When you shop for something, how do you spend your money? Are you an impulse buyer? Or are you one that does endless amounts of research to make sure you are getting the best deal? The same needs to be said about line shopping when making your bets.
Most often, consumers are on the continuous search for value. They want the best available product or service for the best price they can find in the market.
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It’s no different in the sports betting market. There are plenty of bettors that simply lay down bets on impulse. Many casual players wager without even thinking they might be able to find a better deal somewhere else.
It is possible to find better deals by line shopping. Just like you shop for groceries at a few different stores, you can shop for better odds at a few different sportsbooks. Doing so can make a big difference in your bank roll.
Why Line Shopping
There are all sorts of strategies that a bettor can employ to be successful in sports gambling.
There are strategies for individual sports like college football or college basketball. There is the Zig Zag Theory and there is arbitrage betting. There are even systems – the Kelly Criterion, for example – that bettors can follow to improve their winning percentage.
But, the simple strategy of line shopping for better odds can provide instant success. Here’s how.
Are Odds That Different?
The easy answer to that question is “yes” odds are different at different sportsbooks. Just like the per pound price of steak is different from Grocery Store A than it is at Grocery Store B, you will find different prices on the same bet at different online sportsbooks.
Look at the following example.
Sportsbook A
Orlando +8.5 (-110) +275 209 (-115) O
Milwaukee -8.5 (-110) -350 209 (-105) U
Sportsbook B
Orlando +7.5 (-110) +250 211 (-112) O
Milwaukee -7.5 (-110) -330 211 (-108) U
Notice that the Bucks are favored in both, but at Sportsbook A, you have to pay $350 to win $100. At Sportsbook B, you only have to pay $330. The same can be said if you like the Magic to win outright. It’s better if you bet them on the moneyline at Sportsbook A, getting a $275 return as opposed to a $250 return at B.
Where line shopping really counts is when you get a half point on your side on the spread. How many times have you lost a bet by a point, or a half point?!? The smarter bettor will always have multiple sportsbooks so they can shop for a line and get a better line.
Consensus Odds
It pays for sports bettors to have accounts at multiple sportsbooks. Do they need to have one at every single sportsbook? No, of course not, but it pays to have at least two and maybe even three.
Bettors interested in line shopping should search for consensus odds. To save time in checking odds at a variety of sportsbooks, consensus odds gives bettors odds from a number of different sportsbooks all organized in easy-to-read fashion.
Whether you are a novice sports bettor or you professionally handicap sports events, the easiest way to win more bets is to have multiple sportsbooks so you can shop for the best line.
Bettors can then track the best odds for given games so they can find the best value. Those value bets add up and over time can add considerably to your bank roll.
