Loose Line Sportsbooks

How to Bet On Sports > Loose Line Sportsbooks

Loose line sportsbooks abound in the sports betting industry. For the most part an online sportsbook will shade their lines based on the public action, or square action, that they’re taking. An example of this in football would be if a team that is a legitimate 6 or 6.5 point favorite and is getting a lot of action, then a loose line sportsbook will move the number to 7. To protect themselves from getting pounded by sharp plays on the underdog when they do this, some sportsbooks have resorted to dealing a double line. That is, one line for their square players and one line for their sharp players. This used to draw some flak, but has almost become standard practice throughout the industry. If you’re playing at a sportsbook with a double line, they will move you from square to sharp in a hurry if you consistently beat them on off numbers.

Another reason a sportsbook could be considered loose is if they just have different numbers. With the proliferation of line services and information websites, most people have an idea what the “true” number is for a game. A sportsbook that will move its number based solely on the action it is taking and not just following the crowd, will also have different lines on occasion and can thus also be considered loose.