Stepping into the world of NBA betting for the first time can feel a bit like being dropped into a video game with no tutorial. You see all these terms—point spreads, moneylines, over/unders—and it’s easy to get overwhelmed. I remember my early days, just staring at the betting slip, wondering which one was the “right” choice. The truth is, there isn’t one right choice, but understanding the core differences between the main bet types is your first crucial play. Today, I want to break down two of the most fundamental and, in my opinion, most beginner-friendly wagers: the Moneyline and the Over/Under, or Total. Think of this as your basic playbook, the foundational strategies you need before you start calling more complex audibles.

Let’s start with the Moneyline, because it’s beautifully simple. This is a straight-up bet on which team will win the game. No points, no margins, just victory. You’ll see odds listed next to each team, like “Los Angeles Lakers -150” or “Orlando Magic +130.” The negative number (the favorite) tells you how much you need to bet to win $100. So, a $150 bet on the Lakers at -150 would net you a $100 profit if they win. The positive number (the underdog) tells you how much you’d win on a $100 bet. A $100 bet on the Magic at +130 would return a $230 payout ($130 profit plus your original $100 stake). It’s straightforward, but that simplicity comes with a cost. Betting on heavy favorites often requires a large outlay for a small return, which isn’t always great for your bankroll. Personally, I find moneylines most exciting when I spot an underdog with a real chance—maybe a strong home team facing a tired favorite on the second night of a back-to-back. Last season, I had a good run betting on home underdogs with a positive point differential in the fourth quarter, which I tracked manually. It felt like finding a hidden gem, a strategy that worked for me about 54% of the time in a specific scenario.

Now, the Over/Under is a completely different beast, and it’s where a lot of new bettors find a comfortable niche. Here, you’re not betting on who wins, but on the combined final score of both teams. The sportsbook sets a number—say, 225.5 points for a Warriors vs. Kings game—and you bet whether the total points scored will be over or under that line. This instantly makes the game more interesting to watch, as every basket matters for your bet, regardless of which team scores it. I love this market because it allows you to focus purely on team styles and pace, divorcing yourself from emotional attachments to a particular winner. You’re analyzing tempo, offensive efficiency (like a team’s Points Per Possession, which for a top offense can be around 1.18), defensive ratings, and even external factors like back-to-back schedules or key injuries to defenders.

This distinction reminds me of a point about video game design I read once, talking about how some games cram in nostalgic references but fail to build a compelling core gameplay loop to support them. It’s a bit like that in betting. You can know all the advanced stats—a team’s effective field goal percentage (eFG%) might be 56.7%, or their defensive rebounding rate 73.2%—but if you haven’t mastered the fundamental rules of the bet types themselves, that knowledge is wasted. Choosing between a Moneyline and an Over/Under is about selecting the right framework for your analysis. Are you supremely confident in a winner? Moneyline. Do you have a strong feel for the game’s tempo and scoring environment, perhaps noticing that two top-10 paced teams are meeting, and their last three matchups have averaged 238 points? Then the Over/Under is your canvas.

In practice, I often find the Over/Under to be a more consistent starting point for beginners. It simplifies the question. You don’t need to predict an upset; you just need to gauge if a game will be a shootout or a grind. For instance, a matchup between the slowest-paced team (like last season’s Cleveland Cavaliers, at about 97 possessions per game) and a middling offensive squad often screams “Under.” Conversely, any game involving the Indiana Pacers, who led the league with a blistering pace of over 103 possessions per game, was always a prime “Over” candidate. My personal preference leans toward the Over/Under for probably 60% of my bets, because it feels more analytical and less susceptible to a single lucky shot or a questionable referee call in the final minute that swings the win but not the total.

So, as you begin, my advice is this: start small and focus on one type. Maybe pick a couple of games each night and only look at the Moneylines, practicing how to assess value in the odds. Another night, ignore the winner entirely and just study the Totals. Track your thoughts and see which approach feels more intuitive to you. The worst thing you can do is jump back and forth without a strategy, much like a game that throws every idea at the wall without a coherent vision. The shared universe of NBA betting has many interconnected parts—player props, parlays, live betting—but you have to understand the basic languages of Moneyline and Over/Under before those deeper cuts and references will make any sense. Build your foundation there, and you’ll be ready to expand your playbook with confidence. Remember, it’s a marathon, not a sprint. Good luck