Line Shopping: The Easiest Way to Increase Your Betting Profits

The Simplest Edge in Sports Betting

If you're only betting with one sportsbook, you're leaving money on the table.

Line shopping means comparing odds across multiple sportsbooks and always betting at the best price. It's the easiest, most guaranteed way to improve your results.

No handicapping skill required. No complex math. Just discipline and multiple accounts.

How Much Does Line Shopping Matter?

Example: NFL spread bet

• Book A: Chiefs -3 (-110)
• Book B: Chiefs -3 (-105)
• Book C: Chiefs -2.5 (-115)

If you think the Chiefs cover, Book B gives you the best price at -105. Over time, getting -105 instead of -110 adds up significantly.

The math:

Betting $110 to win $100 at -110:

• Win rate needed to break even: 52.38%

Betting $105 to win $100 at -105:

• Win rate needed to break even: 51.22%

That 1.16% difference might seem small. Over 1,000 bets, it's the difference between losing and winning.

Line Shopping on Moneylines

The impact is even bigger on moneylines:

Example: Underdog bet

• Book A: Bengals +180
• Book B: Bengals +195
• Book C: Bengals +200

A $100 bet pays $180 at Book A or $200 at Book C. That's $20 more for the same bet.

For favorites:

• Book A: Chiefs -200
• Book B: Chiefs -185
• Book C: Chiefs -190

At -200, you bet $200 to win $100. At -185, you bet $185 to win $100. Same outcome, $15 less risk.

Line Shopping on Totals

Totals often have key number differences:

Example: Over/under

• Book A: Over 47.5 (-110)
• Book B: Over 48 (-105)
• Book C: Over 47 (-115)

If you like the over, Book C's 47 is a full point better than Book A's 47.5. You win pushes you would've lost elsewhere.

How to Line Shop Effectively

1. Have Multiple Sportsbook Accounts

You need at least 3-5 books to shop effectively. More is better.

Recommended starting lineup:

• 2-3 major regulated books (DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM)
• 1-2 sharper books (Pinnacle, Bookmaker)
• 1-2 regional books or offshore options

2. Check Multiple Books Before Every Bet

Make it a habit. Before clicking "place bet," spend 30 seconds checking other books.

Yes, every bet. The discipline is what makes it work.

3. Use Odds Comparison Tools

Manually checking 5+ books is tedious. Tools automate this:

Our value bet scanner compares odds across 400+ sportsbooks instantly, showing you where the best lines are.

4. Act Quickly on Best Lines

Good lines don't last. When you find the best price, bet it. If you wait an hour, it may be gone.

5. Don't Let Convenience Win

It's tempting to just bet wherever your money already is. Resist that laziness. The few extra clicks to check other books and possibly transfer funds is worth the EV.

The Half-Point Premium

In football, half-points around key numbers are worth more than you think.

Key numbers in NFL: 3, 7, 6, 10, 14

Getting -2.5 instead of -3 is huge. Landing on 3 happens about 15% of the time. That half-point covers pushes you would've lost and turns losses into pushes.

Valuing half-points:

• A half-point off 3 is worth about 1% of edge
• A half-point off 7 is worth about 0.5%
• A half-point off non-key numbers is worth about 0.2%

Line shopping to get -2.5 instead of -3 is essentially free EV.

Common Line Shopping Mistakes

1. Only Shopping Spreads

Moneylines often have bigger discrepancies than spreads. Props are even wider. Shop everything.

2. Ignoring Small Differences

"-108 vs -110, who cares?"

You should. Over 500 bets at $100 stakes, that's $200+ difference.

3. Not Having Enough Accounts

Two accounts isn't line shopping. Five is the minimum. Ten is better.

4. Waiting Too Long to Bet

The best lines move. If you find Chiefs -2.5 at one book when everyone else has -3, bet it now. It won't last.

5. Forgetting About Reduced Juice Books

Some books offer reduced juice (better odds) on standard bets:

• -105 instead of -110 on sides
• No vig on specific markets

These books should be in your rotation.

Line Shopping + Value Betting

Line shopping becomes even more powerful combined with value betting.

Standard value betting: Find bets where your odds beat the true probability.

Line shopping + value betting: Find value, then get the best price on that value.

Our +EV scanner does both simultaneously: identifies positive expected value bets and shows which book has the best odds.

Bankroll Management Across Books

Line shopping requires spreading your bankroll:

Challenge: Money is split across 5+ books. You might find the best line at a book with low balance.

Solutions:

1. Keep minimum balances everywhere: $200-500 per book minimum
2. Fund your most-used books more: Sharp books and best-odds books get more capital
3. Transfer regularly: Move money weekly based on where you're betting most
4. Track balances: Our bet tracker helps monitor balances across all sportsbooks

When Line Shopping Isn't Worth It

Very small bets: If you're betting $5, spending 10 minutes to save $0.25 isn't worthwhile.

Live betting: Lines move too fast. Getting any bet down matters more than optimizing.

Arbitrage: You need specific lines at specific books. Shopping is built into the strategy.

Illiquid markets: Some props only exist at one or two books.

The Compound Effect

Line shopping's impact compounds over time:

Year 1:

• 500 bets at average $100 stake
• Save 1% per bet through line shopping
• Extra profit: $500

Year 3:

• 2,000 total bets
• Extra profit: $2,000

Career:

• 10,000 bets
• Extra profit: $10,000+

And that's assuming just 1% improvement. Active shoppers often save 2-3% per bet.

Key Takeaways

• Line shopping is the easiest way to improve betting results
• Have at least 5 sportsbook accounts to shop effectively
• Check multiple books before every bet; make it a habit
• Half-points on key numbers (3, 7) are worth significant edge
• Small differences matter: -108 vs -110 adds up over hundreds of bets
• Use odds comparison tools like our value bet scanner
• Shop everything: spreads, moneylines, totals, and props
• Act fast on best lines; good prices don't last
• Spread bankroll across books and track balances
• The compound effect turns small savings into thousands over time