Sports Betting Guide and Terms - Sharp Money Sports Betting Terms

Sharp Money

Definition

Sharp money is money that is bet on by the sharps. It is the money that is most feared by the sportsbooks. It is contrary to public money and has the ability to move the lines irrespective of where the overall flow of money is being directed to.

How is this useful?

Sharp money can sometimes be very hard to detect. One sure way to find sharp money is to look at where the money is flowing. Using www.sportsbook.com, one can see where the money is going. If a line is moving in one direction, but the money is flowing in the other, the sharp money is where the least amount of money is residing. Also known as a reverse line movement, this type of movement is mostly the result of sharp money. Sharp money has the ability to move lines irrespective of where the money is flowing.

Other notes about sharp money.

As stated earlier, sharp money is money feared most by sportsbooks. They monitor such heavy money movements and adjust their lines accordingly. This line movement may actually dupe the regular betting public into betting anti-sharp money—a situation in which the sportsbooks would love to have, since they will get less exposure. The best way to find out where and when the sharps are betting are by reading articles on such websites as www.covers.com. This betting resource has several stories about how the sharps are betting and who they are betting on. But, like all gamblers, sharps also have occasional losing days. They do not win all the time. Mostly, sharps bet on lines that have value, not necessarily on games that are 100% guaranteed. When sharps and the public agree on a betting side, such a side experience a massive line movement—sometimes even a 5 point swing in a basketball game and 3-4 points in a football game. When there is a lot of action on a game, another term called ‘steam’ is used by the sportsbook. In this situation, an absurd amount of money is being thrown on one side. Gambler be wary, though, one cannot be entirely too sure if such line movements is due to sharp and public money, or simply just huge amounts of public money.

Summary

In closing, sharp money has the ability to move lines. It is the money that sharps bet and is usually considered ‘smart money’. The contrary to sharp money is public money (money that is bet by the general betting public).