Line Shopping in Sports Betting Explained: How to Find the Best Odds in 2025
Written by: Eddie Griffin
Published: Fri Feb 21, 2025, 08:18 AM
Read Time: 11 minutes
In the rapidly evolving landscape of sports betting, bettors have more options than ever before. With so many online sportsbooks competing for customer attention, understanding how to compare and leverage different betting lines has become an essential skill for both recreational and serious sports bettors. This practice, known as line shopping, is one of the most fundamental yet overlooked strategies that can significantly impact your long-term betting success.
Line shopping is the process of comparing odds and lines across multiple sportsbooks to find the best possible value for your wager. Just as a savvy consumer might compare prices across different stores before making a purchase, smart sports bettors know that securing the best available odds on every bet can be the difference between long-term profitability and losses.
While it may seem like a small detail, even modest improvements in the odds you receive can have a substantial impact on your bottom line over time.
In this guide, we will explore everything you need to know about line shopping in sports betting, from understanding its fundamental principles to implementing effective strategies for finding the best values. We will also discuss the importance of maintaining multiple sportsbook accounts at the best online sportsbooks and how to efficiently manage them to maximize your betting opportunities.
Find the Best Lines at the Best Online Sportsbooks
Understanding Line Shopping
At its core, line shopping is about maximizing value by finding the most favorable odds for any of your potential bets.
Different sportsbooks often offer varying odds on the same event due to factors such as their risk management strategies, betting volume, local market conditions, and their assessment of the event’s likely outcome. These differences create opportunities for bettors to secure better value by comparing options across multiple platforms.
Consider this fundamental truth of sports betting: getting -110 odds versus -115 odds might not seem significant for a single bet, but over hundreds or thousands of wagers, that small difference can represent thousands of dollars in potential profits or saved losses.
This principle applies to all types of bets, from moneylines and spreads to over/under bets and prop bets. It makes line shopping an essential practice regardless of your preferred betting markets.
What Are the Benefits of Line Shopping?
The most obvious benefit of line shopping is the immediate value it provides on individual bets.
For example, if you’re betting on NFL odds and one sportsbook offers the favorite at -6.5 (-110) while another has -6 (-110), securing the better spread could be the difference between a win and a push or a loss.
Similarly, finding a moneyline at +150 instead of +140 means an additional $10 in profit for every $100 wagered when your bet wins.
Beyond the immediate benefits, line shopping helps you develop a more comprehensive understanding of the betting market. By regularly comparing odds across different sportsbooks, you will start to recognize patterns in how lines move, as well as which books tend to offer the best values for specific sports or bet types.
This knowledge becomes invaluable as you develop your betting strategy and can help you identify profitable opportunities more quickly.
Real-World Examples of Line Shopping
Let’s examine some concrete examples of how line shopping can provide better value across different types of bets.
Consider the NBA odds for a matchup between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers, which is one of the biggest rivalries in American sports.
Bovada, which is one of the best NBA betting sites, might offer the Celtics as -5.5 point favorites at -110 odds. On the other hand, BetOnline, which is another top NBA betting site, has them at -5 points at the same price. If you like the Celtics to cover, the second option gives you a better chance to win with the lower spread.
For moneyline bets, the differences can be even more striking.
Consider MLB odds for a matchup in Los Angeles between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves, who are two of the top World Series contenders each year.
At Sportsbetting.ag, which is one of the best MLB betting sites, you may find the Braves as +155 underdogs, but they may be +145 at MyBookie. On a $100 bet, that difference means an extra $10 in profit if the Braves win at Dodger Stadium. Over a full season of betting on baseball, finding consistently better odds like this can add up to a significant boost to your bankroll.
Player props in the NBA and other leagues provide another excellent opportunity for line shopping. Consider an NHL points total for Connor McDavid. One sportsbook that carries NHL odds might set his over/under at 1.5 points with the over at -130, while another offers the same total with the over at -120. For frequent prop bettors, finding these better prices consistently can make the difference between a profitable and unprofitable betting season.
How to Line Shop Effectively
Successful line shopping begins with having accounts at multiple reputable sportsbooks.
While the exact number may vary based on your preferences and betting volume, serious bettors typically maintain accounts at five or more books to ensure they have access to a wide range of options.
It is important to choose safe and secure sports betting sites that offer competitive odds across the markets you plan to bet.
Organization and efficiency are crucial when line shopping. Rather than randomly checking different sportsbooks, develop a systematic approach to comparing odds.
Many experienced bettors use betting tools and resources that aggregate lines from multiple books in real-time and allow them to compare odds in one place. For example, at Betting News, you can compare odds from top sports betting sites for every game in the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL by accessing our individual matchup pages for contest.
These tools can save considerable time and ensure you don’t miss out on favorable odds. But even with these resources at your disposal, it is still important to understand how to manually compare odds and verify the information you see.
The Role of Technology in Line Shopping
Modern technology has revolutionized the way bettors can shop for lines. Odds comparison websites and mobile apps have made it easier than ever to quickly scan multiple sportsbooks for the best available odds.
These platforms typically update in real-time, allowing bettors to spot line movements and disparities as they happen. Some services even offer automated alerts when lines reach specific thresholds or move significantly, helping bettors capitalize on valuable opportunities.
Beyond odds comparison tools, many bettors use spreadsheets or specialized betting software to track their wagers, analyze their results, and identify which sportsbooks consistently offer the best odds for specific types of bets.
Mobile sites and apps have also made it possible to shop lines and place bets from anywhere. That gives bettors the flexibility to act quickly when they spot favorable odds.
However, as stated above, it is important to have a solid understanding of betting principles and careful, manual analysis. Technology should complement, not replace, that knowledge.
Managing Multiple Sportsbook Accounts and Their Importance
To effectively line shop, you should maintain adequate bankrolls across multiple sportsbooks.
This requires careful planning and bankroll management. Consider how much of your total betting bankroll you want to keep at each book. Take into account factors such as the quality of odds typically offered, sportsbook bonuses, and deposit and withdrawal speeds and options.
Having accounts at multiple sportsbooks is not just about finding the best available odds – it is about having options and flexibility in your betting strategy.
Keep detailed records of your account balances, deposits, withdrawals, and any active bonuses or promotions. This information helps you make quick decisions when you find favorable odds and ensures you can take advantage of opportunities without delay.
Different sportsbooks often specialize in different markets or offer unique promotions that can provide additional value. Some might have better lines on NFL games, while others excel in player props or tennis betting, soccer betting, or golf betting.
Additionally, maintaining multiple accounts helps protect you from technical issues or limitations at individual sportsbooks. If one platform is experiencing problems or has temporarily limited your action, you can still place your bets elsewhere.
This is especially key given how critical timing can be in sports betting, such as during live betting or when trying to catch a favorable line before it moves. It is also imperative to regularly review your accounts to ensure your funds are distributed optimally based on your betting patterns and the values each book provides.
Advanced Line Shopping Strategies
Understanding timing and market dynamics can enhance your line shopping success. Early lines, which are typically released days before an event, often present opportunities for value before the market settles. Early lines are most notable in the NFL betting, college football betting, and soccer betting, as teams do not play as frequently as teams in sports like baseball, basketball, and football.
Sharp bettors often target these opening lines, especially in major sports where early limits are higher. However, doing this requires strong market knowledge and quick decision-making.
Another advanced strategy involves understanding which sportsbooks tend to move their lines first and which follow.
Some books are known as market makers, often being the first to adjust their odds based on new information or betting activity. Other books tend to follow these movements more conservatively. Understanding these patterns can help you anticipate line movements and secure better odds before they change.
Applying Line Shopping to Betting Picks
When you have identified a betting opportunity, take the time to shop for the best line before placing your wager. This means checking all your available sportsbooks for the most favorable odds on your chosen bet.
Using websites and apps that streamline this process can save you time, but if you know your favorite sportsbooks well and visit them regularly, you will know how to manually find the odds you are looking for quickly.
Whatever method you choose to line shop, having your timing down is crucial. Lines can move quickly, especially in response to news or betting activity. Therefore, having a plan and being ready to act when you find favorable odds is important.
However, do not let the fear of missing out cause you to rush your decision-making process. Sometimes, waiting for better odds can be more profitable than jumping on the first acceptable line you find.
Common Line Shopping Mistakes to Avoid
One frequent mistake bettors make is failing to maintain sufficient bankrolls across their sportsbook accounts. This can lead to missing out on favorable odds because funds aren’t available at the right book at the right time.
Another common error is not factoring in the time and effort required for effective line shopping. Sometimes the potential gains from finding slightly better odds do not justify the time spent searching for them.
Some bettors also make the mistake of ignoring the importance of sportsbook reliability and reputation in their pursuit of better odds.
While finding the best price is important, it shouldn’t come at the expense of betting with reputable, financially stable sportsbooks that pay out promptly and treat customers fairly.
Additionally, do not fall into the trap of spreading yourself too thin across too many sportsbooks. This can make bankroll management and track-keeping unnecessarily complicated, and trying to track odds or place bets at too many betting sites can cause you to miss out on the best lines for another bet or take valuable time away from other betting or non-betting tasks.
Conclusion
Line shopping is a fundamental skill that every serious sports bettor should master. While it requires some initial effort to set up accounts and develop an efficient system for comparing odds, the long-term benefits far outweigh the investment of time and resources.
Even small improvements in the odds you secure can compound significantly over time. This makes line shopping one of the most reliable ways to improve your betting results.
Remember that successful sports betting is about finding and capitalizing on value wherever it exists. By making line shopping a regular part of your betting routine, you give yourself the best possible chance to maximize wins and minimize losses. Whether you bet casually or professionally, the principles and practices of effective line shopping should be central to your sports betting strategy.
Learn More About Sports Betting
This guide covers a lot of information that will serve sports betting beginners well, but it is just one of many guides we have for both new and experienced bettors.
Whether you want to learn about over/under bets, prop bets, and other types of bets, sportsbook bonuses, notable sports betting terms and phrases, or sports betting strategies such as hedging and middling, we have you covered.
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Line Shopping in Sports Betting FAQ
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