We’ve all been in a situation before where we tried to buy something but the price just wasn’t right. There are always two options when facing this issue and they are walking away and finding a lower price somewhere else, or trying to negotiate a bit on the price if possible. In a negotiation, the first person who says a number generally loses. The opening number is always the starting point and you can almost always determine whether or not it will go lower or higher based on what that initial number is. It is no different in sports betting, even if you can’t negotiate on the opening number. Sportsbooks set opening lines as feelers for how the betting public is going to react and then adjust accordingly.

What Does Opening Line Mean?

When you hear someone mention the term “opening line” they are referring to the very first set of odds or lines that is listed for a particular game or event. The opening line is essentially the first chance for the betting public to see what the linemakers think of a game.

With football being played right up until Tuesday night, the Pro Football Network betting team had the chance to really break into the opening betting lines and odds. Some of the numbers were surprising, while a handful remained off the board. Here are some of our early NFL Week 6 picks and best bets based on those opening betting lines. NFL Week 15 Odds. These are the current NFL Week 15 odds. Click on each matchup in the. LINE OPEN ML FPI; Kansas City Chiefs. 14-2 (7-9-0)-3.0-3.0-165: 52.1%: Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 11-5 (9-7-0) 56.0: 56.0 +145: 47.9%: Super Bowl LV. The time Al Davis almost. The opening line varies depending on the sportsbook but it provides a clear-cut rating that the oddsmakers use. If you’re betting on the NFL or any other sport, it’s a great idea to view the open line first. VI Consensus NFL Line. A full look at the Week 17 opening lines and betting odds for the upcoming weekend can be seen below, via BetOnline.ag. Sunday, January 3. Miami at Buffalo (-4).

When Do Opening Lines Come Out?

The availability of opening lines differs from sport to sport. For sports that are less popular to bet on and take place on a daily schedule, the opening lines typically don’t come out until the morning of the game or event itself.

How To Find Opening Betting Lines

For football, the opening line is vital in how a bettor goes about handicapping the card. Typically, the opening line for college football and the NFL comes out on Sunday evening for the following week. This is important to know since you can follow the line movement throughout the week in order to get an idea of who the big money is coming in on.

How to Handle the Opening Line?

Opening lines are the very first chance bettors get to place a wager on a particular game. Sharp bettors are usually the quickest to jump on these lines as they feel that “opening lines” represent the sportsbooks honest view of how the game may play out. The general betting public typically pay no attention to these lines, as they would prefer to wait until just before kick off to place their bets in case there is any absurd incidents that might affect the game. Ninety-nine percent of the time, the general public gets left betting into a terrible line – sometimes one or two points off the original line.

Opening Lines versus Closing Lines

The important think to know here is that when you look at opening lines, you are unlikely to see that number when you look at the closing line for a particular game. Linemakers change lines based on the action they receive once the opening lines have been set and made available for betting. The line movement is dictated by the amount of action one side of a bet sees compared to the other. Sportsbooks’ main goal is to create equal action on both sides of the line thus ensuring a profit. If the opening line is quickly changed or moves more than one or two points, this gives you a clear sense of how bettors are betting on that game.

Should You Bet the Opening Line?

There is no right or wrong answers to this question, but the general consensus around the opening line is that it is the truest representation of what a linemaker thinks of the game. Unfortunately for bettors, the opening line is very rarely available for too long before it is moved in reaction to the action against it. From experience, betting the opening line could prove profitable if you are well prepared and have an idea of what it could be. I wouldn’t just bet the opening line without doing my due diligence to find out if the game has any significant advantages to exploit. I’d much rather be better prepared and take on a skewed line instead of rushing into betting the first number I see.

Doc's Sports is offering $60 worth of handicapper picks absolutely free - no obligation, no sales people - you don't even have to enter credit card information. You can use this $60 credit any way you please for any handicapper and any sport on Doc's Sports Advisory Board list of expert sports handicappers. Click here for more details and take advantage of this free $60 picks credit today .

• Where to Bet:

How to read Super Bowl 55 Odds

The Kansas City Chiefs wil meet the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl 55 from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on Feb. 7, 2021.

The Chiefs opened as -3.5 betting favorites while the Buccaneers are 3.5 underdogs.

After early wagers came in, most operators are holding Kansas City -3 (-120).

If you were to wager on Kansas City -3, you would have to lay 5/6 odds (Bet $120 to win $100) instead of your normal 10/11 juice (Bet $110 to win $100).

The return on Tampa Bay would be even-money (1/1) and a $100 wager would return $100.

The total or over-under on Super Bowl 55 is hovering between 56 and 57 points.

How to read NFL Las Vegas Odds

The point-spread was developed to provide a balance for both teams involved in a contest to entice bettors to potentially back the weaker team and receive points. The two squads in a game are listed with a title, either a favorite or an underdog. The favorite is usually the perceived better team in the game, as backing them means giving up several points.

The favorite is always listed with a minus (-) sign before the point-spread while the underdog is labeled with a plus (+) label.

Ex. Favorite -10, Underdog +10

On the VegasInsider.com odds page, there is another number associated with the favorite and its listed as -10. This number is simply defined as “vig” or what many in the sports betting industry call vigorish. Another common term is called “juice” and it’s technically the price the bettor has to pay on a straight wager.

Ex. Bet $110 to win $100 (10% juice)
Ex. Bet $100 to win $90.91 (10% juice)

It's not uncommon to see other values posted other than -10. Examples seen on the NFL Vegas Odds pages could include -08, -12, -15 and -20. The -10 price is the most common value in the industry while many books offer reduced 'juice odds' and that would fall into the -08 category.

The lower-juice sportsbooks are normally found outside of the state Nevada. If you are in a state where sports betting is legal, please check out our online sportsbook directory to find the best and most secure places to make NFL bets.

Another number that’s posted on the NFL Las Vegas is the total or ‘over/under’ for the specific matchup. If the favorite is designated as the home team, then the total will be listed above and vice versa if the visitors are favorites.

All of the above numbers are listed next to the teams, and before each matchup is a Rotation number. The NFL Las Vegas Odds are listed in order of rotation and those numbers are generated and produced by the sportsbooks. Above each matchup and rotation is the Time of the game, which is subject to change. All game times are Eastern Standard Time.

NFL Open Line

One of the best features on the NFL Vegas Odds is the Open Line. This numbers consists of the first betting line received from one of our Las Vegas or Global Sportsbooks. The opening line varies depending on the sportsbook but it provides a clear-cut rating that the oddsmakers use. If you’re betting on the NFL or any other sport, it’s a great idea to view the open line first.

VI Consensus NFL Line

The VegasInsider.com Consensus NFL Line is just as important as the Open Line and also a key resource on odds platform. The Consensus column could be called a “Median Line” since it shows the most consistent number provided by the sportsbooks on VegasInsider.com. The consensus line will be the same as the open line but once the wagers start coming in, this number is often different than the openers.

Opening Betting Lines College Football

How do I bet on the Super Bowl?

We know that you can bet on the Super Bowl and all of NFL Futures or bet on the NFL Draft at any time of the year, but what’s the process? The future wager or the “Odds to Win” bet on the Super Bowl is correctly selecting a team to win an event that takes place at a later time. A bettor will have his wagered money tied up until there is an outcome and bettors will receive fixed odds when they place the wager. In the case of the Super Bowl, you’re not a winner or loser until you see zeros on the clock in the final game.

Most sportsbooks offer different ways to read to Super Bowl Odds. In the fractional NFL Futures Odds format below, you simply take the odds and multiply by the amount wagered.

Ncaa Opening Betting Lines

Ex. Green Bay (8/1) to win the Super Bowl

The Packers are listed as an 8/1 betting choice to win the Super Bowl. If you wager $100 on Green Bay to win the NFC and they capture the championship, then you would win $800 (8 ÷ 1 x 100). Your online betting account would then credit your account $900, which includes your win and stake ($100).

Nfl Opening Betting Lines

The American Format would see Green Bay listed at +800 and for the Decimal Format, the Packers would be 9.00.

Ncaa Opening Betting Lines

If you are in a state where online betting is legal, we encourage you to check out our sportsbook directory to find the most trustworthy and reputable sites and mobile apps to place your Super Bowl bets.