Sportsbooks & 'Shading' Lines!
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15 June 2006
So what does shading a line mean? A sportsbook will use this method to make a bit more money on a game by predicting the big
favorites or 'public' team. Public teams tend to be bet on by a large percentage of bettors because they are doing well
or becuause they have endeared themselves in some way to the people. Public teams are bet on not just by the fans of
that team but also by people who just want a bet.
Naturally some caution is always adviseable when taking up a position against a popular team. Some of these teams are on a roll or streak that might be hard to break. They could
be getting better and better and covering the spread in subsequent games. Each match up needs to viewed on its merits.
There are geographical implications too. Many sportsbooks report that clients from the Chicago area will bet the Bears regadless of
how well they are doing, just as sportsboook players from California are usually on the Raiders or 49 ers, or East Coast residents will be betting
on the Giants, Jets or Patriots. These are loyal fans who bet with their hearts and not with their heads and generally
don't mind dropping a few dollars on their team.
Shading, amounts to a sportsbook taking advantage of bettors tendency to bet popular favorites. If an NFL favorite is estimated
at -2.5 on the points spread - the sportsbook might well decide to shade the line to -3. That half a point moves the line
onto a critical number and that could pay dividends to the book if the money from bettors keeps rolling in.
Where one situation exists it is often true that an opposite opportunity also exists - there are of course teams that people dislike.
In the NFL a classic 'anti-favorite' are the Detroit Lions. Sportsbook players love to bet against teams like this with great regularity.
Once again this creates value opportunities as lines are adjusted to try and draw some action on these unpopular names.
Finally, a week is a long time in sports and when a popular team disappoints on the field it disappoints the bettors too.
There is not a huge amount of loyalty in the heart of a sports bettor - and that popular team is often dropped as a sports or football betting proposition, while another is quickly adopted.
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