NBA parlays today

How NBA parlays work on Polymarket

A parlay combines several picks, for example three NBA favourites, into one position. If all three win you are paid the combined odds; if one loses, the whole parlay loses. NBA nights often have several games at once, which makes basketball a common home for parlays.

Polymarket's product for this is called Combos. According to Polymarket's help center, Combos are currently available on sports markets only (moneyline, spread and total), and Polymarket US documentation describes combining between 2 and 10 legs, priced through a request-for-quote auction. See how parlays work on Polymarket for the full walkthrough.

Placed as separate trades, each leg is its own bet and nothing pays out as one parlay. Polycord's tickets are ideas: the Bet on Polymarket button lists each leg with a link straight to its market, and Polycord never places a bet for you.

How to read NBA prices on Polymarket

A Polymarket share pays $1 if its outcome happens, so the price in cents is the implied chance, and the payout multiplier is 1 ÷ price. A team at 70¢ is given about a 70% chance and pays 1 ÷ 0.70 ≈ 1.43x (illustrative prices, not today's lines).

Need American odds or fractions? Use the odds converter, or read how to read Polymarket odds.

The maths of an NBA parlay

Take three NBA favourites priced at 75¢, 70¢ and 65¢ (example prices). The parlay pays 1 ÷ (0.75 × 0.70 × 0.65) ≈ 2.93x, and the implied chance that all three win is 0.75 × 0.70 × 0.65 ≈ 34%. Each leg is a clear favourite, yet the parlay loses about two times out of three.

• Each extra leg cuts the chance. Add a fourth 65¢ leg and the chance falls to about 22%.
• Legs are not always independent. Picks from the same game or the same night can be linked, so the product is only a guide.
• Fees and the spread are extra. See the fees section below.

Try your own numbers in the parlay calculator, or build a random one for fun with the Parlay Printer or Parlay Slot.

What to look at when building an NBA parlay

No one can promise winning picks. What you can do is know what each choice does to the odds, and check the things that move NBA prices:

• Injuries and rest. A star sitting out can change a price a lot. Check the latest injury report before you bet, and remember prices move when lineups are announced.
• Schedule. Teams on the second night of back-to-back games, or at the end of a road trip, are often priced with that in mind.
• Keep it short. Every extra leg shrinks the chance of cashing. Two to four legs is the range Polycord uses.
• One pick per game. Two legs from one game are correlated.
• Check liquidity. Thin markets have wide spreads, so the price you see may not be what you get.
• Stake what you can afford to lose. A parlay can lose your whole stake.

Fees on NBA bets

Polymarket charges no deposit or withdrawal fee, and only takers pay trading fees. For sports the taker rate is 0.05, and the fee is shares × 0.05 × price × (1 − price). Buying a 75¢ NBA favourite at market costs about 0.05 × 0.25 ≈ 1.25% of what you spend; limit orders that wait to be filled pay no fee. The bid-ask spread is a separate cost. More in Polymarket fees explained.

Moneyline, spread and total

• Moneyline: which team wins the game, overtime included. Polycord's tickets are built from game-winner (moneyline) markets.
• Spread: a team must win, or lose by less than a set number of points. Polymarket Combos can include spread markets.
• Total: whether both teams' combined points go over or under a set number.

New to Polymarket? Start with how to place your first bet.

Frequently asked questions