Question on how the books set the lines?

[roasthawg]

Do books try to set the line so that each team has a 50% chance of covering? Or do they try to set the line so as to get roughly even money on each side?

What I'm asking is are books more concerned with estimating how the public will bet or are they more concerned with setting razor sharp lines? Do books gamble themselves...if they know a line is a 55% winner for team A if they set it at a certain number but their analysis of public betting tendencies tells them that 60% of the money will be on team B is this something they attempt to do?

[jayc88]

the books set their line and try to get close to that 50 % chance for both sides .
There isn't such thing as a trap game and if money is heavily wagered on one side the line automatically moves in the opposite direction and if 60 % of the bets are on one side and yet the line didn't move , more money is on the 40 % side .

[Peep]

I think they set their lines to maximize profit.

[roasthawg]

the books set their line and try to get close to that 50 % chance for both sides .
There isn't such thing as a trap game and if money is heavily wagered on one side the line automatically moves in the opposite direction and if 60 % of the bets are on one side and yet the line didn't move , more money is on the 40 % side .

Yet some gamblers such as myself are able to consistently pick winners at a greater than 53% clip. It's hard for me to believe that I'm better than the books on these games I play...rather it seems more probable that they know the one side is a winner but that the public will pound the other side.

[durito]

I think they set their lines to maximize profit.

and to minimize risk ideally.

[Peep]

Agreed Durito. It is a bit of a balancing act. But so is any business.