Line shopping: the easiest edge there is

Line shopping means checking the same prop at several bookmakers and betting where it's best. It needs no prediction, no model, no hunch. It is the one edge every bettor can have.

Bookmakers don't agree

On any night, the same prop sits at different lines and prices:

If you like the over, Book B gives you a full point less to clear. If you'd rather keep 24.5, Book C pays +100 instead of -115.

Why half a point matters

A player's numbers bunch up near his average. For a typical scorer, moving the line half a point near the middle changes the chance of going over by roughly two to three percentage points. That is about half of the bookmaker's whole margin, gained for free.

The price matters too. Over a season of bets at -105 instead of -115, you need about two percentage points fewer wins to break even.

How to do it

1. Decide your side first, from your research.
2. Compare the line, then the price, across the books you can use.
3. Take the best line; if the lines are equal, take the best price.
4. If the best line has moved past the value you saw, skip the bet. That is shopping too.

On NBA House

The line shopping page reads the bookmakers before each game and puts the best over and the best under first. "Where the books disagree" lists the props with the widest gaps. The research panel on every prop shows every book's line.