7 Reasons to Think Twice About Live Betting the NBA

To be a successful sports bettor, you must be knowledgeable, disciplined, and even a little lucky.

For some people, sports gambling can be a lucrative hobby, perhaps even a profession.

It takes years of often painstaking gambling experience to mold someone into a sharp sports bettor. Those who can hold their own against countless bad beats and tough breaks might have what it takes to win money.

But those professional gamblers are a minority in the sports gambling world. Most bettors rarely come away from sports betting with a positive outlook.

Live betting, for those who don’t know, is precisely what it sounds like. It provides gamblers with the opportunity to place wagers on games as they progress in real-time.

As entertaining as that might sound, live betting, especially on the NBA, is incredibly challenging.

With the final stretch of the 2020-2021 NBA season looming, it’s worth issuing a few warnings to anyone feeling tempted to give live betting a shot.

Here are seven reasons to think twice about live betting on the NBA.

1. Live Betting Sports Demands Precision

The majority of live bets are placed by people who have no business placing them in the first place. Live bets are often the result of a series of unfortunate events and rarely seem to work in gamblers’ favor.

In other words, live bettors must be precise and have a good reason to place wagers.

2. Lines and Odds Move Every Second

The erratic nature of live betting can be too much for certain gamblers to handle.

Even the best and most experienced of gamblers might struggle to keep up, especially when it comes to betting on basketball.

Whereas runs in baseball and goals in hockey are often at a premium, the average NBA team can easily put up over 100 points every night. All of those points scored at a rapid pace leads to constant line movement.

Without a plan in place, gamblers can get left in the dust.

3. Results Defy Logic Sometimes

As is the case with all sorts of gambling, sometimes, there isn’t a logical explanation for the things that occur during a sporting event.

A majority of the time, the NBA plays out like it should and the better team beats the inferior team more often than not. If a fully healthy Brooklyn Nets team is playing the Detroit Pistons, Brooklyn should win resoundingly.

But occasionally, the lesser team in a matchup will stage an upset, and a heavy favorite will fall.

When the unexplainable starts to unfold on the court, many gamblers handle the situation differently. Some think that a team might just be off to a slow start, others search for a reason this statistical anomaly is occurring.

But there’s no way of really knowing, and the average sports bettor will often never find a reason to explain these major upsets.

4. Chasing Losses Often Makes Things Worse

People often turn to live betting when they’re desperate for a win.

When a slate of games turns out to be full of losing bets, live betting presents a way to recoup earlier losses and restore gambling confidence.

But most of the time, live bets following losses are made out of desperation. In my experience, chasing losses rarely works in a gambler’s favor.

Placing live bets to get back to even is a dangerous game for several reasons:

• You’re likely not thinking clearly.
• Emotions are impacting decisions.
• Your confidence is already rattled.
• You don’t have the ability to contemplate lines.
• Losses tend to breed more losses on tough nights.

Live betting the NBA shouldn’t be your last-ditch effort to win back earlier losses. If you don’t have a good reason to place a live wager, it’s best to avoid the practice entirely.

5. Hastily-Made Decisions Don’t Lead to Consistent Profit

Consistently winning money by betting on basketball is less complicated than you might think. But most methods people use to secure profits over a period of months and years might not appeal to certain types of sports gamblers.

To be a profitable basketball bettor wagers must be smart, well-researched, and consistent. Most sharp bettors use a carefully curated system to recognize trends and profit off of them.

A significant issue related to live betting is the fact that profits are inconsistent. That’s because live betting is often done inconsistently.

When there’s no logical explanation behind a gambler’s plan of attack, there’s no way to replicate successful wagers. Additionally, it’s significantly harder to learn from mistakes.

6. Throwing in the Towel Is an Underrated Move

In sports, quitting is one of the worst, most inexcusable things you can do.

So, it’s only natural to assume that sports gamblers should adopt the same mindset if they want to be successful.

If you’re a competent sports gambler, your system will prevail in the end. Throwing in the towel after suffering loss after loss shouldn’t be frowned upon.

It’s a responsible, intelligent move to take the occasional break from gambling.

7. Live to Fight Another Day

Let’s face it, losing more wagers than you win is a horrible feeling.  But that’s bound to happen from time to time if you bet regularly.

When things are going well, it might seem like nobody can beat you. When none of your bets are hitting, you’ll do pretty much anything to reverse the bad fortune.

As a sports gambler, time is one of your greatest luxuries. Giving yourself an ample amount of time to sift through lines and odds will allow you to place the smartest wager possible.

Live bets, on the other hand, are time-sensitive. Unless you’re a skilled live bettor, you’re better off shutting your computer and saving your bankroll.

Conclusion

Live betting on the NBA can be an efficient way to make some quick money at the online sportsbooks, that is, if you know what you’re doing.

Without a solid plan in place, gamblers can destroy their chances of winning money on a consistent basis. Live bets must be intelligent, precise, and carefully thought out.

Lines and odds change every second due to the high-scoring nature of the NBA. Additionally, basketball games often don’t play out as they should, and results can defy logic.

Instead of chasing losses by betting on live basketball games, give yourself an opportunity to win your money back in a more relaxed setting. Trust your system and don’t let one bad night drain your bankroll.