Gridiron Gold: The Most Fundamental Gambling Resource
Week 1 with SpankOdds
There is no better way to kick off this series than by introducing Gadoon 'Spanky' Kyrollos and exploring the most fundamental resource in sports betting: the odds screen.
Who is Gadoon ‘Spanky’ Kyrollos?
Spanky is a distinguished figure in the world of sports betting, with over two decades of experience that have cemented his reputation as a leading expert in the field. As the founder of Bet Bash, an annual sports betting conference held in Las Vegas, Spanky has become a central figure in bringing together industry professionals, enthusiasts, and innovators to exchange ideas and advance the discourse on sports betting. But this is merely a fraction of Spanky’s influence in the betting space. Three years ago, he launched SpankOdds, a pioneering company dedicated to making his extensive gambling resources and customizable odds screens publicly accessible.
What is an odds screen, and why is it so valuable?
An odds screen is a display used in sports betting that shows the current market odds for various sporting events. It provides bettors with real-time information, allows for fast market comparisons, informs decision-making, and ultimately aids in risk management.
The odds screen resource is instrumental in winning on the margins. This is a key concept in advantage sports betting, where small edges can significantly impact long-term profitability. The most basic example of this is when two different sportsbooks offer the exact same line but with different juice. A mid-tier example is noticing when one book is slow to make a small line change, allowing you to grab a stale number. A high-level example is identifying arbitrage opportunities, where you are no longer gambling but rather investing and debating an internal churn rate versus ROI.
Some people compare the odds screen to a sports bettor being like a knife to a chef. Insert pun about being sharp. I prefer to say an odds screen is like a wetsuit for surfers - because there is no other way around it - you wont last long in these waters without one.
Why SpankOdds?
Spanky did not introduce the concept of the odds board but rather revolutionized the resource for both recreational and advanced bettors. SpankOdds is the most customizable odds screen tool I have ever come across. It offers both a free and a premium tier. The information feeds are timely, tracking all of the most important casinos and betting markets (at least the ones I play into!). Let me highlight a few features of SpankOdds that are industry-leading.
1. Best Odds Feature: Some students in math class can recite pi. Some NFL bettors know that the 2 is worth 6 cents, the 3 is worth 22 cents, and half a win on a season-long win total is worth 43 cents, among other details. Bettors who use SpankOdds do not need to know these specifics because the resource is built in. When the sports books you track have slightly different numbers and/or slightly different vig, SpankOdds understands the value of the line you are looking at and informs you which offers the best value.
2. Line Mover Alerts: Unlike many traditional odds screens that simply display numbers and flash corresponding colors, SpankOdds gives users the ability to set alerts and notifications for line moves. If you are a handicapper who, like me, highly values market direction and line movement, imagine being able to preset an alert for a time when: (a) Within 10 seconds, (b) Two or more books, (c) Move the line by a certain percentage of value. By incorporating this third factor with the percentage of value, SpankOdds ensures that the best odds values are included in the alerts you receive.
3. Game Earns Table: The Game Earns Table is a master-level betting tool available only in the premium tier of SpankOdds, but it is a relatively new feature that is absolutely worth highlighting. The Game Earns Table identifies the best middles as well as scalps and arbitrages. There are times when betting lines are in flux, and different books are offering various prices. This could be due to late injury news, uncertainty about player availability or weather conditions, or perhaps a surge of sharp action that causes significant movement relative to the available numbers. In times when the book is confused, a bettor can be opportunistic. By playing currently available numbers against one another at different casinos, bettors can find incredibly enticing low-risk, high-reward, and high-value situations. An optimized Game Earns Table can alert you to these opportunities.
Other resources in the space:
There are many odds screen resources becoming readily available in the space. I do not work for Spanky, I am not getting paid to write this, and I reached out to him about this feature. My overall belief is that the best odds screen is not any particular one but the one you feel most comfortable with and become a master at. SpankOdds is presented like an Excel or Google Sheets document, which some people love for both its user interface and sort-ability, but others may feel overwhelmed by the amount of data. Other odds screens look more like recreational betting websites and may be more familiar and approachable. Wherever you are in your process, become proficient with it, and you should definitely be using some form of odds screen.
Let’s put this into practice.
What better way to kick off both the NFL season and the Gridiron Gold series than by breaking down the Week 1 matchup of the two-time defending Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs?
The odds screen helps bettors get value on either side of a line. Therefore, it does not matter if you like the Chiefs or the Ravens, or if you prefer the over or the under in this game. What does matter is understanding what lines are or were available for this game.
If you like the Chiefs, you better have gotten a -2.5, and if you like the Ravens you better have gotten a +3. The total has had moments on both sides of the key number 47. If you like the under, you better have gotten a 47.5, if you like the over you better have waited for that 46.5. In future weeks, we will cover key numbers. While everyone knows about the NFL’s 3 on a spread, 41 is the most common NFL total, making 44 and 47 key numbers in that range as well. When you understand key numbers and market direction, you become sharp on the edges and can capitalize on the margins. This subtle difference can be what separates a winner from someone who is slowly losing and paying vig tax.
Most weeks, the article series will culminate with a bet where we can apply the strategy for that given week. However, for this particular week, doing so would defeat the purpose of everything written above. Your inclination to bet in a particular direction is fine, but make sure you get the best currently available number, ideally the best number ever offered or as close to it as possible for the side of the game you are targeting.
I would also recommend applying some basic thresholds for skipping a bet when the best current available number on the side you want is too far from the best number ever offered. Do not bet any +2.5’s (-110) this NFL season if there was previously a +3 (-110) earlier in the week. Pat yourself on the back for identifying the “sharp side,” but in reality, skip the bet. The easiest way to accumulate that information is with an odds screen!
I had the pleasure of speaking with Spanky last week. I was running the idea for this piece by him and asking a few questions about SpankOdds. I wanted to spotlight his work, so I had no concerns about getting his permission once we were set up to speak. However, I wanted to ensure I was not putting words in his mouth by saying it doesn’t matter which side of a game you like as long as you get the best number that is or was offered for that side. I emphasized that the betting community gets too bogged down in which side to bet, when in reality, the bet type and the associated number make the biggest difference in “cleaning up” a bettor’s portfolio, winning on the margins, and ultimately being profitable over a large sample size.
“Brother, you are speaking my language. Good stuff,” he said.
*This article (2) is part of the ongoing Gridiron Gold series. To see the previous article in the series (1), use the button below.