a newbe question abouit sports betting

[witt]

i'm new to sports betting and have read alot of differsnt things can someone answer me a qusetion with a honest answer

say i'm betting baseball and i see pitt at 1 bookie start out at -126 and i see the line move to -130

is it best to jump on the line at -126 if i see it at another book and who is betting on that team to make the line move is it the sharps or the public and yes you can call me a dum ass or what ever

[allin1]

You are not a dumb ass, nobody was born knowing such info, that's why we use forums

Chasing steam is not a good idea because you can't know why the line is moving... Who is betting and why.

You can try to study rlm aka reverse line movement if you like studying line moves.

[Chopsticks]

Of course it is better to bet -126 than -130.

A lot of things can make the line move. You already mention sharps. But it can be the market in general (i.e. the public) that moves the line as well. Or it can be other factors - anything from team news, like who is playing and who is not. Or maybe the weather forecast is updated and it is supposed to be warm and sunny instead of cloudy and cold - which will change how fast and how far the ball will go.

[DwightShrute]

in a perfect world, the book wants half the people to bet on Team A and the other half to bet on Team B and they take their cut or the Vig. That's why lines move within reason of course. To attract more bettors to bet on the other side if its out of line.

[hougigo]

_{Here's a noob question... what's sharps?
I noticed yesterday when I bet on a fight. Kelly Pavlik vs Scott Sigmund was originally a -4500 for KP and +3500 for Cujo.
An hour before the fight, the odds shift to -2500 and +1000 respectively. Is it because not enough people were betting the way they want?}

[allin1]

Sharps are bettors who have an edge and are expected to win long term.

Lines drop when there is more volume being bet on that side. Bookies then drop the line and make the opposite bet more attractive for potential bettors. This way books protect their potential profit regardless of the outcome.