Line shopping is the key that unlocks the best odds and lines at top sports betting sites.
The process is as simple as checking the lines and odds for your prospective bet at multiple online sports betting sites. The result is quite often better odds and improved lines.
What is line shopping, and why is it worth your time? Find the answers below in our complete guide to line shopping.
How do sportsbooks set odds and lines?
The best sportsbooks employ oddsmakers and oddsmaking services to set their lines and odds.
Other sports betting apps simply copy those lines. The oddsmakers and oddsmaking services use computer models and algorithms that consider analytics, statistics, injury and roster news, performance, matchup data, and more to develop the lines and odds.
Betting lines and odds are then subject to change based on the betting public’s reaction and any additional information that comes to light ahead of the game. Sportsbooks will move the line or change the odds if the public bets heavily on one side.
Every sportsbook’s goal is to even out the betting on both sides of every bet. That allows sportsbooks to earn the profit built into the odds and lines without worrying about which side wins.
The betting is rarely the same at every sportsbook. While one sportsbook may be forced to move a line or change the odds because of betting, another won’t. That’s when you’ll spot a difference between sportsbooks. This difference may allow you to book a bet at improved odds or a more favorable line.
The lines and odds may even be different right from the jump. Either way, the differences are why line shopping always makes sense. Shop around, and you can find opportunities to lay less, win more, and improve your chances.
Shop for the best lines at online sportsbooks
Below is a live odds feed that shows you the differences between lines and odds for the same bets at many of the top sportsbooks in the country. Look here for current opportunities.
FanDuel Sportsbook
FanDuel is committed to posting competitive odds and runs so many generous promos and odds boosts that it is always worth a look.
How to find the best lines and odds for any bet
Shopping around lets you find the best lines and odds for any bet. That means checking the posted lines and odds for the same bets at different sportsbooks.
You can do this for moneylines, point spreads, totals bets, prop bets, and more. Finding the best line or better odds on any bet is like finding money.
You can shop around using multiple sportsbook apps on your phone or live odds feeds like the one above. Pick a side, then use the drop-down menus and tabs to find the odds and lines for that bet.
Finally, bet when you see an opportunity at better odds or an improved line compared to the competition.
Line shopping for futures
People tend to bet futures at their favorite online sportsbook. However, shopping for better odds on any future bet is worth your time. Most game lines are similar at different sportsbooks, but the odds in futures markets can vary significantly.
Sportsbooks sometimes have higher liabilities for specific teams and offer better odds on others to lay that off. Timing is everything.
Get it right, and you can easily take advantage of changes in different futures markets due to liability. However, the only way to find these opportunities is shopping lines.
See more: NFL futures bets
Can I get a better line or odds after I’ve already bet?
When you bet, you lock in the odds or line as currently posted. If they change, for better or worse, you’re stuck with the odds from when you wagered.
That’s precisely why you should go line shopping before you bet. Of course, if significant changes occur, you can take more action at the improved odds or more favorable line.
Is line shopping worth my time?
Because it can provide you the opportunity to lay less, win more, and improve your chances, line shopping is certainly worth your time. Plus, it doesn’t have to take up all that much of it.
Use the live odds feed above to do a basic survey. You’ll find it takes just seconds to compare lines and odds. Plus, download and install multiple licensed online sportsbook apps on your phone, and you can do a more thorough shop in just a few minutes.
Getting more points or laying fewer on a typical NFL point spread or NBA point spread might lead to winning a bet you’d otherwise lose. Plus, if you find better odds on any bet, you can potentially drop fewer dollars when you lose and earn more when you win.
Shopping lines will help you consistently find the best prices on your bets. It won't help you pick more winners, but it will improve your chances and lead to bigger wins and more affordable losses. That’s undoubtedly worth your time.
For example, you might like the Kansas City Chiefs to beat the Cincinnati Bengals in a mid-season NFL game. Say you look around and see that three of four licensed online sportsbooks in your state have the Chiefs as -3 favorites, but the fourth has them at just -2.5.
Let’s say the Chiefs win by exactly three, a distinct possibility since a single field goal decides most NFL games. Bets at the first three sportsbooks would push. However, you’d have a winner at the fourth. If you didn’t shop around, you’d never have found that half-point victory and be stuck with a push instead of a profit.
What is the Vegas line?
Las Vegas sportsbooks set the standard for lines and odds across the country. If a sportsbook is copying a line, it’s usually copying the Vegas line. Most online betting sites don’t stray too far from the Vegas line, using it as a foundation for setting all lines in every major sport.
If those lines do shift, it’s usually because of increased betting on one side of a bet. Shop lines locally, and you can take advantage when sportsbooks stray from the Vegas line.
Why do the lines move?
It’s worth reiterating that sportsbooks want an equal amount of money bet on each side of every bet. When that happens, they earn the small profit built into the odds without concern about who wins or loses.
Sportsbooks want even betting so much that they’ll move a line or change the odds to draw more bets to the other side to get it that way.
That’s when you’ll see a difference between the lines and odds. Every sportsbook jumps on board when a line moves or odds change for a legitimate reason, like an injury or roster move. It’ll be difficult for you to find value in that case.
But when a line moves or odds change because of betting patterns, only the sportsbook that saw the betting makes the change. That’s your opportunity right there.
Line shopping is a tool to help you spot changes due to betting patterns. Then, you can simply take advantage of movement in a line or changes in the odds.
Choose a side, shop around at online sportsbooks, compare the lines and odds, and then pounce when you find one that has something different and more favorable to your viewpoint.
See more: What is a parlay bet?