What Is Juice At Sports Betting Sites
A common theme in sports betting for those just getting started in the excitement is for them to not understand what the juice is at top sports betting sites. It’s pretty important for those involved with sports betting online to understand how the juice works at online sportsbooks. Some of the best sports bettors will look for the best place to avoid paying too much juice. Here is what the juice in sports betting really means.
The juice is a percentage of the bet the bookie makes as profit. As we have heard, nothing in life is free. Not even making a sports bet is free! The juice can also be called the “vig” which is short for vigorish. Some sportsbooks take a percentage of the winnings, while others, and most have the juice figured into the betting odds.
Best Sports Betting Sites For Low Juice
Read on below for a examples and explanations of how juice works at online betting sites:
How Juice At Sports Betting Sites Works
When looking at a sports bet, you see many things in the sports betting site client. Of course the teams you would be betting on are listed, along with the line and the total. Another figure that is posted is the odds of that bet. That is where you can find the "juice". Let’s take a look at a few examples of sports betting lines:
- Chicago Cubs (-110)
- St. Louis Cardinals (-110)
This first betting example of juice or "vig" is between two major league baseball teams, with no favorite between the two. The oddsmakers at online sports betting sites are allowing the punters to figure out whom they want to win. This means they feel this game just is too close to make a call. The juice for this bet is 10%. Let’s think about it: if the two teams were really even, shouldn’t you win even money. The book wants their share as well, which in this case is the 10%. Therefore, a $11 bet would garner the winner $10, this is how betting sites make their money.
Let’s take another look at a sports bet with juice:
- New England Patriots – 6.5 (-115)
- Cleveland Browns + 6.5 (-105)
In this example, of course the New England Patriots are the betting favorite over the Cleveland Browns. This case the juice is already added in to the amount you would. Most likely it is 10%. This is different from the -110 for both teams, because it means the sports betting line is moving a little bit at the sports betting site. It may move up to -120, before rolling over to a 7 point spread.
Tips To Think About Related To Betting Juice
One thing to remember is sports betting sites are not in the business to go broke. Along from winning a majority of the bets placed out there, sports books are also making a killing from charging you to make the bet. One way to prevent from paying so much juice is to shop around a bit. If your budget will allow you to, get an account and place some money in at a few different books.
Along from shopping for the best odds, also take a look at the places that do not take as much juice. There are some times when books will offer a “no juice special” or “reduced juice”. If you have an account at that book, its much more advantageous to take advantage of not having to pay to place the bet online!