The thrill behind placing wagers in most sports betting sites or mobile apps like betway lies in the uncertainty in live sporting events until they happen right before the player’s very eyes. As a result, the odds for some sporting events can fluctuate in many different directions, going up, down, or everything in between. These are called ‘steam moves’ and it can startle many bettors when it happens. But the absolute best bettors can manage their way through this hurdle and it can even become a significant advantage. Learn how they happen and how to make it favorable for the next wager placed!
Line shifts and steam moves
A steam move occurs when a betting line shifts quickly and sharply due to heavy, one-sided action. This move occurs whenever there is a great influx of money coming in from one side to force sportsbooks to adjust. Depending on the circumstances that surround the movement, it can turn into good or bad news.
This occurrence in sports betting happens when big betting parties attempt to push the odds on sportsbooks to their favor whenever there are drastic changes before or during a game. This can come from either professional bettors or even betting syndicates. To minimize the risk of the sportsbooks, they have to adjust the betting line from the influx of wagers coming in. The name comes from the idea of “steamrolling” the line—overwhelming oddsmakers with a flood of money that pressures them to move the number before taking too much lopsided action.
There are significant telltale signs that a line shift is about to happen when it comes to placing a sportsbet over on sports betting sites or mobile apps like betway. It can range from simple changes like the weather on match day if it’s a game of football or even a lineup change. The most drastic factor that could create a line shift are player injuries, especially if it’s before a highly anticipated game.
To provide an example, say that there is a game between the Golden State Warriors and the Houston Rockets. Odds are in favor of the Warriors and it can potentially harbor all the betting money before the game even begins.
But breaking news! Let’s say Warriors star player Stephen Curry suffers an ankle injury, leaving him to sit out the game. Professional bettors use this to leverage the odds according to their goal, since sportsbooks are forced to adjust the odds for the Warriors being a weaker team in this instance compared to the Rockets.
The pros and cons of steam moves
Steam moves aren’t bad per se. In fact, they can even become an advantage for bettors, should they have thought ahead or around the line shift.
Should a bettor place a wager before the line shift, they just might enjoy better odds compared to what they initially saw. In the example, professional bettors are most likely betting on the Rockets now that the news of Curry’s injury broke out. It is very probable that the Rockets might take the win without Curry playing on the other side, after all. If the player bets on the Rockets without the sportsbook learning of the injury yet, players can take advantage of better odds.
If a player is still undecided when placing a wager before the line shift, the sharp movement could be a favorable sign. In this case, whenever there is steam, there is a fire! A player will have to decide whether they want to follow the professional bettors or if they want to go with their gut and think that the odds moved too drastically.
In the end, steam moves are just one piece of the puzzle. The best bettors combine them with research, timing, and discipline to stay ahead of the game.
