Line Shopping

What Is Line Shopping?

Line shopping is similar to any other kind of shopping. When you’re looking for a new TV, you probably shop around a bit and see who has the best price. Line shopping works the same way.

To successfully line shop, you simply pick a line (spread, total, or moneyline) and compare it across two or more sportsbooks. The one with the best odds is the one that offers you the best return, and you should bet that line. That’s basically it in a nutshell, although it can get very involved the more serious you are about betting.

For example, some sites or locals will cut you off, or limit you, while others will offer higher limits. Some books are less risky and faster than others as far as payouts. But for all intents and purposes, you should be betting the best line, since it gives you the best payout and return on your money.

Basic Line Shopping Examples: Spread, Moneyline, and Total

Let’s take a quick look at some basic line shopping examples and how they are used in everyday sports betting. There are three basic types of lines offered by most sportsbooks: spreads, moneylines, and totals. Each spread and total also has a moneyline associated with it (such as the commonly quoted -110). Each aspect of the line is critical to making sure you get the best price.

To correctly line shop, first pick a side or total that you are interested in.

Not all half points are created equal, however.

The specifics are beyond the scope of this article, but a basic internet search will yield great results when checking to see how much each half point is worth in each sport. We can say that the key numbers in the NFL are 3 and 7, and you should look for sportsbooks that offer lines that vary from each other when they are at or near those numbers.

Many odds comparison sites update fairly quickly. There are also paid services that offer real-time odds. Again, the internet is your friend here.

The same basic concepts of line shopping apply whether you are betting a spread, a total, or a moneyline. If one book lists Cleveland +150, while another offers Cleveland +175, it’s clear where you should place your bet, if you plan on taking Cleveland.

Using Line Shopping To ‘Become the Book’

If you are a book and accepting bets at the standard -110 vig, you will show a nice profit over the long run, provided your lines are generally close to the consensus, or market. Using a site such that compares odds, you can easily view lines from many sportsbooks all at once and all on one screen. This allows you to see where most books stand, and to point out differences in the lines.

You can effectively ‘become the book’ in some cases where lines are off by 1.5 or more points, by simply picking the side that is mispriced. It can help add a lot to your bottom line to search for these opportunities, because you really don’t even need an opinion on the game to make a profitable bet, all you need to do is figure out the consensus line, find other sportsbooks that deviate from that line, and bet the side that is incorrectly priced.

The consensus line is usually pretty easy to spot, and using top rated, quality, highly liquid shops is the best way to find out what the ‘true line’ is.

Steam Chasing and Stale Lines

There are two terms related to line shopping that often come up. The first is steam chasing. This occurs when lots of money (steam) comes pouring in on one side, causing a big jump in the line to try and attract money to the other side. This can quickly avalanche as more and more money tries to ‘chase’ the ‘steam’ and get in before the line skyrockets even higher.

Stale lines are directly related to steam chasing. If the line starts moving at one place, then the vast majority of other books will move in concert with the original book in order to not be flat footed. However, sometimes books are slow at moving their lines, and this is where a stale line can come into play.

Always take advantage of stale lines when you see them, because they usually don’t last long.