The National Basketball League, or NBL, is the top basketball league in Australia.  OddsJet compares NBL betting odds from several reputable online sportsbooks.  This allows OddsJet to display the best NBL odds for every game on the schedule, which helps basketball bettors maximize their potential returns.  OddsJet also displays the different handicap values from each sportsbook for both Point Spreads and Totals to find the optimal wagering opportunity for any opinion on any given game.  If one is looking for NBL Futures odds regarding the team that will win the championship, OddsJet also displays the best NBL outright winner odds.   

Australian NBL Odds explained

Money Line

When one is betting on the Money Line, one is betting on the team that you think will win a given NBL game.  There is no handicap – just choose a winner.  Favorites and underdogs are determined solely by the odds pricing.     

Point Spread

For the NBL, the Point Spread is the most popular type of handicap betting.  The Point Spread is an effort by the odds maker to offer prices that are similar for both potential outcomes.  Simply, the Point Spread means the game does not start at 0-0.  The Point Spread can be viewed as a point handicap which the favorite must overcome in order to be declared the winner.  From the perspective of the underdog, the Point Spread may be viewed as a head start on points toward winning the game.  For example if the spread is 9.5 points, the favorite will need to win by 10 to be declared the winner.  The underdog can lose the game by as many as 9 points and still be considered the winner for wagering purposes. 

Point Spreads often end with a half-point.  When this happens, there will always be a winner and loser.  However, if the Point Spread is a whole number such as 8 points and the game ends with the favorite winning by exactly 8 points, all stakes will be returned as if no bet occurred.

OddsJet helps you to analyse the Point Spread as well as the best odds price.  The ‘+’ button associated with each NBL game on the events schedule opens up a window that displays all the different Point Spreads from all our sportsbooks.  This helps to identify if any sportsbook is offering a Point Spread that is particularly attractive for a given opinion in relation to the potential NBL game outcome.

For example, if one prefers the favorite and the consensus Point Spread is around -6.5 points, the OddsJet ‘+’ button and handicap analysis could show that one or two sportsbooks have set their spread at -5.5 points.  For those that like the favorite, this is clearly a better proposition as the favorite needs only to win by 6 points to win the bet.  Conversely, the same window could display a sportsbook with a spread of -7.5 points which is a superior handicap if one prefers the underdog.  Whether you like the favorite or the underdog, OddsJet helps to find your ideal NBL handicap. 

Total or Over/Under

For the NBL, the Total or Over/Under refers to a figure for the total number of points to be scored by both teams over the course of a game.  The sportsbook sets this point total figure and sets odds pricing for the respective ‘Over’ and ‘Under’ outcomes.  Given the point figure handicap, the ‘Over’ and ‘Under’ prices tend to be similar in value.

The OddsJet ‘+’ buttons also help with Totals in the same way they help with Point Spreads.  The window that pops up will display all the different Total lines for the associated game from our sportsbook sources.  If you like the ‘Under’ for a given game, you might look for the highest Total line available in order to have more room to stay ‘Under.’  If you like the ‘Over’, one could look for the lowest ‘Total’ so that the teams might overcome the ‘Total’ line more easily.  If there are several sportsbooks offering a particularly attractive ‘Total’ line, OddsJet also displays the offered odds prices so one may get the best odds price for the ideal Total figure.  

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Australian NBL Odds expressed in American, Decimal and Fractional Formats

For American odds format, note the difference between positive and negative expressions.  When the odds will pay below even-money, a negative number is used.   A negative odds price expresses how much one must wager in order to return a profit of $100.  For example, if Adelaide is favoured heavily on a Money Line, one might see a figure of -248.  This means that one would need to wager $248 in order to return $100 in profit for a total potential return of $348.  When one sees a positive odds price in American format, the odds are paying above even-money and express how much profit one might gain with a wager of $100.  At +137 on Perth, a winning bet of $100 would return one’s stake plus $137 for a total return of $237.  Note that although the American odds format centres on the figure of $100, this is purely for expression and is not a restriction in any way on the amount that may be staked. 

For the Decimal odds format, simply multiply the stake amount by the decimal odds price for the full amount that would be returned on a win including the stake.  For example, if one wagered $50 at a price of 1.90, the total return would be $95, a profit of $45. 

For Fractional odds format, the figures express the potential profit return.  For example, if one bet $100 on Townsville at an odds price of 7/3 (said seven-to-three), the potential profit would be $233.33 (7 divided by 3, multiplied by $100) or a total return of $333.33.