Question of the Day - 16 January 2022

[Editor's Note: This answer is graciously provided by Logan Fields, author of our book 20/20 Sports Betting. ]

A “nickel” line refers to the 5-cent price difference between the favorite and the underdog. If you see a nickel line at a Vegas sports book, it will look like this:

Yankees -140

Red Sox +135

But that’s a big “if.” Nickel lines are extremely rare.  

In football and most other sports, 20-cent lines are the norm:  

Rams     -3   -110    

Raiders +3   -110 

The difference between both sides of the bet is 20 cents. In the game above, the bookmaker is taking 10 cents on each side for a total of 20 cents. If you're playing at a book where the lines are greater than 20 cents in football, get out while you can!

With baseball, many books will give you a bit of a break and offer 10-cent or “dime” lines.

Yankees -140

Red Sox +130

This is likely due to the huge volume of games, as even the most astute baseball bettor would find it nearly impossible to win betting into 20-cent lines over the long haul of an MLB season. If you're betting baseball on a regular basis, it’s essential to find books that offer 10-cent lines.

As for nickel lines, no book would be crazy enough to offer them on a regular basis, as with so little profit margin, they're susceptible to losses against sharp bettors. But if you look hard enough, you'll find the occasional promotion in which nickel lines might be offered for a specific game or event.

In summary, the lower the spread between prices, the better for the player. 

20-cent lines: standard for most sports.

10-cent (dime) lines: You should be able to find them in baseball, but rare in other sports.

5-cent (nickel) lines: Good luck finding them. You may see them offered as a sports book promotion, but they're pretty much non-existent all other times.