
The more you hear it about a certain game, then the more certain you can be that a clear preference has emerged on the outcome.īut how do you know which side the public is really on? There are a couple of ways to figure it out.


Who is the public betting on?Īs sports betting continues to go mainstream, there is an increasing amount of chatter about which side the public is on. Of course, the public isn’t always on the correct side, so blindly following the public money is not a wise move. It’s a “wisdom of the crowds” approach that can be beneficial in certain cases. Public betting can serve as somewhat of a consensus opinion on an outcome. If books release an opening number of 209.5 for a game between the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers and the public loves the over, then an adjustment will be in order. The same thing happens in various other situations, such as with NBA totals. The public leans heavily toward the Ravens, so the oddsmakers respond accordingly. They’ll make the side that’s not seeing as much action a bit more attractive while lessening the appeal on the more popular side.Īs an example, let’s say that an opening NFL betting line has the Baltimore Ravens as a slight moneyline home favorite over the visiting Kansas City Chiefs. There are times when it’s an overwhelming preference such as 80% betting on one side over the other, and times when it’s just a slight edge like 51%.Īfter the public starts betting, sportsbooks may respond to lots of action on one side by tweaking the line on the game. Public betting is the general term used to describe which side is more popular among bettors. They start making their bets, and a preference begins to emerge before too long. Bettors get to have their say on which side they think will win. When sports betting odds are released to the public, the real fun begins. We’ll cover what it means, how you can figure out which side the public is betting on, and how it might influence specific sports such as the NFL or NBA. Why does that happen? We’ll answer that and more right here in our complete guide to public betting. But there are also times when the public hammers one side and the sportsbooks don’t seem to budge.

When the numbers move, there’s a very good chance that the way the public money is flowing is the driving force. Public betting can influence the lines and odds that you see at any VA online sportsbook.
#True public betting percentages full
A full understanding of public betting is a real eye-opener as you build out your own successful handicapping strategy. That’s the abridged version, but there’s much more to it than that. In a nutshell, it means which side of a bet most bettors (the “public”) have put their money on. If you spend enough time in sports betting circles, it’s inevitable that public betting will be a topic of conversation.
