REDUCED JUICE

Note: The Sportsbooks listed below are ordered by the potential monetary benefit to discount vig bettors and are not necessarily listed according to SBR Ratings. Although all sportsbooks listed below are in good standing, players may wish to view the SBR Rating Guide for overall ratings and utilize the SBR search feature for detailed sportsbook history.

Which type of player benefits the most from reduced juice sportsbooks?

Reduced juice sportsbooks offer players the ability to wager at less than the traditional -110 lines. For active players the benefits can be substantial savings over a long period of time.

Low juice books traditionally do not offer large bonuses and never offer re-deposit bonuses, they have higher transaction fees, and may have bare-bones customer service (sometimes only email). These sportsbooks are geared for highly active players with large bankrolls. Betting at reduced juice means an instant discount for the player; for example:

1. At -110 odds, player A bets $110 to win $100. Full price.
2. At -107 odds, player A bets $107 to win $100. Discount: 30%
3. At -105 odds, player A bets $105 to win $100. Discount: 50%

Players should also be aware of what seems to be a common practice in the reduced juice market: the Juice Manipulation. It's true that a 10 cent line means less commission for the book overall, but it does not always mean a better price for the player for each event.

This can be better explained with the following examples:

1. 10 cent line (-105/-105) + Juice Manipulation = -124/+114
2. 14 cent line (-107/-107) + Juice Manipulation = -124/+110 

A typical line for any given match-up could look like this:

Team A: -7 -110
Team B: +7 -110

After price manipulation applied by the reduced juice sportsbooks, the same match-up will end up looking like this:

Team A: -7 -124
Team B: +7 +114

Or, like this:

Team A: -7 -124
Team B: +7 +110

It's important for players to be aware of the differences between the traditional bookmaking models (-110) and the price manipulation in the reduced juice market. While this type of deal might at times offer great value ( Team B: +7 +114 or +110), it's also possible that an unaware player gets caught up paying more than required on the other side of that same match-up (Team A: -7 -124, if compared with Team A: -7 -110).

SBR believes the Reduced Juice to be a very useful tool for the player that likes to do value shopping, but must also advise players to pay close attention to the above mentioned weighted-pricing.