dime line merely reflects the difference between the favorites "price" and the return on the dog.
for example.
olympic would offer this (because they use a 20-cent line):
astros (-140)
reds (+120)
a book like vipsports or another with a dimeline (or 10-cent line)would have:
astros (-140)
reds (+130)
basically, if you play a ton of favorites, a non-dimeline book wont matter. but if you want to make any sort of money (imo) you have to play at a dimeline book, because playing underdogs and not getting the proper "return" can greatly impact your bottom line (in a negative way)
thats why olympic, as good as book as they are- is a garbage book for baseball in my opinion. they could have the internet betting world by the nuts if theyd offer a dimeline in baseball. nobody can compete with all the betting options that spiro offers. but he loses a lot of players during baseball season because the 20-cent line is garbage.
(books like pinnacle take it a step further and offer a 7-cent line i think, which is simply:
astros -144
reds +137
playing at a non-dimeline book for baseball is almost as bad as playing at a book during football season that charges 20% juice instead of 10% juice. just a big difference imo.