gambling processes.

In the average gambler’s mind, these streaks either indicate the world is against you or that you’re terrible at gambling. Usually, neither of these are the case.

Losing is a part of gambling on basketball. Several bets can come down to the last few seconds. One bounce of the ball can be the difference between a win and a loss.

When the ball seems like it won’t bounce in your favor, it can be frustrating and demoralizing.

During these times, think about cutting your betting in half. That means placing 50% of your typical wagers with 50% of your standard funds.

By doing this, you should take each bet more seriously and potentially get back into an effective rhythm.

5 ‒ Master One Type of Bet

One of the reasons gambling on the NBA is so enjoyable and profitable is the variety of betting opportunities. Outside of the standard bets, gamblers can wager on over/unders, player props, futures, and several other bets.

A trend that is beginning to develop among younger gamblers is a tendency to bet on players instead of teams. The reason for that is simple.

Players are becoming more powerful each day. They can determine where they want to play and who they want to play with.

Whereas superstars used to spend nearly their entire career with one franchise, today’s stars bounce around all the time. That makes it easier to root for players than the teams they play for.

It can often be more enticing to place a bet on a particular player from a gambler’s perspective. Instead of betting the Lakers’ moneyline, it’s becoming increasingly more popular to bet on LeBron James scoring a certain amount of points.

This variety might be entertaining for fans of the game, but that doesn’t guarantee success when gambling.

It might be a good idea to focus on one type of bet during cold streaks instead of spreading yourself too thin.

6 ‒ Increase Time Spent Researching Bets

I love reading about players and teams when I’m picking out my bets for the day. However, many don’t share my enthusiasm.

That’s completely understandable as it’s much more entertaining to watch the game instead of doing your homework. But consistent losses are typically a sign of a lack of preparation and accumulation of knowledge.

As I mentioned earlier, it’s important to think back on bad weeks of gambling. During this process, try to recall how long you spent looking up information regarding particular wagers.

If you’d be embarrassed by the lack of time that went into it, it’s worth increasing your amount of reading.

Research and analysis isn’t a glamorous part of betting on basketball. But by doing so, you’ll increase your chances of winning.

7 ‒ Dare to Be Boring

A safe bet is usually a smart bet.

When figuring out where mistakes occur, I often notice that my riskiest bets lead to significant losses. Sure, the occasional longshot parlay bet might hit on the rarest of occasions.

But it’s much more likely that those types of bets will cost me money.

Basketball is a stressful sport. Betting on basketball is a cause for severe anxiety, especially if a good deal of money is at stake.


To limit stress, make less risky bets that have a better chance of winning.

Doing this during rough patches is extremely advisable. You’ll be surprised how good it feels to get a few small wins under your belt.

Even if these wagers don’t lead to significant profit, they can go a long way in restoring self-confidence.

Conclusion

When things inevitably go south this basketball season, don’t flip your lid and rearrange your gambling system. More often than not, small adjustments are all it takes to get back to winning.

Make sure to analyze losses more frequently than celebrating wins. No one necessarily enjoys dwelling on past defeats, but valuable information can be ascertained by doing so.

Be consistent in your betting amounts and the number of wagers you’re placing each week. If you can’t buy a win, cut your bankroll in half until you get back to even.

Focus on quality information instead of being swayed by talking heads who know next to nothing about gambling.

It might not be luxurious, but spending time consulting quality journalism will serve you much better than listening to the peanut gallery.

If all else fails, think about eliminating stress from the equation and placing some safe bets. They won’t win you a great deal of money, but consistency is key to smart sports betting.