One of the most aggravating things that can happen in sports betting is to lose a bet by a half point. A simple meaningless half point the books love to tack on their lines. It is their way of hooking you into the bet. It can be maddening at times but there is a way to make things better. Buy the half point.
I can buy the half point? Yes and it is a very simple method called buying the “hook” from the sportsbook. Most players don’t think about this method or simply just don’t know it is available. It is the bettors with no inexperience that don’t understand the impact of a half point.
Why do they have half points? It is a tremendous way for the sportsbook to make money but more importantly is their way of not scaring off the betting public. What a hook means is that both the book and the player understand that a ties loses. Baseball is one place this comes into play. The Celtics must win by 7.5 So that forces the bettor to decide is it 7 or 8 points in this game. The line is made in the sand and now Boston has to clearly win by 8 in this game.
What can I do? But the half point. It will likely cost you $10 more per $100 that you are trying to win. So you can move the line to either 7 or 8 with your wager. Of course, another way is to shop around the various sportsbooks and find one that fits your thoughts better.
You should constantly be looking for an edge when betting on sports and line shopping is one of the biggest edges you can have. It can in fact increase your winning percentage by 2-3% each year and that’s a bundle of cash if you’re betting anything significant.
There is other avenues to look at in this half point scenario. One is to go with a teaser bet. You can, and it costs you, to move the line 4,5,6,7 or more points but the way the get you is you have to pick at least two teams and get the right. If you ties in this the bookie wins.
Another idea to move away from the hook is a straight moneyline bet. You can view the odds and throw them out the window and just bet a winner in the game. Of course, this has a cost included.
You have options, consider them. Read more of our terms in the sports betting dictionary here.
