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If you’ve gambled enough, you’ve surely heard about “odds boost.” Top-used sportsbooks love throwing this promotion at bettors in hopes of getting them to gamble. But if you’re new to this sports betting thing, you might be confused about what oddsboost even is or how it works.
Worry no more, we’re explaining boosted odds in-depth in this how-to guide. By the time you’re done reading this, you’ll be more than ready to take advantage of these special deals offered from time to time.
What Are Odds Boost?
You can probably guess what odds boosts are by the name alone. It’s essentially when a bookmaker offers a specific bet at a better price — thus, it’s boosting the betting odds.
Of course, this boost makes the wager more favorable for the bettor. An underrated ingredient to successful betting is taking lines with favorable odds, and a boosted bet would definitely fall into that category (most of the time, as we’ll explain later).
How Do Odds Boosts Work?
Not all odds boosts are created equal. One sportsbook might do it differently than another so always read the terms and conditions to be sure. But speaking very generally here, odds boost follow a very familiar format from bookie to bookie.
For one, odds boosts are almost always for a limited time. That’s partially a marketing trick as a sense of urgency makes a bettor more likely to bet, but two, it’s also protection. Bookmakers can’t offer unfavorable betting lines (from their perspective) for lengthy periods of time or else they would (probably) lose a lot of money.
Furthermore, the sportsbook can and does offer odds boost on just about any type of betting line — moneyline, over/under, props, and even parlays. This variety makes the odds boost an intriguing bet over the long haul cause you never quite know what type of boost you’ll get.
Stake limits are also commonly applied to these bets. If the bookie is going to give you a favorable line, don’t think you’ll be able to wager ANY amount you want. No, no, no there will be a cap limit that the bettor can not exceed. Again, these limits will vary wildly from platform to platform.
Boosted bets are usually one-time things. Once you’ve taken the specific offer, you can’t re-bet it at most places. We’re talking about individual odds boost, not when it’s offered again on an entirely different wager. So make sure to size your bet right cause you won’t get a second chance.
These are the principles that underpin most price boosts bets, but again, it’s worth digging into the T&C to know exactly what you’re getting into.
Example Of Odds Boost
The best way to drill down odds boosts is by giving you a clear-cut example of one. Here’s a memorable one so you can get the gist of this promotion.
Remember at the start of the 2023 NFL season when Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift were all the rage? With so much interest on the relationship, some sites went ahead and offered a boost sports bet on Kelce’s performance.
There’s a famous prop for anytime touchdown scorer. Bettors pick players that they believe will score a TD at some point in the game. Kelce might have +200 odds on this prop. But if it were boosted, there’s a chance those odds shoot up to +300. Suddenly, bettors are getting an extra 50-percent value of this promo.
If Kelce did score a touchdown, bettors would receive a $300 payout on a $100 bet. Without the boost and the usual +200 odds, that would be only a $200 profit.
See what we mean now? These odds boost could mean serious jumps in profit and betting value. There’s a famous example involving Tiger Woods and DraftKings back in 2019. The bookie boosted Tiger’s odds of winning a tourney, in which he did. It resulted in DraftKings getting beat by bettors for $2.5 million. Whoa, indeed!
Best Sportsbooks For Odds Boost?
Almost every sportsbook worth its salt offers an odds boost. Why? Because bettors love them. You saw our example, many times, these can be better promotions than the regular sign-up bonus. SO they won’t be hard to find, but if you need a few bookies to start with, let it be these:
ESPN Bet
ESPN is officially in the sports betting business. Its ESPN Bet sportsbook, done in partnership with Penn Entertainment, went live in November 2023. One of its big draws outside of the ESPN name is its boosted odds selection. It seems like every day ESPN Bet is boosting odds somewhere.
Here’s a recent example during Monday Night Football. It was a double-header of games featuring the Giants vs. Packers, and Dolphins vs. Titans. ESPN Bet had a few different boosted odds up, but here’s one:
- Derrick Henry, Tyreek Hill, and Saquon Barkley combine for 4 touchdowns or more: boosted from +400 to +500
That bet ended up hitting so bettors that took advantage receive an extra +100 in betting value. With a $100 wager, that’s another $100 in winnings. This is just one example of ESPN Bet’s ways with this promo, which it’s used liberally since opening up shop.
Offshore Betting Sites
This is not one specific sportsbook, but more like a basket of them. Offshore betting sites are a perfect option for catching boosted odds. Because of their offshore operations, these same sites skirt around a lot of rules and regulations too, which means more intriguing bets. For instance, when the U.S. 2024 Presidential election rolls around, don’t be surprised if you see an offshore bookie boost odds on who wins — something a regulated bookie could never get away with.
See the table underneath for a list of our very favorite offshore bookies:
Is An Odds Boost Worth It?
This is a trick question. On the surface, yes, boosted odds are totally worth it. We mean, you’re getting better betting value upfront and that’s easy to see.
However, the issue we see is that bettors fall in love with EVERY boosted bet just because, well, the lines are better for them. This mode of thinking can become troublesome because not every boosted bet is deserving of a bet.
Just like with any other sports bet, you should do your research before blindly betting on boosted odds. Let’s use that same Kelce example as before. Look up how the opposing defense has fared against tight ends that year — this information will probably tell you more about how likely your bet is to hit than the odds themselves, boosted or not.
Never ever forget that sportsbooks are a business themselves too. Their goal is the same goal as you — come out profitable. Realizing this helps you better pick your spots because many times, the boosted bet chosen isn’t even a good one.
Welp, that just about does it when it comes to boosted odds. Hopefully, all this will help you start taking advantage of odds boost today!
