Finding values in the online sports betting market is definitely the meat and potatoes of the Online Sports Betting System. While depositing with reliable sportsbooks and exercising proper bankroll discipline are important, you're here to learn how to find the values. Let's get to it, then.

Generally speaking we are looking for moneyline bets that are being made available at above their true market value. We like moneylines because the ones with value have the Juice squeezed out of them. By consistently making moneyline wagers that are above their market value we will net long term profits. So will you.

Betting Exchanges Indicate Value in the Sports Betting Market

Before we can find above value bets, we need to determine what the fair market value of a bet actually is. To do this we don't look at the sportsbooks, but rather the sports betting exchanges. As opposed to a sportsbook, a betting exchange does not post a betting line and take all customers. Instead an exchange provides a meeting place for bettors to agree on a price. Bettors post their offers on the exchange and other bettors can shop there to see if there is an open wager they are interested in taking. If someone does agree to the posted offer, then a bet is made, and the exchange takes a few percentage points in commission from the winner of the bet.

Exchanges tend to attract a significant amount of sharp action - action from professional and semi-professional sports bettors who are looking to save money on fees. Thus betting exchanges tend to be closer to the ideal efficient market and the wagering offers posted on betting exchanges are much nearer to the true value of the bet than the lines posted at a sportsbook. At OSBS we prefer to use Matchbook Exchange as our benchmark for market value. They have the easiest interface to read of any exchange with adequate liquidity to be reflective of the sports betting market. There are other betting exchanges available online, but we prefer Matchbook.

Find Sportsbook Lines that Beat Exchange Lines

The simplest way to find a market value is by comparing the lines offered at a sportsbook to the lines offered at a betting exchange. If we find a line offered at the sportsbook with a better payout than the line offered at the exchange, then we believe it is probably being offered at above market value. As an added precaution, we also look for lines that are not just better than the exchange line, but we also want it to be at least the numeric opposite or better than the line being offered on the opposing team. Time for an example:

Matchbook is showing the following betting line:

• New York -145

• Los Angeles +142

We are looking for a sportsbook to offer Los Angeles at +145 or better, OR New York at -142 or better odds. We want those extra few points to ensure we are getting a market value. The section on betting will tell you what to do with the values you have found.