Second Half Plays

As with other RAS releases, the lines on second half plays will begin to move quickly once they are released. The second half market is much smaller than full game markets, and it does not take much for lines to move significantly.

It is important to understand how the second half line pertains to the halftime score. If a team is down by 3 at half, and we release that team with a line of -2.5, you are not losing any value at -3.0 or -3.5. Even if you have to give -4.0 it is not the end of the world, because it makes the team -1.0 for the game, and both football and basketball games are less likely to land on 1 than they are 2, 3, or 4, and even if it did you would push, not lose. If the same team was tied at half, then -2.5, -3.0, -3.5, and -4.0 would all have much different meanings. In this case it would not be advisable to follow at worse than a ½ point of the release line for a basketball game, and not anything worse than -2.5 for a football game because 3 is such a key number. It is always important to understand the key numbers in football for both sides and totals when making halftime betting decisions.

Keep in mind every half point has more of a chance to come into play when dealing with just one half of a game as opposed to a full game. Line shopping is even more important as second half lines tend to differ from sportsbook to sportsbook more than they would for a full game line. Using a lines service such as Don Best, Sports Options, or SBROdds can save you a lot of time and help you get a better number.


« Back to RAS User Guide




Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions or comments about the service.