You might have heard of the term “backwards straddle” when talking about poker, but did you know that “action reverse” is also a common way to refer to betting in basketball?
Here’s where things get interesting: As a basketball bettor, you’re used to making smart bets, but what happens when you’re actually playing against smart money? How do you keep up?
Let’s dive into the nitty gritty of “action reverse” to find out more.
What Is “Action Reverse”?
As explained on the Texas Hold ‘Em Poker Wiki, “action reverse” is a combination of the words “action” and “backwards” that refers to a situation in which you’re playing against “smarty money” or professional players:
- You, as the person playing against the smart money or pros, act on behalf of the casino, shuffling your cards, raising, or folding,
- While they act on behalf of the house, making their moves based on pre-arranged scripts that are designed to catch you out and knock you out of the game.
- This is especially effective in multi-player games, where a team of specialists tracks your every move and beats you with superior strategy because they know what you’re thinking and how you’re planning to react.
So, as a basketball bettor, what happens when the other team is “smarter” than you? Let’s find out.
How Is “Action Reverse” Different From “Traditional” Basketball Betting?
There are actually a few subtle differences between “traditional” or one-on-one basketball betting and “action reverse”. Let’s dive into them.
- In “traditional” basketball betting, you’ll often be presented with multiple betting options. For example, you might have a favorite player in a particular game, and because of this, you’ll usually be presented with a list of players and teams to choose from when placing your bet. With “action reverse”, however, you’re often only presented with a single choice, limiting your betting options. Remember: You’re playing against the “house,’ so the odds are always in their favor. In this case, they’re typically between 10:1 and 15:1, depending on the tournament. If you do your homework and catch them out, however, you might be able to get a lower rate for your wagers.
- In most tournaments, there’s more than one game per day. This means you’ll have to be selective about which games you watch, especially if you want to keep up with everything. You can’t do this if you’ve got “action reverse”, where the games are often on multiple days and can be played at any time. This makes things even more difficult, since you have to be at your best every single gameweek to keep up with everything. Even if you are, however, the smarter team member in your group, you’ll eventually lose because of the sheer number of moves they make against you. The most effective strategy, therefore, is to team up with a buddy and split the games evenly – watching one game per day, if possible.
- In “action reverse”, you’re not only playing against the other team, but you’re also playing against the “house’. In most cases, this means that the odds are always in their favor and you can’t rely on luck to get you out of tough situations. In some instances, it might also mean that the ‘house’ has an edge because they know your tendencies. In the long term, this can work in your favor, but in the short term, it can be the difference between winning and losing.
How Do You Play Against “Action Reverse”?
Being able to play against the best is a perk that comes with being “the house.’ “Action reverse” isn’t for the faint of heart, but if you’re up for the challenge, here’s what you can do to get the edge:
- Carry out a full analysis of the opposing team. Identify their strengths and weaknesses and decide what moves you’re going to make against them. For example, if you know they like to go for the 3-pointer, but you have a good defense, you might want to kick them out to the perimeter where their shot isn’t as deadly. Alternatively, you could play them more aggressively and get your hands on the ball more often to create more scoring opportunities. (This is called “reading’ “them.)
- In the short term, use your analysis of the other team to your advantage. For example, if you know that they like to go for 3’s, you could pack the paint to prevent them from taking advantage of your weak defense or take them out to the perimeter where their shooting is less efficient.
- In the long term, use your analysis of the other team to your advantage. For example, if you know that they like to go for 3’s, you could play them more aggressively and get your hands on the ball more often to create more scoring opportunities.
What Are Some Examples Of “Action Reverse”?
To give you a better understanding of “action reverse,’ let’s look at a few examples of how it’s played and how you could potentially exploit it.
- In an eight-team tournament, the first team to win four games wins the entire thing. In this case, since there’s only one week of action, you’d want to keep track of how many games each team has won so far. After the tournament, you could contact the other teams to find out who won each game and which team has the best chance of winning the entire thing. This is especially effective if three or more teams are tied at the end of regulation or in overtime. In this case, you need to contact the organizers and ask for a tie-breaker, or if they have an odd number of teams, you could ask for a play-off to determine the winner.
- In the 2015 NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Championship, the No. 1-seeded Villanova Wildcats opened up their title defense with a 91-62 win over the No. 8-seeded Baylor Bears. Leading up to the game, Villanova opened as a 2.5-point underdog. With the game well in hand and the score at 59-39 in favor of the Wildcats in the fourth quarter, you’d want to enter a 10-bet on Villanova at 65-45. You could also check the trends before the game to get an idea of how people are betting. In this case, Villanova is a 5-1 favorite. The game ended 89-72 in favor of Villanova, showing the effectiveness of your strategy. (You can see the exact wagers here.)
- On March 12th, 2007, the No. 1-seeded LSU Tigers opened up their title defense with a 63-49 win over the No. 8-seeded Michigan Wolverines. Leading up to the game, Michigan was a 5.5-point underdog. You could also use this to your advantage by avoiding the overrated Wolverines and backing the Tigers, whose +4.5 spread is one of the largest against any team in the country. (You can see the exact wagers here.)
- On March 17th, 2005, the No. 1-seeded USC Trojans won their second consecutive NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship with an 85-77 win over the No. 8-seeded Minnesota Golden Gophers. Leading up to the game, Minnesota was a 7.5-point underdog. You could also use this to your advantage by avoiding the overrated Golden Gophers and backing the Trojans, whose +4.5 spread is one of the largest against any team in the country. (You can see the exact wagers here.)
- On April 4th, 2015, the No. 1-seeded UConn Huskies won their third consecutive NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship 71-63 over the No. 8-seeded Florida Gators. Leading up to the game, Florida was a 4-point underdog, but many bookies had them as heavy favorites. You could also use this to your advantage by avoiding the overrated Gators and backing the underdogs, the Huskies. (You can see the exact wagers here.)