What is a sports betting line?

In this article, we will discuss what a sports betting line is. Let us analyze the basic concept of this term and narrower meanings, we will disassemble the line into its constituent elements. Let's talk about what the opening and closing lines are, how they are formed. Let's get acquainted with the fundamentals of the principles by which all bookmakers in the world work. Complaints about the volume are not accepted, because it will be interesting.

What is a line in sports betting

In the broadest sense, it is the entire set of betting options and outcomes that the bookmaker offers. This is the first thing that you see when you go to the website of the bookmaker's office - part of the line right on the main page of the site. As a rule, the most popular events and markets that the bookmaker offers are located there.

This is the line, or rather, its visible part. In the center of the event from the live line, on the left is the list of sports offered in the line. If you scroll down, there will be a prematch line, which was formed by the bookmaker. Sometimes only pre-match offers are called a line, that is, outcomes for matches that have not yet begun. The stable phrase "line bet" means that the bet was made in a prematch, before the start of the game.

In a narrower sense, this is what the bookmakers offer for a separate match. That is, the entire set of outcomes offered for the event is called the line for the match. It is also sometimes called a painting for a match, but in general, these are slightly different things.

This is the line that the bookie suggested for a tennis match. Also, sometimes they also distinguish between the main line and the painting. The main line is the main outcomes - wins, main handicaps and totals. As a rule, they are displayed on the event page, and by clicking you can get into the event list, which sometimes contains up to one and a half to two thousand bet options.

That is, the main line of the event is highlighted with a rectangular marker, and a button for switching to a full list, in which you can find 1,483 options for a bet, with an oval marker.

Another stable term is equal line. These are markets containing opposite outcomes, the odds of which are equal or very close. In this example, the quotes of the main handicaps and totals for a basketball game.

Perhaps these are all the meanings of the word "line" that can be heard in the context of sports betting. Now let's break down the line into its component parts.

Elements of bookmaker lines

Sports in BC lines

One of the main elements of the bookmaker's lines is a list of sports on which it is suggested to place bets. As a rule, it is located on the left side of the bookmaker's website. Large bookmakers offer betting on 30-40 disciplines, among which you can even find such exotic things as squash, cricket, beach volleyball or dog racing.

After choosing a sport, we get into the list of leagues available for betting on this sport. Sometimes it opens in the same left menu, and sometimes in the center of the screen, as in the example of this office. The number of leagues available directly depends on the popularity of the sport. For football, large offices offer several hundred leagues and competitions. And for American football, it's good if there is a main championship - the American NFL.

If we click on the selected league, we will get to the list of available events (matches) in this league. Here you can already partially see the odds - the main line for the match. To get into the full list of the event, you need to click on the button highlighted with a marker. The number shown there means the number of selections available for betting on this match.

So, we are in the list of the event. The variability of the list depends on the level of the bookmaker, on the popularity of the event, on the level of the tournament at which it takes place. The number of events in the list can vary from two (only bare outcomes of the confrontation) to one and a half to two thousand. The collection of several related outcomes is called a market.

In the picture we see the “Asian Total Goals” market, and its individual variants are outcomes. Modern bookmakers have come up with a lot of markets.

Which markets can be found in the list of the bookmaker's office:

1. Betting on wins (or 1-X-2 if there is a draw);
2. Double outcomes (for example, winning the first or a draw);
3. Handicaps (winning with a certain level of advantage);
4. Asian handicaps (quarters);
5. Totals (number of goals, pucks, sets, points);
6. Asian totals (quarters);
7. Individual team totals (number of goals for one team);
8. Bets on exact match scores and their ranges;
9. Exact score difference;
10. Both teams will score or not (as well as many other goal bets);
11. Bets on individual segments of the match (halves, periods, quarters, sets, fifteen-minute intervals, and so on);
12. Combined outcomes (outcomes composed of two or more events, for example, “both will score and the total is over 2.5 goals” or “The team will win the first half and the match”).

This is the basic painting that most bookmakers offer in the line. Advanced offices make the lines even more diverse. They suggest betting on specific authors of goals, doubles, hat-tricks, comparing the performance of the playing segments, which event will happen in the match earlier, on the exact number and ranges of goals, on game statistics (corners, warnings, throw-ins, send-offs, aces, tie-breaks , fouls, interceptions, ball possession percentage) and much more.

Also esports stands apart, there can be very unusual outcomes for a sports bettor, for example, “who will kill Roshan first” or “total inhibitors destroyed”. Another exception is outrights - long-term bets on the winner of the tournament, the top scorer of the championship, the exit from the group stage, and so on.

Live line

The live line is usually placed in a separate section by bookmakers. It contains events that are currently taking place, right now. They also have their own list, a large selection of markets and outcomes to bet on. Live lines are distinguished by high dynamics of coefficient change, increased margins and reduced limits when compared with a prematch.

Live events are accompanied by detailed infographics that illustrate in detail everything that happens on the field (ice, court, parquet). Many live events are also provided with a video broadcast - a live picture from the scene.

Odds (quotes)

Another important element of bookmaker lines is odds. Bettors visit the bookmaker's website precisely in order to evaluate the quotes, and not to stare at the names of the teams and bright banners.

What is highlighted with markers, like all the other numbers in the picture, are the odds on the outcomes of the event in the line. What do these numbers mean?

First of all, the odds make it clear how much the bet will be paid out on a given outcome. If you bet 1,000 rubles at a coefficient of 2.20, then in case of success you will receive a payment from the office of 2,200 rubles (1,000 x 2.2). If the bet amount is subtracted from the payout amount, then the net profit from this bet will be obtained: 2,200 - 1,000 = 1,200 rubles of net profit.

Also, the odds contain information about the assessment of the probability of outcomes, as the bookmaker sees it. The higher the bookmaker estimates the probability of the outcome, the lower the odds on it will be. Roughly speaking, in the match “Barcelona” - “Torpedo” the bookmaker will not give equal odds to win. On Barça the coefficient will be very low, about 1.1, and on “Torpedo” - high. You can determine the approximate probability by dividing one hundred by the outcome coefficient.

In this example, the bookmaker estimated the probabilities of the outcomes like this:

1. Win 1: 100 divide by quotes 3.72 ~ 26.88%
2. Draw: 100 divide by quotes 3.02 ~ 33.11%
3. Win 2: 100 divide by quotes 2.05 ~ 48, 78%

Thus, it becomes clear that the second team is the favorite in this match according to this office, and has almost 50% chances of success with three possible outcomes.

The calculated probability is approximate because in the formula also includes a margin - an operating commission that bookmakers charge for the provision of their services. And it can also be suggested by the coefficient. If we add the probabilities of all three outcomes (26.88 + 33.11 + 48.78), we get 108.77%.

The difference from a hundred - 8.77% - is that very margin. Here it is quite impressive, because we are considering not the most popular league and match. On the main line of major events, as a rule, the margin is 2-3%, and sometimes there is also a promotional zero commission. We have covered the topic of coefficients in more detail in our other material.

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Correct betting is the best quotes. The difference in odds for the same outcome for individual bookmakers can reach hundreds of points, if we talk about high quotes. But even quotes sometimes show impressive gaps of up to 20-30 points, especially in live. The BetMAX browser extension will help you find the best ratio. If you want to play it right, be sure to try it. It is safe, free and can significantly increase the profitability of your game.

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Betslip

Another integral part of bookmaker lines is the betslip (or ticket). As a rule, it is located on the right side of the site and is activated when at least one outcome is selected. In the coupon, you can select the type of bet (single, express, system), enter the bet amount, find out the maximum limit, the amount of payment for the bet and, in fact, conclude a deal.

A Brief Dictionary of New Terms

1. Line – a set of all events (matches), sports and outcomes offered by the bookmaker;

1. Event – a separate sports match;

1. List – detailed details of betting options for a match, reaching up to two thousand outcomes;

1. Markets – a set of related outcomes, for example, "totals" or "half with a large number of goals";

1. Outcomes – specific market events that you can bet on, for example, “first team wins”, “total over 2.5” or “goalkeeper will score a goal”;

1. Odds (or quotes) – numerical values ​​for each outcome. According to them, you can find out the amount of payment, the net profit from the bet on the outcome, estimate the probability of the outcome and calculate the bookmaker's margin;

1. Margin – the operating commission of the bookmaker, incorporated in the coefficients.

Which legal bookmaker offers the best line

Among Russian legal bookmakers, the "1X Stavka" and "Melbet" offices offer a standard line width with a very deep pattern. They are made on the same template, so their lines are identical. These bookmakers can place bets on 30-40 sports, and the list of TOP football matches sometimes reaches two thousand outcomes. Quotes are also important - these offices also have complete order with them.

Fairly wide lines and good quotes are offered by the bookmakers "Parimatch", "Betboom", "Pin-Up", "Bet365", "888.ru". A good line is given by the offices of "Fonbet" and "Marathonbet". In pursuit of exclusive rare markets, you can look into the offices of "Tennis", "Betcity" or "Baltbet", but the quotes there in most markets are worse. The weakest line in Russia is offered by the bookmaker "Leon" and the bookmaker "Mostbet".

Opening and closing lines

Two more phrases that use the word “line” in the context of bookmaker rates are opening and closing lines. They can also be called "early" and "late" lines. Let's figure out what the essence is.

1. Office opening line

These are the outcomes and quotes that the bookmaker initially sets for the match. Sometimes this happens long before the event. For example, for the European Football Championship 2021, some bookmakers gave a line last summer.

Early lines are usually characterized by volatility of odds, increased margins and reduced limits. Bookmakers give it very carefully, as if offering bettors to independently adjust it in the right direction.

1. Office closing line

As you know, the odds do not stand still, but are constantly changing. Sometimes they change dozens of times within a minute and by the beginning of the match they can change dramatically. For example, a favorite on the opening line will become an outsider. Or the total of goals scored will increase from the main value of 2.5 to 3.5. Why is this happening?

There are two main factors influencing the odds:

1. Players' predictions for the match;
2. Changing the balance of power in the match.

Loads are a disproportionate stream of bets from bettors on a certain outcome. For example, there will be a tennis match between Nadal and Djokovic. Bookmakers do not give preference to any player, and set equal odds of 1.95 to 1.95 in the opening line. Most players believe in Djokovic's victory and start betting on him, more than 80% of coupons are issued on P2.

This is not profitable for the bookmaker, because he needs to collect approximately the same amount of money for both outcomes and earn on his margin. What does a bookmaker do? Decreases the coefficient on Djokovic and, accordingly, increases it on Nadal. Now quotes are 2.50-1.50 and people are starting to bet on a more attractive P1 coefficient, balancing the flow of bets on the match.

Separately, we can mention large bets or bets from the accounts of trusted professionals. Bookmakers listen to such signals especially strongly and can correct the line after receiving just one “smart” bet.

A change in the balance of power in a match is a situation when, for example, the main star of a basketball team is eliminated due to injury before the game. Obviously, this changes the balance of power and the likelihood of victories for both teams. Then the bookmakers try to quickly change the odds in the lines, in accordance with the new probabilities. Also, suddenly worsening weather affects the probability of the number of goals scored in a football match.

Bookmakers constantly monitor each other for arbitration situations. If a surebet is formed, they are forced to change their quotes in order to prevent professional arbers from getting an easy bonus.

In general, all these factors move the odds until they form into the closing line. The late line is the quotes fixed just before the start of the match before the event goes live. Usually, the closing lines have the most stable odds, the highest bet limits and the lowest margins - many bookmakers lure the last bettors to the match in this simple way.

Conclusion

You have received complete information about what a line is in sports betting. We hope that after reading this material you will never be confused by phrases like: "closing line for the match", "bets on the line" or "this bookmaker gives a weak list". Read our other materials about betting in the "Articles" section and we guarantee that you will begin to understand sports betting much better.