For all of us scalpers, nothing is better than the start of baseball season. Nothing beats being able to bet both sides of the same game and make money regardless who wins. For those who do not know what scalping is, you basically line shop and take advantages of a discrepancy in a line between two books. There are two kinds of scalpers, the one who has a lean toward one side and the one who does a true arb (arbitrage). Sportsbook A has Team 1 at -125. Sportsbook B has the opponent, Team 2 at +130. The true arb would be to lay $1000 on the dog at +130 and $1277 on the fav, thus making $22.00 regardless who wins the game. You might say $22.00, what a waste! Just doing one of these a day makes you over 8k a year. Hit more than one per day I think you see the potential. Also, dont forget you are not meeting the requirements on those wonderful bonuses sportbooks love to offer risk free. A fellow scalper I know likes to take a lean based on where he can max out his bet. Same scenario as the true arb, but you can bet two different ways. You can bet a $1000 on the dog at the +130 and $1300 on the favorite and if the favorites wins you make $40.00 and break even if the dog wins. On the flip side, bet $1000 on the dog at +130 and $1250 on the -125 fav and win $50.00 on a dog winner and break even on a fav win. There are many things he considers on choosing a dog or fav scalp and we have limited space here. For me, I like the grind and for sure win.
Granted this is not the only thing you want to focus on during MLB, but tossing in some scalps here and there can not only help add to the bankroll but can help you understand line movement and which books are sharp.