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Florida sportsbooks want your business, and once they get it, they’ll do everything they can to keep it. This includes everything from reload deposit bonuses to bonus bet offers to loyalty programs that reward volume players and, of course, odds boosts.
It’s a line shopper’s dream and an instant boost to the bottom line of anyone who bets the boosted line and wins. However, some questions remain.
- Are odds boosts always a good bet?
- Why are sportsbooks going out of their way to give players added value? Can you trust it?
Find the answers to these questions and more below.
What is an odds boost?
An odds boost is an increase to the odds of a popular bet, upping your potential payout.
Odds boosts are launched surrounding everything from local team action to major sporting event odds like Super Bowl odds or The Masters. Essentially, an odds boost entices you to bet with a particular sportsbook by offering up a better price on a bet than you’re likely to find elsewhere. The only downside is the bet has to win for the boost to provide you any value at all.
A lot of sportsbooks post different enhanced odds offers every day for everything from NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL games to golf majors, tennis grand slams, MMA fights and more.
How do odds boosts work?
Sportsbooks take the odds on a bet and make them better. This improves the potential payout for anyone that bets it.
Where can you find an odds boost?
Sportsbooks usually promote odds boosts on social media and put them right in the main lobby or menu. That way, they are easy to find.
How can you get an odds boost?
Click on the bet, and the boosted odds will be available on a bet slip.
Which types of bets can get boosted?
Name a bet, and the odds on it can be boosted. That said, the moneyline is the most commonly boosted type.
How to determine the value of an odds boost
Odds boosts are supposed to provide you added value, but it’s important to remember that the bet has to win for that to matter. Enhanced odds make every bet look better, but looks can be deceiving.
An underdog with only a small chance of winning is still an underdog with only a small chance of winning, no matter how much a sportsbook boosts the odds.
The best way to approach any odds boosts is to ask yourself if you like the bet at the original odds. If the answer is yes, betting it at the boosted odds is a great perk. If the answer is no, the boost has to be big enough to make you want to change your mind. What exactly that number will be is entirely up to you. A good rule of thumb is to bet on most odds boosts that change the odds from negative to positive and avoid most odds boosts on big underdogs.
What criteria should you look for to determine if an odds boost is worth it? The attractiveness of the original bet, the original odds and whether the side you’re betting on started off as an underdog or a favorite.
How do you use boosted odds?
Sometimes, certain sportsbooks will let you decide what odds you want to boost. Eg. Hard Rock Sportsbook in Florida will set an amount for the boost and allow you to pick the bet to which you want to apply it. Even so, they may limit its application to a certain number of games or range of original odds.
As an example, you might be offered a +100 odds boost and can apply it to the Miami Heat (+110) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (-125) game. Bet the Heat with the odds boost, and if they win, you’ll get paid $210 plus your bet back for every $100 you bet.
Without the boost, you would have only been paid $110, plus your bet back, for every $100 you bet.
This is obviously the best kind of odds boost. When a sportsbook lets you decide what odds you want to boost, you can take advantage by getting an improved price on a bet you would have placed anyways. You get flexibility, control and a bigger potential payout on a bet you would have placed at even lower odds.
NFL odds boosts
More money is bet on the NFL than anything else. Thus, sportsbooks will run more price boosts surrounding the NFL than everything else. There will be several different kinds of NFL odds boosts you can take advantage of throughout the season, including:
- The moneyline favorite becomes a dog boost: The Miami Dolphins are a home moneyline favorite at -150 over the New England Patriots. To make Miami more attractive, the odds could be boosted enough to make the favored Dolphins look like the underdog. With the odds boosted to +110, Dolphins bettors would no longer need to lay money to win money. Instead, they’ll more than double their money with a Miami win.
- The parlay pays even better boost: Parlay bets are tough to win, which is why you already get a bit of a boost betting them, compared to placing each bet individually. Sportsbooks can also offer an additional odds boost on certain parlays. Let’s say you can normally bet on the Dolphins to beat the Patriots and Miami QB Tua Tagovailoa scoring a rushing TD in the game at +175. Sportsbooks might boost the odds to +250, making this rather tough parlay a much better bet in terms of risk versus reward.
- The popular prop boost: NFL prop bets are so popular sportsbooks regularly target them for odds boosts. Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Tom Brady may be at +200 to throw three touchdown passes in the game. But with an odds boost, you can get this bet on the Buccaneers at +250. Once again, the improved potential return might be worth the risk on this bet at those boosted odds.
NBA odds boosts
NBA betting is almost as popular, which is why you’ll also find a ton of enhanced odds bonuses in this realm. There are several different types of NBA odds boosts, including:
- The NBA moneyline, point spread or totals boost: Get an odds boost for all three different types of single-game wagers on Orlando Magic and Miami Heat and games. Instead of betting the Heat moneyline over the Magic at -175, bet the Heat at even money (+100). Or, instead of betting the Heat -5.5 over the Magic at -110 or an O/U 220.5 at -110, a boost could move the odds on either bet to +110. These are the same moneyline, point spread or totals bets you’d normally place, just at better odds.
- The NBA parlay boost: Once again, this is where a sportsbook offers an additional odds boost on certain parlays. Betting Miami, Orlando and Atlanta to win in different games on the same night might pay +250, but with a boost you can book the same bet at +350 and stand to win that much more.
- The NBA prop boost: NBA prop bets are popular too, so much so that sportsbooks regularly target these bets for odds boosts as well. Betting on Heat leader Jimmy Butler to score 25 or more in a game may be at -125, but with an odds boost you can bet it at even money (+100). Just like that, you no longer have to lay money to win money on “Jimmy Buckets” hitting his average.
MLB odds boosts
- The MLB run line, moneyline or totals boost: Get improved odds on standard single-game MLB baseball bets for Tampa Bay Rays odds and Florida Marlins odds. Instead of your betting the Rays’ 1.5 run line over the Yankees at -110, a boost could move the odds to +110. Odds boosts might also move a -175 moneyline on the same game to even money (+100). Or you could see the -115 odds on the 9.5 totals line move to even money (+100). Once again, these are the same run line, moneyline and totals bets at improved odds.
- The MLB parlay boost: This is an odds boost on an MLB parlay, possibly making the reward on an otherwise tough-to-win parlay worth the risk. Bet on both a Rays and Marlins win at boosted odds.
- The MLB prop boost: Here’s an odds boost on an MLB prop, improving your potential payout. Bet on Rays slugger Brandon Lowe to hit a home run in a game at the best price around.
Odds boosts for college football and basketball
Whether it’s betting on March Madness or major bowl games, including College Football Playoff and National Championship odds, you’re bound to find an odds boost at Florida sportsbooks.
That’s particularly true if a local school like Florida, Florida State or Miami is involved. When it comes to college basketball betting, the odds boosts should mirror those you find for NBA action. If it’s college football, the odds boosts should be similar to those you find for NFL action.
Odds boosts vs. teasers and parlays
Parlays already have higher payout odds when compared to the odds of placing a bet on each leg in the parlay individually. However, sportsbooks will also offer an additional boost on certain parlays.
Teaser bets are a bit different. With teasers, you can manipulate the line in your favor on the games in your parlay. The trade-off is that while you may still get a bit of an odds boost compared to placing a bet on each leg individually, it won’t be nearly as big as a standard parlay.
This is because, in theory, the opportunity to manipulate the lines makes the teaser easier to win. In practice, all types of parlays are hard to win. You should welcome any odds boost offered. While you won’t find too many odds boosts available for teasers, if you do find one, take it.
The bottom line is that anything that gets you paid closer to the true odds of winning a bet is added value.