How to Compare Sports Betting Odds Across Sportsbooks

Line shopping — the practice of comparing odds across multiple sportsbooks before placing a bet — is one of the simplest and most effective ways to increase your sports betting profits. Even small differences in odds add up to significant money over time.

Why Odds Differ Between Sportsbooks

Every sportsbook sets its own odds based on their risk exposure, customer betting patterns, and how aggressively they price their markets. DraftKings might have the Patriots at -110, while FanDuel has them at -105 and BetMGM at -115. These differences exist because each book is managing its own balance sheet.

Sharp books like Pinnacle have the most accurate lines with the lowest margins (typically 2-3% vig). Recreational books like DraftKings and FanDuel often have higher margins (4-6%) but also offer promotions and occasionally misprice lines — which creates opportunities.

The Cost of Not Line Shopping

Let's say you bet $100 on a spread at -115 when another book offers -105 on the same bet. At -115 you need to risk $115 to win $100. At -105 you only risk $105 to win $100. That's a $10 difference on a single bet. Over 500 bets per year, you're leaving $5,000+ on the table by not shopping for the best line.

How to Compare Odds Effectively

Step 1: Open accounts at as many legal sportsbooks as possible in your state. The more books you have access to, the more likely you are to find the best line. Most bettors should aim for at least 5-8 sportsbooks.

Step 2: Use an odds comparison tool like Open Edge EV's Best Odds page, which shows every sportsbook's odds for every game side by side. This saves you from manually checking each app one by one.

Step 3: Look at the "hold" or vig percentage. Lower hold means the market is more efficient and you're paying less juice overall. A hold under 3% is excellent; over 8% means you're paying a steep price.

Understanding the Market Hold

The market hold (or overround) tells you how much edge the sportsbook has built into a market. It's calculated by converting both sides' odds to implied probabilities and seeing how much they exceed 100%. A market with implied probabilities totaling 104% has a 4% hold — meaning the book expects to keep about 4% of every dollar wagered.

By always taking the best available odds across all books, you can actually create a "synthetic" market with a hold near 0% — or even negative, which is an arbitrage opportunity.

Key Metrics to Track

Track your closing line value (CLV) — how your odds compare to what the line closes at by game time. Consistently beating the closing line is the strongest indicator of long-term profitability in sports betting, and it starts with shopping for the best odds available.