Quarter bets are one of the favorite ways to stake on NBA and NFL games. If you’re wondering how quarter bets work in these sports, it’s pretty simple. You’re just betting on the outcome of a single quarter.
Some of the reasons people prefer quarter bets because they’re relatively safer to predict than the entire game. Also, sportsbooks do assign them some worthwhile odds. However, before placing your money in this market, you must learn its ins and outs. Thankfully, we’ll cover everything in this guide. Continue reading, as we’ll also share some of the expert strategies for quarter betting.
Quarter bets are predictions on the result of a specific quarter in a sports game
The overall game result doesn’t affect the outcome of quarter bets
The NBA and the NFL are the most popular sports for quarter betting
Quarter bets are common for live betting as the game progresses
Quarter betting odds have relatively more juice than pre-game lines.
Quarter Bet Explained – A Simple Breakdown
Quarter bets are exactly what they sound like. You’re betting on just one quarter of a game, not the whole thing. You can view it as chopping the game into bite-sized pieces and making predictions on each one.
From experience, the most common option is betting on who’ll win the quarter. Hence, it’s similar to moneyline bets on the overall game winner. You can learn more about the market in our guide on
straight betting explained
for beginners.
Away from predicting the quarter winner, you can also place your money on how many points will be scored. Sometimes, even get into spreads and totals just for those 12 or 15 minutes of play. Typically, the betting option is more popular for NBA and NFL games, which are divided into quarters. Let’s look at examples for each.
Quarter Betting in the NBA
Once the Lakers were playing against the Warriors, bettors went for the first quarter 3-way bet. This type of bet has three possible outcomes: the Lakers win, the Warriors win, or it ends in a tie. The prediction was that the Lakers would come out firing and lead after the initial 12 minutes. Therefore, they bet on them to win the first quarter, and they did.
Now, if the Warriors had won or if it were a tie, you’d lose. It doesn’t matter whether the Lakers eventually won the next three quarters or the overall game.
Quarter Betting in the NFL
When quarter betting in football, you can use the spread instead of just picking a winner. For instance, the Patriots had a game against the Bills, and they got a -3.5 spread for the second quarter. By betting on the Patriots, we predict they’ll outscore the Bills by at least 4 points in just that quarter.
Unfortunately, they didn’t cover that spread. The Patriots only led by 2 points in the second quarter, so the bet didn’t win. Subsequently, we learned to be more careful with our spread stakes. You can learn some tips we used in our
picks against the spread
guide.
Pro Tips for Quarter Betting
How do quarter bets work? Sure, you can answer that now, as we’ve explained how the market plays out in both the NBA and NFL. Next up, we’ll be sharing our top strategies for quarter betting. If properly applied, you can potentially record more success with your predictions. Check them out below:
1. Break Down Team Performance by Quarter
From our point of view, this is a no-brainer. Since we’re talking about quarter betting, it’s natural to consider performance by quarter when doing your research. After watching NBA and NFL games for years, we can attest that some teams start hot, while others are notorious slow burners.
During analysis, we specifically take the average points of each team per quarter across 5 to 10 games. Here’s a practical example that we used to decide which team to win each quarter bet between the Boston Celtics and the Denver Nuggets:
Celtics
Nuggets
30.1
26.2
27.8
28.3
29.5
31.0
26.7
25.4
From the above table, the Celtics average more points in the 1st and 4th quarters. As such, they’re a solid pick for those segments. On the other hand, the Nuggets shine in the 2nd and 3rd, especially with a strong 31-point third-quarter average.
When you study these trends, it’s easy to tailor your quarter bets to get an edge. You can check out our detailed
online betting guide
if you wish to learn more about such analysis.
2. Watch Out for Rotations
As a pro, we’ve observed that many coaches stick to patterns. Some put their stars in early to dominate the 1st and get a massive lead at the start. Meanwhile, others stagger lineups and save energy for the 2nd or 4th. Whichever, it’s up to you to track the rotations. From studying squad rotations, we’ve found it easy to anticipate where scoring (or slumps) will occur.
3. Leave Subsequent Quarters for Live Betting
When talking about quarter betting, the focus is usually on the first 12/15, and for good reason. From the pre-game lineup and analysis, predicting the outcome of the 1st quarter is less complicated compared to the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th.
However, suppose things go one way after the first. Then, it becomes easy to call the results of the remaining three. Therefore, don’t always make second, third, or fourth quarter stakes before the game starts.
We usually wait until the first is done, then place live bets on the second, and so it goes. The drawback here is that the odds will be much lower compared to pre-game. For instance, we once found +400 for the Pistons to win a 3rd quarter 3-way bet before the game. However, after the 2nd quarter, the moneyline dropped to +110.
4. Don’t Overlook Inconsistent Teams
No jokes, some NBA and NFL squads are wildly inconsistent. In one game, they’re dominating all quarters, and in another, they’re struggling to break even. Some bettors stay away from such teams, but we believe that’s where value hides.
The full-game line might pick the teams as big underdogs, which is logical. However, you can back them to steal a quarter or two, especially early when energy levels are high. We use this strategy more on betting exchanges than on conventional sportsbooks, as we can choose our odds. Our guide on
betting exchanges explained
for newbies will tell you more.
Pros and Cons of Quarter Betting
We appreciate how quarter betting allows you to narrow your focus instead of looking at the whole game. When you lock in on 12/15 minutes, you have more control over your predictions. Additionally, you get quicker results, especially when you stake on the very first. For the second, third, and fourth quarters, you can also leverage live betting based on real-time momentum.
From experience, the only major trade-off is that you’re facing tighter margins. The lines can carry more juice, and it’s easy to get carried away betting every quarter. That can stretch your bankroll thin if you don’t manage things properly.
Pros and cons
Allows more focus while betting
Delivers faster results
Ideal for live betting
Relatively higher juice
Conclusion – Stake on Quarters Like a Pro
At this point, we’ve explained quarter betting with examples and tips so you know how it works. You can easily summarize the option as slicing the game into smaller parts, but it’s more than that. You have to study trends and capitalize on real-time momentum if you want to win.
Furthermore, it’s essential to be selective, as not every quarter is worth a stake. We believe if you do your homework, choose a good betting site from our banners, and stay disciplined with your bankroll, quarter bets can offer good value.
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Quarter Bet Explained FAQs
A quarter 3-way bet is a stake on three possible outcomes within a particular quarter of an NBA or NFL game. It’s either Team A wins, Team B wins, or the quarter ends in a tie. Such a bet doesn’t take the overall outcome or results of other quarters into account.
A quarter spread is a type of bet on whether a team will cover the spread set by the sportsbook for a particular quarter. Suppose the first quarter spread is -3.5, and you bet on a team to cover it. In that case, the team must lead their opponents by 4 points or more in the specified quarter for you to win.
To win a quarter bet, you need to carry out careful research and analysis. Study how the teams perform during each quarter, from the first to the fourth. Don’t just focus on whether they win or not, but also on the number of points they score for spreads and totals.
First quarter money line refers to a bet on which team will win at the end of the first quarter in an NFL or NBA game. The favorites get the negative moneyline odds (-), while the underdogs get the positive (+).
You technically cannot place quarter bets in the NHL, as hockey games are divided into periods and not quarters. Hence, what you get in the NHL is period betting.
