Betting NCAAB Parlays
Betting NCAAB parlays is both fun and profitable.
Key Points
- When betting NCAAB parlays, it’s important to understand the wager and how it pays out.
- There are strategies bettors can use to make NCAAB parlays more favorable.
It’s like that special treat that you get every once in a while. Maybe it’s the cheat day on your diet or that trip to your favorite restaurant. That’s the college basketball parlay.
It’s a bet that you probably shouldn’t live on, but the occasional dabble is worth it. When betting NCAAB parlays, you first must understand the bet, how to win, and why to do it.
The Parlay Bet Explained
A parlay is simply taking two or more bets and combining them into one single bet. In order to win a parlay, each leg of the bet must win. If one leg loses, the entire parlay is a loss.
Parlay bets typically combine two to ten different wagers. As you add more bets to a parlay, the likelihood of winning declines.
Take the following college basketball example. Oklahoma State is playing Iowa State and Rutgers takes on Indiana.
Oklahoma State +4 (-110) +160 O 128.5
Iowa State -4 (-110) -170 U 128.5
Rutgers +5 (-110) +180 O 131.5
Indiana -5 (-110) -210 U 131.5
If your parlay was a bet on Iowa State -4 and Rutgers +5, you would need the Cyclones to win by five or more and the Scarlet Knights to lose by four or less or win outright. If both legs win, the parlay wins, which typically pays out at a higher rate than a single bet.
Before we move on, our last time out we discussed some hockey betting stuff. Take a look at betting NHL puck lines.
Betting NCAAB Parlays Payout
One of the big reasons for sports betting the NCAAB parlay is the payout. With standard juice of -110 on the individual bets, the two-team parlay pays out $264.46 based on a $100 bet.
A three-team parlay would pay out $595.79. The payouts increase as you add games to the bet slip. The odds of winning the parlay also decrease.
You have a 27.47 percent chance of winning a two-team parlay. Your odds fall to 14.37 percent in a three-team parlay and a ten-team parlay has a 0.15 percent chance of paying out.
If all this seems a little too much for you, strongly consider buying picks. NSA Wins is a well respected expert sports handicapping service.
NCAAB Parlays Betting Strategy
First and foremost, the college basketball parlay shouldn’t be your mainstay bet. Use it occasionally and when it makes sense. Your online sportsbook will love you for betting parlays.
Do not use the parlay bet to make up for a series of losses and, preferably, use it when you are ahead. Remember, they are more difficult to hit than a single individual bet.
Too often, bettors try to mix sports with parlays meaning they will parlay an NBA bet with an NCAAB bet. Don’t do that. Instead, parlay wagers that go together.
For example, using one of the games above let’s say we like Iowa State to cover at home against Oklahoma State. The Cyclones are averaging almost 78 points a game over their last four and the Cowboys are scoring 70 over the same span.
We can parlay the point spread along with the game total. We expect Iowa State to win and score a lot of points in the process. That is a college basketball parlay that makes sense.