A Lesson on Odds-Shopping

When Hideki Matsuyama won the Masters, John was elated. He finally got his big win, netting a cool $1,100 on his $50 wager. He texted and called a bunch of his friends, excited to share the news on the big bet.. Alex, his golf buddy, also thrilled about Hideki’s triumph, saw John’s text an hour later. He sent him a screenshot of his own bet, also on Matsuyama to win, and he also risked $50 on the bet, the same amount as John. The difference, was that Alex netted $1,750 on his win, which was $650 more than John’s payout

How could this be?

John and Alex, of course, placed their bet with different sportsbooks. John’s favorite sportsbook posted Matsuyama’s odds at +2200 (22/1) while Alex’s preferred sportsbook pegged Matsuyama’s odds at (3500) 35/1. John, of course still very happy, learned a valuable lesson. Before placing a wager, especially a golf wager where the odds vary greatly across sportsbooks, you must shop for the best odds on your golfer. This will ensure that you always maximize your payout on winning bets, like Alex did…