The hottest Vegas March Madness betting strategy will be a combination of having an eye on the NCAA bracket odds, knowing your history, and being intimately familiar with the different teams advancing through the tournament.
Here we will lay out March Madness betting strategies, history, and the odds to make March Madness you will need to make your betting decisions. Check out these top March madness betting sites.
Vegas Odds for NCAA Basketball March Madness will typically be in the American format. This format will show favorites with negative odds and underdogs with positive odds. The less likely the outcome is, the higher your winnings will be!
But how do you calculate your winnings? Let’s say the odds for Gonzaga to win are +145. This means you will win $145 for every $100 you wager and win. If the odds are negative, it works inversely. So if the odds are -145, you will have to wager $145 in order to earn $100.
These NCAA March Madness odds will change as we get closer to the Final Four. Here are the latest Vegas Odds to win March Madness swept from all the top-tier US sports betting providers. The following March Madness betting odds were last updated on March 12, 2024:
| 2024/25 NCAAB Championship |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Connecticut Huskies | +1000 | +1000 | +1100 |
| Arizona Wildcats | +1200 | +1400 | +1200 |
| Duke Blue Devils | +1400 | +1400 | +1400 |
| Houston Cougars | +1600 | +1700 | +1600 |
| Kansas Jayhawks | +2100 | +2000 | +2000 |
| North Carolina Tar Heels | +2000 | +2000 | +2000 |
| Kentucky Wildcats | +2200 | +2200 | +2200 |
| Purdue Boilermakers | +2200 | +2300 | +2200 |
| Alabama Crimson Tide | +2500 | +2500 | +2500 |
| Auburn Tigers | +3000 | +3000 | +3000 |
| Baylor Bears | +3000 | +3000 | +3000 |
| Michigan State Spartans | +3000 | +3000 | +3000 |
| Florida Gators | +3000 | +3000 | +3000 |
| Marquette Golden Eagles | +4000 | +4000 | +4000 |
| St. John's Red Storm | +4000 | +4000 | +4000 |
We provide tips for you here for our March Madness Betting Strategy. However, you should be developing your own strategy as well. While we can give some insights, everyone’s strategy should be suited to their specific style. If we could provide the answers so simply, betting would be a lot more boring!
Here are our top four tips for developing your own March Madness betting strategy.
The base of every March Madness betting strategy is a bankroll management. That’s because it provides a baseline for you to test the other parts of your strategy. While there are a few approaches, the basic idea is the same: maintain consistency in your finances, so you can use it as a yardstick to measure your winnings.
There are two main approaches to bankroll management:
In the unit approach, you always wager the same amount on every single bet. It does not matter if it is a moneyline or a prop bet. It then becomes very simple to know how much more or less you are earning when you switch March Madness strategies from say underdog to favorites.
In the percentage approach, you always bet a set percentage of your remaining sportsbook balance. So let’s say you are going with 25% and you have $200 in your sportsbook account. Then, you would wager $50. Once you have $150, then you would wager $37.50, and so on. Of course, wants the winnings come back in, your risks will adjust accordingly as well.
Both approaches have their benefits and drawbacks. With the percentage approach, you can really stretch out the last bits of your entertainment budget, for example.
When looking at the Vegas odds for March Madness, you will quickly notice there are favorite, and there are underdogs. Some of them are bound ot be blowouts, while others will be quite close.
While it may seem counter intuitive to bet on underdogs. If they are less likely to win, why would you put money on them? Well, there are at least two reasons.
For one, there are bound to be some upsets. No sound Vegas March Madness betting strategy will bet only on favorites. The underdogs are bound to win now and then. The art is outsmarting the bookies and identifying when the underdog has an outsized chance of winning.
Another reason to bet on underdogs is that they are worth more. Because the risk is higher, you will earn even more money per dollar wagered. This means that if you bet only on profitable underdogs, you can lose a majority of your March Madness bets, and still come out the other end with a profit!
Once you lay out your best March Madness bets for the whole tournament, it is then time to take a step back. While each matchup may seem sound on its own, you should also take a global view to make sure that your overall March Madness strategy makes sense as a whole.
Some things to double check when taking this global view are that you have a good number of underdogs, but not too many. Also take a look and see if any of the teams may be suffering from more court fatigue than others. Having several tough games in a row could be the decisivie factor in close games.
The NCAA basketball tournament is a long journey. So, you will need some extra fuel to be sure you can get through the whale thing and see your strategy to completion. With so many bets happening simultaneously, you may have lots of funds tied up in futures. Bonuses can help you continue to bet while you wait for your winnings to come in.
Welcome bonuses can be very generous. At BetUS, you can choose between a 100% and a 125% welcome bonus. These are the types of choices we love to have!
Coventional wisdom says that the number one seed will win the tournament. This is not a guarantee, but it is very likely.
Between 2000 and 2022, the number one seed has been the NCAA basketball champion 15 times. However, anything can happen. UCONN won the whole thing in 2014 as a seven seed. So hold on tight! This tournament is always full of surprises.
Beginners often know a lot about March Madness before getting started, making it a great way to get in on the action!
This is a part of any good March Madness betting strategy. It focuses on selecting underdogs who you think are underrated. These bets are worth more than betting on favorites.
Prop bets require their own care and strategy. If you have a good eye for them, they can be a lucrative part of your March Madness betting portfolio.
This will depend on your own personal betting strengths. Check out this page for a detailed discussion of some effective betting strategies for the Big Dance.
Many sportsbooks offer promotions related to March Madness brackets. Take the time to plan your bracket carefully. While perfection is nearly impossible, the more you get right the better!
