For a long time there was standard “Juice/Vigorish” used by Sportsbooks under the modelling of – the bettor wagering $110 to win $100 on most betting lines. Some bookmakers however have lowered that standard Juice, with the intention of offering more value to the bettors.
Through this post, we’ll describe how “Reduced Juice” betting works and also bring up some arguments regarding the positive and negative outcomes for the bettors. We’ll then finish with some advice on finding value with reduced juice Sportsbooks.
How Reduced Juice Betting Works
Below is the average line that might be offered by a standard Sportsbook for an NBA market –
NORMAL LINE –
Portland Trailblazers: +6.5 (-110)
Dallas Mavericks: -6.5 (-110)
On each of the above bets you will wager $110 to receive a payout of $100. If the bookmaker takes two $110 bets on this market, one on either side, they would receive $220 in stakes, but only give back $210 to the winning bet. This guarantees a $10 profit to the bookmaker.
Below is a “Reduced Juice” line offered by a Reduced Juice Sportsbook on the same market:
REDUCED JUICE LINE –
Portland Trailblazers: +6.5 (-105)
Dallas Mavericks: -6.5 (-105)
Here, the bettor will only have to wager $105 to receive a payout of $100. This time the bookmaker will receive $210 in stakes over the two bets, paying out $205. The bookmaker makes $5 less in this example.
The above example shows that Reduced Juice Sportsbooks take less money from sports bettors in the long run, which is of a huge plus to your bankroll.
The Good and the Bad of Reduced Juice Betting
Despite what we stated above, Reduced Juice betting is not always the best option.
There are also times when a bookmaker offers Reduced Juice, but the bettor may actually receive a worse price on a team (usually the favorite).
To achieve this, sometimes the lines will be manipulated.
Example below:
Portland Trailblazers: +7.5 (+105)
Dallas Mavericks: -7.5 (-115)
In the above market, the Reduced Juice bookmaker is still taking the same amount of juice on one side; however, here you’ll have to outlay $115 to win $100 on the Mavericks, a worse offering than the industry standard.
This is offset by the better odds here for the Trailblazers. So although Reduced Juice is a better option, there will be a few occasions when the price you receive could be worse on the other side of the market. Obviously when betting on the underdog in the above example, you are getting a very good offer, so there is good and bad in this scenario.
As Reduced Juice books make less profit on each market it’s in their best interest to ensure that their lines are correct; if they are not right, then the bookmakers will lose money. Because of this it’s much more likely that the lines will be spot on, so taking advantage errors may be more difficult with Reduced Juice bookmakers than with others.
Less offers, but is that a bad thing overall…?
Reduced Juice Sportsbooks will offer less incentives than those without Reduced Juice, that offer the industry standard lines. Many normal bookmakers offer large sign on bonuses, along with regular offers to entice new members, and its generally a choice of either scenario below…
Offer Free Bets and Incentives vs Offer Reduced Juice betting and better odds long-term.
There are pros and cons to both offers when deciding what offer to take. For example if you take the Reduced Juice offer with 5Dimes, you are not entitled to any of their other offers, and visa-versa.
If you want to stick to one bookmaker for a long period, a Reduced Juice site is the way to go.
The Value of Reduced Juice Betting
Every bet you wager should be of important to you, it is after all your hard earned mony (we assume).
If you were betting on a coin toss, you’d expect to double your money when winning, if you are getting less than double your money back, it’s a bad value bet, while if you were getting at least double back, this is a good value bet. With sports betting the same rules apply.
Take the line above between the Trailblazers and Mavericks, and you decide that the bookmakers have set the line exactly right with either team an equal chance of winning (exactly 50%).
If you placed a bet here at the line -105 or -110, in each case it’s a poor value bet – you’re the one placing the bad value bet, while the bookmaker is getting the better value.
If you were to back the Trailblazers at +105 here, the roles are reversed, and you are the one getting value – the bookmaker loses out.
If you only place bets where you feel that the value is yours, it will be an advantage to your long term bankroll.
Better for Sharp Bettors – Higher Betting Limits
Bookmakers that offer Reduced Juice will offer higher betting limits than bookmakers offering the standard -110 lines.
They do this to reduce risk.
While taking larger bets may sound counter to reducing risk, the reason for this is simple…
Because the bookmakers are charging lower Juice/Vigorish on each bet, the bookmaker will needs more volume to make up for the lost Juice. Because they are giving up a smaller edge on each bet by offering it at a discount, they bank on the increase in wager amount to make up for decrease in Juice.
Because of this fact bettors very rarely see lines of -110 / -110.
Betting limits will normally be very high, anywhere up to $25,000 or more on totals and sides. Also, the more popular a market, the likelihood of getting a better price increases. For the most popular markets, such as the Super Bowl, both sides of the market may be below -105. This is because of the massive amount of money wagered on the market.
Less Value for Recreational Bettors
While lower juice betting lines saves bettors a lot of money over time, there can some drawbacks for the casual bettor.
Casual bettors and those looking for big deposit bonuses will be out of luck at Reduced Juice Sportsbooks.
Few Reduced Juice Sportsbooks offer large deposit bonuses because overall the ability to bet with better lines is a bonus in itself. Getting better odds for the lifetime of your wagering account is a better deal than getting a one-time deposit or free bet bonus upon sign-up.
It’s one or the other guys.
What are the Best Reduced Juice Books
Depending on whether you’re a US resident or bet internationally, your offers will differ.
One of the biggest bookmakers in the world is Pinnacle Sports. Pinnacle offer Reduced Juice, but left the US market after the UIGEA passed in 2006. For international bettors however, they remain the best option.
US customers have a considerably smaller selection.
The best option for U.S residents is surely the 5Dimes Sportsbook who have been in business for near 20 years and are one of the biggest Sportsbooks in the world (don’t worry that their site looks like it paved the way for the internet, they are great to bet with).
Not only do 5Dimes offer Reduced Juice, they also have the biggest variety of betting markets out of the U.S online betting sites.
It is important to note however that new members on sign-up must choose the “Reduced Juice” option when selecting their offer. Choose “Reduced Juice” as your bonus option when signing up as this is a one time decision.
They won’t change your selected bonus under any circumstances. Beware!
Final Verdict
Betting with Reduced Juice lines is a way to pay fewer fees on your bets to the bookmaker and increase your bankroll as a sports bettor.
Profiting while gambling on sports is very difficult. Any % gained is an advantage over the bookmakers and should be capitalized on. It doesn’t make sense to bet a game at -110 if the same odds are available at -105. If you are serious about making a profit at sports betting, having at least one Reduced Juice bookmaker at your disposal is an absolute must.
If you love a bet, check out our NBA expert picks.
