Betting at the Sharpest Sportsbooks

Sharp sportsbooks set their own lines, offer high maximum win limits, provide competitive betting odds and welcome action from all players. These sportsbooks are popular among professional bettors, who only place wagers when there is a perceived edge.

This guide breaks down the concept of a sharp sportsbook and explains how it differs from a soft book model. We will show you how to bet like a sharp on your favorite sports and break down some of the key strategies used by experienced gamblers, such as arbitrage and fading the public. Continue reading to discover the sharpest offshore sportsbooks available.

Comparing the Sharpest Sportsbooks

Sportsbooks With The Sharpest Odds

Our reviewers have analyzed hundreds of sportsbooks that target sports bettors from the United States and Canada. We assess the quality of the odds, the betting limits and the reputation of each site during the review process. The reviewers decided that these are currently the top sportsbooks on the market:

1. Bookmaker – Regularly the first sportsbook to publish betting lines on a game 
2. Heritage Sports – Offers reduced juice (-108) lines on sides and totals
3. Bovada – Provides the largest selection of prop bets on the market
4. BetOnline – Offers high rollers a re-bet option that facilitates very large wagers
5. BetAnySports – Reduced juice sportsbook offering -105 lines
6. BetUS – A sportsbook that offers large bonuses and promotions
7. WagerWeb – Also offers reduced juice lines
8. JustBet – Publishes early lines and welcomes all bets
9. Everygame – An established and trustworthy sportsbook
10. SportsBetting.ag – Very large betting limits and reduced juice NHL lines

The Sharpest Sportsbooks Reviewed

Bookmaker

Bookmaker.eu has a reputation for providing early lines for professional and sharp bettors around the world. It has been online since 1996, and it is renowned for never kicking out winners and always paying out on time. Whether you are a recreational player on a hot streak or a professional who generates consistent, long-term profits, Bookmaker will welcome your action and provide you with quick withdrawals and quality promos.

Its tagline is “where the line originates,” as Bookmaker is known for setting lines on football, basketball, baseball and hockey games before its competitors. Many of them wait to see what Bookmaker comes up with and they then copy its lines. As such, Bookmaker is popular with sharp bettors that want to gain an edge on the wagering public before the consensus lines move in response to betting patterns. Bookmaker also features a sportsbook loyalty program to keep bettors coming back for more.

Heritage Sports

Heritage Sports is an excellent source of attractive odds on a variety of sports. It offers -108 on either side of point spreads and totals, which amounts to a 20% discount on the standard juice (-110) lines at most rival sportsbooks. There is often a zero juice college game of the week too, along with a monthly “get out of your bet for free” offer, while the cashback program also boosts your long-term margins.

This site operated on a membership model for many years, but it was eventually opened up to the wider betting public, which is great news for sharp bettors. Heritage Sports offers some of the best odds on the market, and it has never had any payout issues.

Bovada

Bovada is an elite sports betting site that offers a great variety of markets than its rivals. You will normally find more than 100 bet types on an individual game. If you want to bet on a market that is not listed, just use the “What’s ya wager?” option and the team will price it up for you.

This sportsbook is more popular with recreational bettors than sharps thanks to its many bonuses, but skilled bettors can unlock some benefits at Bovada. It often has the best moneyline odds on the market, and it is the best destination for finding interesting, exotic props.

BetOnline

BetOnline is an excellent option for sharp bettors with large bankrolls. It has a re-bet option, which means you can place a wager and then repeat it every 60 seconds until you arrive at your desired total risk amount. In essence, it means there are no upper betting limits, so if you want to go hard on a particular bet, this sportsbook is a great choice with plenty of sportsbook promos.

In many regards, BetOnline is similar to Bookmaker.eu, Bovada and Heritage Sports, as it has been in business for decades, it holds a trusted reputation and it always pays out. You can sign up with all four sites and compare the odds they are offering before placing a wager, as that will ensure you always get a competitive price.

BetAnySports

BetAnySports is currently the best reduced juice sportsbook on the market. It offers odds of -105 on either side of point spreads and totals on football and basketball games, along with overnight MLB 5-cent moneylines, if you sign up for the “Less Juice” package.

That means you get a 50% discount on your lines, meaning you only need to wager $105 to win $100, as opposed to $110 at most sportsbooks. Those savings can seriously add up over the course of the year, so we highly recommend BetAnySports if you are seeking the best betting value.

BetUS

BetUS is an online sportsbook renowned for offering very large bonuses. The flagship welcome offer is worth up to $3,750 in site credit, and it provides large reload bonuses and lots of alternative promos too. It is not really known as a sharp sportsbook, but it sometimes has market-leading odds.

WagerWeb

WagerWeb is a sister site to Heritage Sports, offering a very similar sports betting service. It gives players reduced juice lines and cashback options, and it is highly reputable and reliable, so this is a common stopping point for sharp bettors.

JustBet

JustBet is a sister site to our No. 1 sharp sportsbook, Bookmaker.eu. It is very similar to Bookmaker, so you will benefit from early lines on sports events, competitive odds, professional customer service, reliable withdrawals and exciting contests. 

Everygame

Everygame is an established sportsbook that takes bets on a large volume of games each day. This is another site that is primarily aimed at casual, recreational bettors, but there may sometimes be interesting lines for sharps.

Sportsbetting.ag

SportsBetting.ag is BetOnline’s sister site. It offers the same features, limits, odds, markets, promotions, payout speeds and banking options. The only difference between the sites is the software, as BetOnline runs on a more modern and stylish platform.

The Difference Between Sharp and Soft Bookmakers

Soft betting sites are aimed at casual players that bet without a perceived edge. Those bettors are known as squares, and they are at the opposite end of the spectrum to sharps. A soft bookmaker will be slow to alter its lines when the market moves, so you can seize upon some weak lines at these sites. Sometimes, these are also referred to as square sportsbooks.

However, a soft bookmaker is more likely to restrict the accounts of sharp players. It will review your betting history, and there is a strong chance that it will impose low bet limits or stop taking your action if it identifies you as a sharp sports bettor.

The sharp betting sites are favored by professional bettors seeking early lines, real-time odds, high bet limits and the ability to wager on a consistent basis, even when you are on a winning streak. You can use sharp bookmakers for arbitrage betting.

It is important to use sharp and soft betting sites, as you can often exploit differences between the lines they offer. However, just keep in mind that soft books are likely to limit you quickly, so you will need to set up several accounts.

What is a sharp sportsbook?

A sharp sportsbook welcomes professional bettors. Some of the most famous examples are Bookmaker.eu, BetAnySports and Pinnacle. Key features include efficient lines, early odds on a wide range of markets and the confidence to take on all action.

These bookies pride themselves on not kicking you out if you are winning, and they allow you to place unusual bet sizes when arbing. Betting exchanges are a different prospect, as they allow you to essentially become the sportsbook, but sharp bettors can also find a lot of value at exchanges such as Betfair and Smarkets.

How to Find Sharp Odds

Professional bettors only place wagers when they perceive an edge. There are a few key ways to spot sharp odds:

• You can pounce on the opening line published by a sharp sportsbook if it differs from your projections. The lines often move in line with public betting patterns, so if you spot an appealing opening line on a popular team, it is often worth claiming it.
• Fade the public by betting on the unpopular side of a point spread or total points line after it has moved. Players can check out line movements on a particular betting market at the best offshore betting sites and spot opportunities to fade squares.
• Exploit the discrepancies between the betting odds on offer at rival sportsbooks, covering both sides of a bet with the optimal amount of money and locking in a guaranteed profit, regardless of how the game pans out. This was originally known as dutching, but it is now more commonly referred to as arbing. You can often spot arbitrage opportunities when comparing the lines at two square sportsbooks or a soft book and a sharp book.

FAQs – Playing at Sharp Sportsbooks