What is line movement in sports betting?
A change in the price or number on a market between opening and close.
At a glance
- Category
- Market moves
Run the numbers
Why lines move
Lines move for two reasons: new information, such as an injury or weather, and money, when enough is bet on one side that the book adjusts to balance its exposure. Telling the two apart is most of the skill in reading a move.
What a move tells you
A number that moves and stays moved has usually absorbed real information or real money. A number that moves and drifts back was probably reacting to a single large bet. The closing number is what matters, because that is where the market finished after everything was priced in.
Related terms
Frequently asked questions
Why do betting lines move?+
Lines move when new information arrives, such as an injury, or when enough money comes in on one side that the book adjusts to balance its book.
Should you bet early or late?+
Early lines are softer but carry more risk of news moving against you. Late lines are sharper but usually more accurate. Betting early is how you beat the closing line, which is the outcome worth optimising for.
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