MGM -111 / -109 Leans MGM books have recently begun using a way of posting lines,
especially early in the week, that have a lean to them. It may
be an attempt to steer bigger bettors (translated = more aware
of the market lines) to them or away from them on certain games.
Current MGM Leans include:
119 Buff -1.5 -111
148 Oregon -23 -111
166 TCU -2 -111
170 Nevada -6.5 -111
226 Denver -12.5 -111
231 Seattle -11 -111
Earlier in the week there were many more games at -111/-109 but the
book may have established their desired position and removed the lean.
Pinnacle does this as well. They will offer one cent less or more
on a side to draw or deter action on a specific game. If MGM wants
you to bet a side with them they will offer -109 when the rest
of the market is -110. The other side is then -111 so that is an
indication they'd rather you walk across the street and lay -110
at a different book. This may not be a wise thing to do for MGM because
many casual bettors will not care for, nor understand, why they have
to pay more to bet on public teams like Oregon or Denver and it may
frustrate them.
It has been suggested to me by another full-time LV bettor that this
is more of an internal thing than anything else. A sort of code for the
supervisor on duty to move a line if they catch action on the shaded
side but hold the line on the other side. If that is the case then they
really are not well-thought out over there. The -111 annoyance to the
recreational bettor is not worth the convenience of coding their lines
to avoid a sup from having to think about what to do after a big bet.
On the other hand, my questioning of a supervisor as to why this is
being done resulted in a blank stare similar to what you get when you
wave a shiny object in front of an idiot. Maybe coding is necessary.
