Can someone please explain....?

taoist

The Sage
Forum Member
Can someone please explain this chit to me? I swear, I'm not stupid (or at least I like to think not), but the local paper lists the baseball lines like this:

NL
Fav Dog
Philly 6-7 Colorado
Houston E-6 NY Mets
MIL E-6 Florida
St. Louis 7.5-8.5 Atlanta
San Diego 6.5-7.5 Pitt
Ariz 10-12 Expos
LAD 6-7 Cubbies
San Fran 7.5-8.5 Cinn

Now what in the world does that mean? I can guess that "E" means "even odds" or -110, but how does the other stuff translate into odds? (Just so you know, I use offshore books so it's really not all that important, but was glancing in the paper this morning and couldn't figure out what in the hell this is....)

...if anyone can explain this please let me know. Thanks in advance.
 

ndnfan

certified
Forum Member
Mar 4, 2001
2,364
0
0
54
Ohio
Never paid much attention when the lines are that way, but aren't those all based on winning $5 or betting $5? To get the moneyline you're used to just multiply by 20 :shrug:
 

rrc

Registered User
Forum Member
Feb 26, 2001
2,503
13
0
Hope this helps...

Hope this helps...

In the Phil/Colo game Phil is the fave
Wager 7 to win 5 on Phil
Wager 5 to win 6 on Colo

To follow up on what ndnfan said Phil translates to risking 140 to win 100....Colo wager100 to win 120 (all multiplied by 20)

In the MIL/FL game you are risking 120 to win 100 on MIL and you are risking 100 to win 100 on FL

One problem with these lines is that they are dealing with a 20 cent line which is bad for the bettor. For example Pinnacle I believe has 8 cent juice. Many books use 10 cent lines.

Good luck.
 

Nolan Dalla

Registered User
Forum Member
Sep 7, 2000
1,201
2
0
Washington, DC/Las Vegas, NV
NDFAN is correct.

This old notation sustem was used in the 50s and 60s and is pretty much a dinasour. It is based on a 20 cent line. SOme papaer still use this archaic system (which so few people understand). Whoever prints these lines is desperately out of touch with reality. Translated:

Philly 6-7 Colorado -- PHIL-140/COLO+120
Houston E-6 NY Mets -- HOUS-120/METS EVEN
MIL E-6 Florida -- MILW-120/FLA EVEN
St. Louis 7.5-8.5 Atlanta -- STL-170/ATL +150
etc.

Worst thing about this kind of notation is that is often TERRIBLY inaccurate. The lines posted in papers are often not even close to actual lines. I've seen games where the paper was off by as much as 40 cents.

-- Nolan Dalla
 

taoist

The Sage
Forum Member
"I see!" said the blind man to his deaf wife.... ;)

...thanks for the replies guys. i had never thought to multiply by 20.... it all makes sense now. i use offshorse almost exclusively, but couldn't figure out these lines in the paper. i should have just come here first. the answers to all of life's difficult questions are always found at Madjack's Place!!! :D

p.s. as for the .20 lines, i use canbet...so, i get a decent line comparable to pinnacle. if pinnacle would accept deposits via paypal, i'd open an account there also...but i get by just fine without them. :cool:
 

cotton

Registered User
Forum Member
Apr 2, 2002
50
0
0
56
tennessee
hey bro, hopefully this will help....those lines you see in the paper are called eastern lines...???????
conversion chart:

money line eastern line
fav dog
105 105 pk
115 105 ev-6
130 110 5 1/2 - 61/2
140 120 6 - 7
150 130 6 1/2 - 7 1/2
160 140 7 - 8
170 150 7 1/2 - 8 1/2
180 160 9 - 8
200 170 8 1/2 - 2
220 180 9 - 11
240 200 2 - 12
260 220 11 - 13
280 240 12 - 14
hope this gives u a little bit of help ...........see ya.:shrug:
 

Nolan Dalla

Registered User
Forum Member
Sep 7, 2000
1,201
2
0
Washington, DC/Las Vegas, NV
I wasn't aware USA TODAY used the old system.....to me that's incredible. It takes no more space/time to write out the teams based on a 100-unit bet than to force bettors to do artithmatic in their heads. For the record, any sports section that doesn't list totals in addition to line is probably getting their numbers off the wire (usually the night before) -- which means by the times they hot newstands they are terribly outdated in addition to being confusin for the vast majority of bettors. Correct me if I'm wrong, but both Las Vegas papers publish the modern notations (based on 100), in addition to the Washington Times, Phila Inquirer, NY Post, NY Daily News. The Washington Post doesn't even publish baseball lines at all. You'd be amazed at how out of touch their sports department is with reality.

ND
 

El Guapo

Registered User
Forum Member
Apr 12, 2002
15
0
0
Thats right they are called eastern lines, lot of papers in th east used them to give you quick referance of the odds.The best way to remeber it is based on 50$. Fav 8 ($80 to make $50).Dog 7 ($50 to make 70), Or Fav 6 1/2 ($65 to make 50) Dog 5 1/2 (50 to make 55)
Randy johnson pitching Fav 12 (120 to make 50) dog 10 (50 to make 100)
 

Stag

Registered User
Forum Member
Jan 22, 2001
1,268
0
0
yup..........they are called "East Coast lines." Most large newspapers in the Northeast (NY Daily News, NY Post, etc..) use this kind of line because this is how the majority of our local bookies still read us the numbers over the phone.
It's all based on a $5 bet. If The Yankees were 5.5-6.5 over the Mariners, my call would sound like this......"Ok, you've got one play on the call, the Yanks minus 6-and-a-half. 40 times."
Each "time" is 5 bucks. So 40 times would be me wanting to WIN $200. I would have to lay $260 to win $200 on the Yankees. But the bookie doesn't bother telling you what the exact price you have to lay in order to win the 200 dollars. You have to figure it out yourself.
Local bookies here in the NY area tend to inflate faves. Good for the dog bettor, right? Not exactly. There is no dime straddle.
I'm 29 ad have been betting baseball for 9 years. ost of my friends here on the East Coast only bet football and basketball because hey don't understand how to read this baseball line in the paper. It's a shame. Sad.
The same goes for hockey, although it's a bit simpler to understand the "East Coast puck line" that appears in papers and that bookies use around here. I always joke with local bookmakers that "in my next life, I wanna come back as an East Coast hockey bookie!" They offer lines like "New Jersey 1-1.5 over St. Louis." If New Jersey win by 2 or more goals, the book pays the Jersey action and collects the St. Louis money. If St. Louis wins the game or if the contest ends in a tie, the book pays all the St. Louis backers and collects from the people on New Jersey. BUT......here is the real kicker......if New Jersey wins by exactly one goal, the bookie collects from the people who took New Jersey, while the St. Louis backers get a push! Talk about easy money!
With some solid offshores out there which cater to the player, I am postive that Iwill never bet baseball or hockey with a local ever again.
Stag
 
Bet on MyBookie
Top