Steam Moves & How To Spot Them Early On

Posted on July 15, 2013 by admin in Bookmaker Advice

When you hear someone talking about ‘betting steam’ they are talking about following a line change caused by a large amount of money being wagered on one side of a game in a short period of time. Such moves usually happen shortly after lines have been posted when the sharp players a.k.a. ‘the wise guys’ will pounce on a number that they feel in just a bit off in the initial offering.

Keeping an eye on line movements is an essential part of being a success at sports betting. It is of key importance to monitor fluctuations from the moment they are posted in order to be on top of any and all early action. In recent years, many  offshore sportsbooks, as well as local bookies using a good PPH Service have installed live windows on their web pages displaying the live odds and keeping both bookmakers and bettors abreast of any changes.

What the ‘steam player’ is looking for is a large change in the posted odds on a certain match which makes a sudden move of a point or two in a very short period of time. The ‘steam player’ will then follow in the footsteps of the guys who placed wagers large enough to actually move the lines figuring that well, they must know something that I don’t know.’  And often times he will be correct.

The big moves are made by big ‘syndicate players’ which are not to be confused from ordinary ‘public or recreational bettors’ who usually do not have the monetary power to make any significant changes in posted lines.  To do that requires wagering large sums of money.

Normal recreational players are fairly predictable in that they tend to wager on the favorites and the over more often than not.   Lots of wagers are made simply on a favorite, home town team be they the underdogs or not.  Some bettors are going to bet on their local clubs no matter what the odds.  We call them true sports fans!

So, when a ‘public bettor’ sees the big boys jumping on an underrated team with lots of cash, it’s usually a good idea to jump on board and enjoy the ride.  That is, if it’s not already too late.

“Usually the professional money moves the line around pretty quickly,” says Jay Kornegay from the Las Vegas Hilton. “All of a sudden – boom, boom, boom and all of the sixes are gone.”