Line movement
What does "line movement" mean in sports betting?
Line movement is when a sportsbook changes a spread, total, prop or price after it opens, usually because of news or the money coming in.
Lines move for a few main reasons: injury and lineup news, weather, a lot of money on one side, or bets from sharp players the book respects. Books also move to match each other.
Getting a number before the market moves toward your side is how you capture closing line value. Chasing a line after it has already moved usually means paying a worse price for the same bet.
Example
A team opens -3. Word breaks that the other team's starting quarterback is out, and within an hour the line is -5.5. Anyone who bet -3 early got a much better number.
Related terms
Point spread
The point spread is a handicap that evens out a matchup: the favorite has to win by more than the spread, and the underdog covers by losing by less than it or winning outright.
Total (over/under)
A total, or over/under, is a bet on whether the combined score of both teams lands above or below a number the sportsbook sets.
Closing line value (CLV)
Closing line value (CLV) measures whether you got a better price than the final price before the game started. Beating the closing line consistently is one of the best signs of a real edge.
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