Opening Lines Open Doors to Winning Your Bets

For the novices, the FIRST opening lines for every professional and college sports game in the Nation is put up by the Stardust Casino sportsbook. On every Sunday evening, the Stardust Casino puts up lines for the following weeks football games. The sole purpose of each opening line is to maximize profit and to establish a balance (bettors betting on opposite sides of the line equally.) There are also other lines made by newspaper columnists that have their own titles. Although game scenarios (conditions that affect the outcome of a game) are not calculated into each opening line accordingly, opening lines are usually based on statistical data derived from computers. Offshore casinos have also been successful in producing lines, as well as popular American casinos like the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Keep in mind, out of all these gambling establishments, the Stardust Casino sportsbook is the unprecedented leader.

Keep in mind, opening lines are established by the Stardust Casino and not the Las Vegas Sports Consultants organization. Remember, the LVSC is responsible for conducting the research that makes an opening line. And as we know, many factors go into crafting a solid opening line like statistical data, home field advantage, weather conditions, matchups, and bettor behavior during the previous matchup. After the LVSC dishes lines to the Stardust Casino and other casinos and sportsbooks, they then adjust it to their liking. Suppose one sportsbook is heavily used by public bettors - inflated numbers are a strong possibility, especially those that favor well-known ¨public¨ teams. Remember, every opening line is a smart line. They are placed they way they are for a particular reason - handicappers are responsible for interpreting and figuring out why this is so.

As aforementioned, the purpose of opening lines is to generate betting interest on both sides of the line as soon as possible. In an ideal world, sportsbook will make a hefty profit with juice generated from winning bets, and using their winnings to pay off their losses. In order for the sportsbook to win more money for the opening lines, they manipulate it so that it draws one way action. Suppose you have the mistake prone Cincinnati Bengals against the Kansas City Chiefs riding a 14 game winning streak. Wouldn´t a Kansas City -14 line seem attractive to you? At the same time, 14 is quite a lot of points, so bettors have to make the decision 1) are the Bengals good enough to cover the spread or 2) is Kansas City good enough to cover the spread? Pondering over these two questions, betting is now more difficult that we thought. However, many bettors do not share this thinking philosophy - their tendency to overindulge clouds their judgment. The savvy bettor realizes that a half point could make or break their bet. The classic question persists ¨should you buy the half point?¨ Take football for instance. It is common knowledge that games end more likely in certain margins like 1 (extra point), 3 (field goal win), 7 (touchdown win), 10 and 14. If you choose 13 1/2 instead of 12 1/2, wouldn´t you have a better chance at winning? Remember, opening lines have a strategy to them. Linesmakers have studied the intricacies of the game and realize many games end this way, swelling their pockets flush with cash in the process. Depending on scoring patterns (i.e. baseball comes in single points, football by 1, 3, and 7, and basketball by 1, 2´s, and 3´s - you can work with the opening line you´ve been given.