One aspect of sports betting that many newcomers look past is following line movements.  This can be important for several reasons.  First of all, if you are aware of the lines and where they move throughout the week/day you will have a much better understanding of how vegas and the “public” feels about this game.  Let’s say a line starts at -3.  Over the next couple days it creeps to -3.5, -4, then -4.5… This most likely means that most of the public money is coming in on the favorite which is moving the line higher.  But let’s say an hour before gametime, the line takes a huge dive from -4.5 back to -3 immediately.  What this tells you is that some sharp players are putting BIG money on the underdog.  Why is this important?  Because betting with the public is like flirting with death.  The public always loses to vegas and to the sportsbooks.  Take our advice here, if you see sharp money coming in shortly before the game – follow the sharps and make that bet.  It’s usually not a very “attractive” bet because it’s against the public.  But it’s the smarter bet more often than not.

So how do you follow line movements?  Here are a few websites or tools that help you follow the lines throughout the day.

• www.scoresandodds.com/
• www.vegasinsider.com/
• www.covers.com/