What it is
Sportsbooks price the same bet a little differently. Line shopping is looking across them before you place anything, so you know which one pays the most for it. In Ask LeagueMind, you name one bet and it lists each book's latest saved price for it, next to the market's fair price.
- Where it lives. Ask LeagueMind, in chat. You ask in plain words; the comparison comes back in the reply.
- Which books. LeagueMind saves prices from seven sportsbooks, including DraftKings, FanDuel and BetMGM. Every price is named with its book.
- What Pro adds. The book-by-book comparison is part of Pro. On the free plan you can still ask what odds mean, see today's published picks and price a parlay.
The same bet, the Browns moneyline, is −110 at BetMGM and −120 at BetRivers. At BetMGM you risk $110 to win $100. At BetRivers you risk $120 to win the same $100.
The short version: one bet, several prices. The comparison shows who pays the most for it.
Next: Ask for prices →Ask for prices
Give Ask three things: the game, the market and the side. You can say them in a sentence.
- Game. The teams, as you'd say them. A game on the board that has saved odds can be compared.
- Market. Moneyline, spread or total.
- Side. A team, or Over or Under for a total. A partial team name works when it's unambiguous. If Ask can't match your wording, it lists the sides it can compare.
You type: “Who has the best price on the Browns moneyline?” Ask finds the game, picks the moneyline market and the Browns side, and answers with the best price, the book that has it, and the fair price. You can follow up with “and the spread?”
The short version: name the game, the market and the side, and Ask does the lookup.
Next: Read the comparison →Read the comparison
A comparison has the same four parts every time. This one is invented, so the numbers are for reading, not for betting.
- Fair price: the market's consensus once each book's cut is removed, as a chance and an American price.
- Book prices: each sportsbook's latest saved price for the same side, best first, with the line it is on.
- Best price: the highest American number, named with its book.
- As-of time: when the prices were captured, in your local time.
The short version: a fair price, a row per sportsbook, and the best one marked.
Next: The best number →The best number
The best number is the highest American price: a positive price always pays more than a negative one, and between two negatives the one closer to zero is better. The fair price is where the market as a whole puts the bet, with every book's cut taken out (how the fair price works). A best price better than fair is the one worth a second look. If even the best price is worse than fair, no book is paying you for it.
The fair chance of the Browns winning is 53.2%, about −114. BetMGM's −110 implies 52.4%, so it prices the Browns 0.8 points below fair. BetRivers' −120 implies 54.5%, so it prices them 1.3 points above fair.
The short version: the best number is the highest American price on the same line, and it is a price, not a prediction.
Next: As-of times →As-of times
Prices are saved snapshots, not a live feed. LeagueMind refreshes them about twice a day until the final hour before a game, then every minute or two. Each saved price keeps the time it was captured, and the latest one is shown even when it's old. Where the best price carries an as-of label, it's in your local time.
At 11:40 AM, with the game at 7:00 PM, the saved BetMGM price is −110. By the afternoon BetMGM may have moved to −115 without a new price being saved yet. Open the sportsbook and the price you see there is the one you'd get.
The short version: saved prices can be hours old outside the final hour, so confirm at the sportsbook.
Next: Questions →Questions
Does line shopping place a bet for me?
No. LeagueMind doesn't take bets or hold money. Ask LeagueMind shows prices; any bet happens at your sportsbook, where you confirm the line and price yourself. More →
Is line shopping part of Pro?
Yes. Comparing every book's price on a bet is part of Pro, and the pricing page lists everything Pro includes. On the free plan you can still ask what odds mean, see today's published picks and price a parlay. More →
Which bets can I compare?
Moneylines, spreads and totals on games on the board. Name the team, or Over or Under for a total. Player props aren't compared book by book. More →
Why didn't I get a comparison?
There may be no saved odds for that market yet, or too few books may be pricing it for a trustworthy fair price, in which case the comparison is withheld instead of shown on thin data. If Ask can't match your wording to one side of the market, it lists the sides it can compare. More →
Is the best price always the best bet?
No. The best price is only the best number for that side of that line. It doesn't change how likely the bet is to win, and a different line is a different bet. Confirm the line and price at the sportsbook. More →
How old can a price be?
Prices are refreshed about twice a day until the final hour before a game, then every minute or two. The latest saved price is kept even when it is old, and it keeps the time it was captured. Where an as-of label is shown, read it before you rely on the number. More →