Bookies Guide to Sharps and Squares

Submitted by Dan Shapiro on

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Dan Shapiro

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Bookies Guide to Sharps and Squares

When running an online sportsbook it is important to understand the difference between the two key types of players: Sharps and squares.

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One of the leading Pay Per Head operators, PricePerPlayer.com, defintes the two:

Sharps

A sharp, as mentioned earlier, goes into sports betting for the money. This means that every single bet they make is calculated. They consider everything you can possibly think of in a bet. They look at lines, team history, player and roster updates, statistics, and more. They also tend to visit more betting software sites than usual, as they go line shopping. Some of the good ones, you won’t hardly notice because they tend to bet smaller amounts across multiple sportsbooks.

They also would normally bet on the opening lines. Since opening lines can affect line movement, if they can make a line move because one side has a lot of wagers, they can find value in betting on the other side to win more. Its also not uncommon to see sharps hold multiple accounts in a sportsbook, so be wary of this.

Squares

Squares are also betting to win. Who isn’t? But with squares, its also about the fun. They are more popularly called recreational bettors or the public. If you already have your sportsbook solutions provider and a sportsbook set up, then you will see them in popular games. So if you have a game, let’s say, between the LA Lakers and the 76ers, you’ll most likely see squares bet heavily on the Lakers. They can also bet based on favorites, such as a favorite player, a hometown team, or just a random guess or gut feel. They will tend to not use information that sharks would use. More often than not, luck is their basis for winning.

- Dan Shapiro, Gambling911.com

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