Cappers Fight for Closing Line Value – December 12

One of the big reasons why Sports Hub handicappers are so effective is their constant push for closing line value. For those not so sure what a closing line is, it is the line (and corresponding odds) when the market closes. Closing line value is simply the value of a bet relative to where a betting line closes.

Take last night’s MNF doubleheader. The Green Bay Packers were favored to beat the New York Giants. The line for the game opened at 5.5. Early betting forced a line shift to 6.5 and several Sports Hub cappers jumped on the Giants at +6.5. One of our top football handicappers, Coach Rick, had the Giants at +6.5. When the line closed, it was at 6.0. There were some books where the line flipped all the way to Giants -2.5. Coach Rick getting the Giants at +6.5 is better than +6.0 and a whole lot better than -2.5. That’s closing line value.

The Importance of Finding Closing Line Value

Let’s say you like to make five bets each day and you’re a $100 bettor. That means you will make 150 bets in a month. For the sake of the example, we’ll say that you are making all moneyline bets. If you beat the closing line on every single bet, what would the result be? 

Again, for the sake of the example, we’ll say you beat the closing line by just one cent. If the line was -125, your bet at -124 has closing line value. On the other end, your closing line on an underdog has value if you got it at +130 and the line closed at +131. With each bet on a favorite that loses, you saved a dollar. For every underdog that wins, you made an extra dollar.

When you add up your winnings at the end of the month, you will have found that you picked up an extra $75 simply by finding closing line value. That’s almost a full unit for a $100 bettor. The edge gained in beating the closing line may be small, but over time it adds up. Beating the closing line can turn a losing bettor into a winning bettor. Check this out.

Prior to the start of this NFL season, favorites were 1859-1860-111 against the spread since 2005. Yes, sportsbooks know what they are doing. For a $100 bettor, winning 50 percent of those bets would result in losing 78.5 units. But, what if you beat the closing line by a half-point on all those bets? Those 111 pushes become wins and there’s probably another 111 losses (at least) that becomes pushes. The overall record becomes 1970-1749-111. That’s a 52.9 percent winning percentage, which clears the break-even point, 52.4 percent.

Sports Hub Cappers Beat the Closing Line

Once again, like clockwork, the daily Sports Hub leaderboard is led by our own experts. The top-4 yesterday were all Sports Hub exclusive cappers who combined to put up 15 wins in 17 picks. If you had made all of their picks, you would have added $1460 to your bankroll in just one day! 

Our cappers understand the importance of beating the closing line. Coach Rick, and others, were able to get the Giants at +6.5 when the closing line was +6.0 at most sportsbooks. New York kicked a last-second field goal to beat the Packers 24-22 last night. 

Our leader yesterday was Smokin’ Joe Berra, who beat the closing line on the Giants too. He actually picked the G-Men to win on the moneyline at +205. That line closed at the Giants -130 at some sportsbooks. Would you rather bet $100 and win $76.92 or would you rather bet $100 and win $205 like Joe? That’s the power of beating the closing line. It’s also the power of our Sports Hub handicappers.

Let’s see how they did.

• Big dog: As mentioned, it was Joe Berra tearing up the competition yesterday. Joe hit on 5 of his 7 picks and collected $460 in winnings. Over the last 30 days, Joe is now up $1517. 
• NBA dog: If you look at our NBA handicapper rankings, you’ll find Al Grant right at the top. Last night, he went 4-0 overall and nailed both of his NBA picks. Al took home $400, which is the start of a good week. Over the last seven days, Al is up $490 on his NBA picks.
• Double dog: Evan Lewis and Ryan Davis each went 3-0 and won $300. Evan hit three NBA picks and he’s now up $1600 for the last 30 days. Ryan hit two NBA picks and an NHL pick yesterday. He’s up $1726 for the last 30 days. 
• Top-5 dog: The final member of yesterday’s top-5 was Scott Wetzel. He also went 3-0 and won $300. He’s worth mentioning because over the last 30 days, Scott has hit 65.28 percent of his bets and has won $1875. That’s No. 3 on our 30-day leaderboard.
• The top dog: Also worth mentioning is our very own Gino Russo. If you look at all the leaderboards, Gino is at the top of most of them…7-day, 14-day, 30-day. Gino is cranking out wins like it’s nobody’s business. He’s winning at a 68.75 percent clip over the last 30 days and leads all Sports Hub handicappers with winnings of $2198.

Skipping Bowl Games Continues

It is almost expected now that college football stars that are draft eligible skip their team’s bowl games. That is the case once again this year. The list of players opting out continues to grow with a big announcement yesterday. Those opt-outs will affect betting on bowl games. Be advised.

What else is trending today?

• Drake Maye out: North Carolina QB Drake Maye will not play in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl against West Virginia. Maye announced yesterday that he is opting out and will prepare to enter the NFL draft. Maye, along with USC QB Caleb Williams, has a shot at being the overall No. 1 pick in 2024. 
• Underdogs: In a rare MNF doubleheader in December, both underdogs won games last night and both were led by rookie QBs. As mentioned earlier, the Giants beat the Packers 24-22 on a last-second field goal. The Tennessee Titans scored two touchdowns in the last 2:40 to beat the Miami Dolphins 28-27. Hopefully, you were on the right side of those games last night and beat the closing line.

• Giants: With that win last night, the New York Giants are now 3-0 in their last three games. New York is now 5-8 and it’s almost hard to believe, but they have a shot at the playoffs. Five teams – the Packers, Rams, Seahawks, Falcons, and Saints – are 6-7. Green Bay still owns the seventh and final spot in the NFC playoffs right now. The Giants remaining games are against Seattle, Atlanta, and then there are two games against the Eagles.
• New York, New York: The top of the NHL’s Metropolitan Division looks like this: New York Rangers (19-6-1, 39 pts.) and New York Islanders (13-7-7, 33). The Rangers have won seven of their last ten games. The Islanders are 7-1-2 in their last ten. The Rangers are tied with the Bruins for most points in the Eastern Conference.

Tuesday Sports Schedule

It’s a Tuesday in December which means we’ll have plenty of hoops action tonight. The NHL has a pretty full schedule and that will have to tide us over until we can get to Thursday and get more NFL football. A couple of ranked teams play tonight in college basketball and there is some quality European soccer on tap.

Let’s check out the schedule.

1. On the ice: There are 10 games on the Tuesday NHL schedule. The ESPN doubleheader features Detroit at St. Louis in the opener and Chicago at Edmonton in the late game. The Blackhawks are one of the worst teams in the NHL, but rookie Connor Bedard is the real deal. Check him out tonight.

2. On the hardwood: There are only five games in the NBA tonight, but it is TNT doubleheader night. The NBA Cup champion Lakers travel to Dallas to take on Luca Doncic and the Mavs in the first game of the doubleheader. Golden State and Phoenix will tangle in the late game. Find that closing line value tonight.
3. The college hardwood: No. 12 Tennessee is in action tonight hosting Georgia Southern. Duke, which is currently ranked No. 21, will host Hofstra at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Those are the only two ranked teams playing tonight among the few dozen games on the schedule.
4. On the pitch: There are eight matches in the UEFA Champions League. Some of the world’s best – Arsenal, Real Madrid, and Bayern Munich – will play today. The English League Championship and the FA Cup both have multiple matches today. Check the Sports Hub database for soccer picks.

That’s it for today. Make sure you attempt to find closing line value to add a little extra to your bankroll. Our Sports Hub experts are putting their picks in the database as you read this. There are dozens and dozens of NHL, NBA, NCAAB, and soccer picks available right now. Beat the books by tailing the best cappers in the business. Win big today and come back tomorrow for more! See you then.