The Grueling Truth - Where Legends Speak / Betting Strategies / Best Basketball Betting Strategy in 2026 / Best March Madness Betting Strategy for 2026

Best March Madness Betting Strategy for 2026: Experts Strategies for the Current Season

Mike Goodpaster

TwitterFacebookLinkedIn

Chief Editor

Publish Date: 03/23/2023

Fact checked by: Simon Briffa

It’s one of the most exciting times of the year for US sports bettors as the 2023 NCAA tournament gets underway. The national tournament features some of the best basketball teams nation-wide, where they all compete against each other for the ultimate prize at winning the national championship. If you’re looking to place a few bets but you’re unsure on what to place your hard earned money from, not a problem. We’ve got you covered with our March Madness Betting Strategy guide!

4.6/5

DraftKings Review

New DraftKings Customers: Bet $5+ Get $100 in Bonus Bets Instantly!

USA Players Welcome

Bet now

GAMBLING PROBLEM? CALL 1-800-GAMBLER or 1-800-MY-RESET, (800) 327-5050 or visit gamblinghelplinema.org (MA). Call 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY). Please Gamble Responsibly. 888-789-7777/visit ccpg.org (CT), or visit www.mdgamblinghelp.org (MD), 1-800-981-0023 (PR). 21+ and present in most states. (18+ DC/KY/NH/PR/WY). Void in NH/OR/ONT/PR. Eligibility restrictions apply. On behalf of Boot Hill Casino (KS). Pass-thru of per wager tax may apply in IL. 1 per new DraftKings customer. $5+ first-time bet req. Max. $100 issued as non-withdrawable Bonus Bets that expire in 7 days (168 hours). Stake removed from payout. Terms: Promos | DraftKings Sportsbook . Ends 5/31/26 at 11:59 PM ET.

4.6/5

FanDuel Review

New Users – Bet $5 Get $150 If Your Bet Wins!

USA Players Welcome

Bet now

Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or 1-800-MY-RESET. Call 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT). Hope is here. GamblingHelplineMA.org or call (800) 327-5050 for 24/7 support (MA). Visit mdgamblinghelp.org (MD). Call 1-877-8HOPE-NY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY). 21+ (18+ DC, KY, WV). Void where prohibited. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit www.gamblersanonymous.org . Must be 21+ in NJ, PA, MI, or WV. $10 first deposit req. Bonus issued as non-withdrawable bonus spins which expire 7 days after receipt. Restrictions apply. Contact 1-877-770-7867 (LA).

4.5/5

BetMGM Review

Up To $1500 in Bonus Bets Paid Back if your First Bet Does Not Win

USA Players Welcome

Bet now

Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or 1-800-MY-RESET (Available in the US) 877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY) 1-800-327-5050 (MA), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA), 1-800-981-0023 (PR). 21+ only. Please Gamble Responsibly. See BetMGM.com for Terms. First Bet Offer for new customers only (if applicable). Subject to eligibility requirements. Bonus bets are non-withdrawable. In partnership with Kansas Crossing Casino and Hotel. Promotional offers not available in Mississippi, New York, Ontario, or Puerto Rico.

Caesars Review

Bet $1 and get double the winnings up to $25 for your next 10 bets

USA Players Welcome

Best Alternative

Open DraftKings

21+ New users only. Must register using eligible promo code. First bet after registration must qualify. Max. Bonus Bet: $1,000. Bonus Bet expires 14 days after receipt. Void where prohibited. See Caesars.com/promos for full terms. Gambling Problem? 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537)

Barstool Review

USA Players Welcome

Best Alternative

Open DraftKings

Table of Contents

Top March Madness Betting Strategies Guide
Different Type of March Madness Bets
Conclusion
Our Current Top March Madness Bonuses

Top March Madness Betting Strategies Guide

Whether you’ve placed a bet or not on the NCAA basketball tournament, now’s the chance to ride this money train! With so many games occurring in such a short space of time, the betting opportunities are endless. Before you get too ahead of yourself, make sure you read our March Madness Betting Strategy guide below.

Do Your Research

Just as we had explained in our Basketball betting strategies, pior to placing a bet on any game, it’s important to look into a few things first. You gotta look at the past records held by the teams in question, look at their recent performances, if they have any key players which may be out on injury or anything else that might affect the outcome of the game and more importantly, your bets.

Don’t Disregard the Underdogs

What’s even better than getting paid on really good odds when a small school team beats a favorite? That’s exactly what happened last week when Princeton stunned and overcame Arizona in the first round. March Madness is known to produce some thrilling upsets as every year, low-seed teams seem to overcome their seemingly superior opponents creating a very exciting atmosphere, unexpected results and huge potential gains on your bets! If you’re planning on placing a bet on an upset, be sure to choose a team which focuses strongly on their defense or where they excel in different parts of the game.

An Often Overlooked Strategy

When placing bets on March Madness or any other tournament as a matter of fact, make sure you set a bet budget and stick to it! Whilst sometimes it’s almost unavoidable to get invested in a game or tournament, avoid making emotional bets based on your biases. Consider placing smaller wagers on multiple games and markets rather than placing a huge chunk of your budget on one game or outcome. Analyze each teams’ defensive and offensive capabilities and try to predict if the total number of points will be over or under the given line.

Best Brand

DraftKings Promo

New DraftKings Customers: Bet $5+ Get $100 in Bonus Bets Instantly!

Get bonus now

Best Slots

FanDuel Promo

New Users – Bet $5 Get $150 If Your Bet Wins!

Get bonus now

Newcomer

BetMGM Promo

Up To $1500 in Bonus Bets Paid Back if your First Bet Does Not Win

Get bonus now

Award

Caesars Promo

Bet $1 and get double the winnings up to $25 for your next 10 bets

–

Different Type of March Madness Bets

When betting, one can find an absolute variety of bets and markets to place your money on, same goes for March Madness. Such bets can include moneyline bets, point spread bets and over/under bets, with each of these bets bringing their own unique rewards, but they also bring with them a certain amount of risk. It’s important to fully understand how each of these work.

March Madness Point Spread Betting

With point spread betting you’ll be betting against the spread rather than the actual winner of the game. So that means you’re betting on a team to win by more or less than a certain number of points. Make sure you do your research on the teams so see if the point spread is reasonable enough.

March Madness Moneyline Betting

The most straightforward way to bet. With a moneyline bet you’re determining which team will win the game. If you’re new to betting, you might want to consider starting off with a few moneyline bets, and to research whether it’s a good idea to place a moneyline bet on the underdog team.

March Madness Futures Betting

In futures betting, you’ll be placing your bets to determine an event which will happen in the future, such as the tournament winner or MVP honors. Futures bets can be placed either before the tournament has begun or even during the tournament but, the odds will change depending on various outcomes. The good thing about futures is that they offer a huge potential payout however, picking the right outcome might prove to be challenging.

March Madness Betting Odds

It’s important that before diving into placing any bets that you check the betting offs. The odds will give you a sense of which team is favored to win, thus helping you make your decisions. You should also have a look at our March Madness sweet 16 odds page where we cover the odds and win probability for all teams participating in the tournament, whilst our Sweet 16 predictions will dive even further to help you make the most bang out of your buck!

Conclusion

As I’m sure you’ve noticed by now, the NCAA tournament is an exciting time for sports bettors and you can make it even more exciting by taking a strategic approach to help increase your chances of winning your bets. Do your research, follow our guide and you’ll be raking in those winnings in no time.