Shop for the Best Line

By: Bob Johnson   Date: November 27, 2005

It has come to my attention that with the explosion of offshore and online sportsbooks, there is a lot of line variance on the NFL games. Many of the NFL teams are closely matched, so getting the best line becomes crucial. The days of the local "Mom and Pop" bookie are long gone. You no longer should be locked-in to one set of numbers to look at on the games. In fact, if you are playing and you are not shopping the best numbers, you are making a big mistake. Anyone can get an online or offshore account in a matter of minutes. There isn't any question that a player can benefit tremendously by shopping online or at offshore books that will give you a chance to compare lines with the set your local "man" gives you. So, if you are still playing with a local store, consider opening a separate account with one of the many places available online. You certainly don't have to have a lot of money to do this, but it could save you plenty.

Let me give you two quick examples of getting good numbers that happened to me this week. On Thanksgiving, some sportsbooks had Dallas as a 2 1/2 point underdog. But, there were some places where Dallas+3 was available also. I was easily able to get Dallas+3 and since that "pushed", I did not suffer a loss on that pick. Today, I had Buffalo as a selection. Again, some sportsbooks had the game at 3 1/2, but I was again easily able to get Buffalo+4. This also saved me from a loss. Sometimes, if you just wait before playing until you have checked-out the numbers at some of these books, you will be able to avoid playing with a bad number. So much of playing is about taking responsibility for your own money. Isn't it worth taking a couple of extra minutes to check out the lines available and get an account at some other places besides your local man?