Halftime bet
By Michael Williams (8/23/2006)
Definition
A ‘halftime’ bet is a bet that is created during the halftime of a pointspread
game. The spread is usually dependent upon what happened during the first half
of the event. There are several angles that can be used to play these bet types.
How are these lines created?
Oddsmakers, like the gamblers they cater to, watch the games the assign halftime
lines on. Although there are some set equations to which oddsmakers must rely
on, the majority of halftime lines depend on the full game line. When a team is
favored by 7 points in a football game, and such a team is winning by 3 points
by halftime, the usual halftime line would be set around the full game (anywhere
from –3.5 to –4.5). As this article will show, though, there are some lines that
are fishy and are set to dupe the average gambler.
Fishy lines
As in the example earlier, if a football team is favored by 7 points and is
leading by 3 points in the half, and the halftime line is –4.5 for such a team,
then the gambler must be made aware of such a fishy line. After watching the
first half of a game, how many times does one feel, “why didn’t I bet on this
team?” Once the second half line comes out (such as the example above), and one
is given an opportunity to bet, what would the average bettor bet on? The
obvious answer would be the team leading at the half, but more often times than
not, this team loses against the spread (ATS), if not the game. Bets that are
‘too easy’ usually are and do not win.
Reading halftime lines
Some halftime lines are easy to read and can be exploited if played accordingly.
Some examples include:
If a team is favored to win the full game, but does not cover the first half
ATS, but is still leading at the half, play such a team in the second half.
Play against a football team in the second half if they are being outrushed and
have the lower possession time in the first half.
Play against the ‘hot’ shooting team (>65%) if they are tied or barely beating
their opposition.
If the first half was abnormally high scoring, consider the under for the second
half (and vice-versa).
Summary
In closing, the halftime line is devised from the full game in consideration of
the first half results of an event.
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