There are gamblers and there are serious sports betting enthusiasts. Which one are you? There are even several types of gamblers, including the guys who really get their biggest kick from gambling from the risk itself. The entire rush for these individuals comes from the unlikely but still possible chance that they will win. If you are one of these big risk guys, you will not find this article useful, because I spent a big part of my life trying to reduce your risk. As I have said many times, my MOTTO is, if you are going to bet, you might as well win. Done the way I preach it, sports gambling can be a very profitable business venture, again, depending on the type of bettor you are.

When it comes to betting NBA Picks, sports books make most of their money on players who usually bet the favorite line the majority of the time opposed to a sharp bettor who usually bets based on research, or bets the underdog and the under, the majority of the time, if he is on the fence. With proper money management and a bit of research, NBA sports betting can become more of an investment than a risk.

This does not mean you automatically win or lose most of your best NBA picks when betting the NBA active lines, but over the course of an NBA season, you should follow certain guidelines as to allow you to make well informed betting decisions just like a professional stock analyst makes his "educated" stock recommendations versus the average retail investor. These are Sports Betting Tips that are general guidelines which will assist you in becoming an informed and professional NBA sports bettor and investor.

First of all, when betting your NBA Picks, or those good college basketball picks, you must manage your cash flow as if you are running a business. Again we have said it here before, the first rule of money management of a business is to create a budget and never spend more than you can afford! Professional sports bettors will set out a budget for the month or for the NBA season. When you have established your budget you want to make the same average wager amount per wager. This type of money management is called the unit system. An average unit could be $20 to $1000 depending on your bankroll and a unit is usually 1-2% of your bankroll. Using the unit system will allow you to manage your bankroll and get through any cold betting streaks.

Those who do not set a budget and follow a money management system will eventually end up trying to chase their losses by doubling up on their next bet or betting too many games or games they shouldn't bet at all. With no money management discipline often times a player will blow their bankroll and this is when the gambling begins. So, simply don't let yourself go there. You may see professional handicappers claim "Locks" on a game but there is no such thing as a lock even from the top handicappers. The only time you should really wager more on a single game is when your bankroll allows you to because you are following your money management system.

When betting the NBA, the underdogs at home, as a general guideline, in handicapping is a direction that professional handicappers look for or lean toward. Slim underdogs often win regularly outright when they play inspired team ball and usually they are a slim underdog because they are playing a good team which is why they will be fired up. Big underdogs, especially at home, generally cover because they do not give up at home in order to prevent an embarrassing loss. They know that their home fans have paid good money to come see them play and will more often pull out those close games.

When doing your research you will find NBA teams with good ATS home records even though they have bad W-L records. This is especially true in the NBA because of the second unit bench play. It takes a lot of time and energy to invest in researching lines, statistics, historical facts, trends and coaching strategies. Some guys just view sports betting as entertainment and just budget for it as an entertainment cost. Some sports bettors invest a little more time into it to become a more skilled handicapper. If you use these NBA sports betting tips as a guideline, it will increase your skills as a handicapper and put you on the road to becoming a professional handicapper or wise guy. Did I mention: I think, if you are going to bet, you might as well win.