The Complete Guide to Betting Alternate Lines

Alternate lines allow sports bettors to dig deeper and find value by moving away from the standard spreads, totals, and props offered by sportsbooks. But to utilize them effectively, you need to understand why and how to bet these creative lines. In this comprehensive guide, we‘ll breakdown everything you need to know about alternate lines for smarter and more profitable wagering.

What Are Alternate Lines?

Alternate lines, sometimes called alt lines, are betting options that offer spreads, totals, or props that differ from the primary lines set by oddsmakers. Sportsbooks create these lines to give bettors more choice and ways to tailor wagers.

For example, a standard NFL spread may be:

• New England Patriots -7

The alternate spread options could include:

• Patriots -3
• Patriots -10
• Patriots -14

The farther the alternate spread is from -7, the more the odds shift. Bettors use alternate lines to increase, decrease, or hedge the risk on a wager based on their betting strategy.

Key Types of Alternate Lines

While alternate lines come in many forms, a few of the most common include:

Alternate Spreads

Altering the spread from the consensus points set by oddsmakers. Often used to make lopsided matchups more compelling or bet both sides in a game.

Alternate Totals

Moving the over/under higher or lower than the standard game total. Useful for betting low/high scoring matchups.

Alternate Player/Team Props

Adjusting props like passing yards, strikeouts, rebounds above or below the totals set by sportsbooks. Allows betting on outlier outcomes.

Alternate Puck Lines (Hockey)

Hockey puck lines typically move from +-1.5 goals to +-2.5 goals on the alternate. Makes underdogs more viable.

Comparing Alternate Lines to Traditional Bets

To fully understand alternate lines, it helps to compare them to standard wager types:

Bet Type	Description	Example
Moneyline	Betting on a team to win straight up	New England -120
Point Spread	Betting on team to cover spread margin	NE -7 (-110)
Totals	Betting over/under a set game total	O/U 53 points
Prop Bets	Betting player/team stat milestone	Brady O/U 270 passing yards
Alternate Lines	Moving spreads/totals away from standard lines	NE -14 (+180)

Alternate lines build on these traditional bets. So rather than just taking the Patriots -7 spread, you can bet them at -10 or -3 depending on your strategy.

This added flexibility allows savvy bettors to tailor wagers for optimal risk/reward.

Why Bet Alternate Lines?

There are a few key strategic reasons sports bettors use alternate lines:

• Increase payouts – Taking a more extreme alternate totals or spread boosts potential winnings if you pick correctly.

• Hedge bets – Betting the other side of an alternate line can hedge against original wagers and reduce risk.

• Bet both sides – Alternate spreads allow you to bet on both teams in a lopsided matchup.

• Bet blowouts – In the NFL, large alternate spread lines let you bet on a team winning big.

• Salvage close losses – A +7.5 alternate spread can turn a close loss into a winning bet.

• More options – Alternate lines give bettors more choice and ways to attack matchups.

Let‘s look at some real-world examples of using alternate lines for these strategic purposes.

Increasing Payouts

Here are alternate total lines from Game 3 of the 2022 NBA Finals with the Warriors vs. Celtics:

• Standard total: 211 points
• Alternate totals:
  • Under 190 (+375)
  • Over 230 (+290)

Betting the lower alternate total of under 190 substantially boosts the payout from around -110 to +375. While harder to hit, the reward is far greater if correct.

Hedging Bets

For a Week 12 NFL game between the Cowboys and Giants:

• Standard spread: Dallas -7
• Original bet: Dallas -7
• Alternate lines:
  • Dallas +3.5 (+205)
  • NY Giants -12.5 (+210)

Betting the NY Giants +12.5 alternate line hedges the original bet on Dallas. Even if the Cowboys don‘t cover -7, the Giants alternate covers if they lose small or win outright.

Betting Both Sides

2023 Super Bowl odds before the season:

• Kansas City Chiefs -175
• Detroit Lions +550

Alternate lines:

• Chiefs -7 (-110)
• Lions +13 (+375)

The alternate lines allow betting on the favorite Chiefs to win big at -7, while also betting the underdog Lions at +13.

How Alternate Spreads & Totals Work

When looking at alternate lines, you‘ll typically see spreads and totals presented like:

• Spread: +7.5
• Total: O/U 46.5

TheSpread/Total	Meaning
+7.5	Underdog must lose by <7.5 or win outright
-3.5	Favorite must win by >3.5
Under 46.5	Total points scored must be <46.5
Over 62.5	Total points scored must be >62.5

Both the spread and total have been adjusted from the consensus line. The +/- tells you the favorite/underdog. Higher positive spreads and lower alternate totals are tougher to hit, so they carry higher payouts.

Strategies for Betting Alternate Spreads/Totals

Here are a few tips for effectively betting alternate spreads and totals:

• Shop for the best alternate lines and odds across multiple sportsbooks.

• Look for key numbers like 3, 7, 10 when buying points on alternate spreads.

• Study teams‘ offensive and defensive trends to find high/low-scoring opportunities.

• Be cautious betting high alternate totals (85+ points) that rely on fluke outcomes.

• Buy a half-point on alternate spreads to get 6 or 7, avoiding key numbers.

• Use alternate totals to increase payouts on big underdogs you think can win close low-scoring games.

• Avoid betting extreme alternate lines (30+ point spread) without very strong data-backed reason.

How to Bet Alternate Player and Team Props

Alternate lines are also commonly available on player and team prop bets such as:

• Player passing/rushing/receiving yards
• Player points, rebounds, strikeouts, home runs
• Team points scored, blocks, three pointers

Tips for betting alternate prop lines:

• Review stats from previous matchups and the player‘s averages before deciding on yardage/points.

• Factor in injuries, rest days, and roster changes that could impact a player‘s performance.

• Be conservative betting over alternate props for underdogs/longshots whose typical output is lower.

• Be aggressive betting under alternate props for big favorites projected to have high outputs.

• Bet conservatively on parlays/accumulators with multiple alternate prop legs – high risk.

• With lower project volumes like HRs, target efficient middle hitters rather than power bats relying on outliers.

Managing Risk With Alternate Lines

While alternate lines offer great upside, sportsbooks balance that out with significant risk management via:

• Tight odds limits – Difficult to bet large amounts on extreme alternate lines.

• High volatility – More variance in outcomes makes it harder to predict alternate lines.

• Lower liquidity – Some less common alternate lines have less money wagered, creating instability.

You can mitigate these risks by:

• Betting small units on alt lines and avoiding overextending your bankroll.

• Hedging alternate bets against standard bets to reduce volatility.

• Reviewing line movement and public betting trends for info on less liquid lines.

• Avoiding "too good to be true" payouts on suspect alternate lines ripe for traps.

Final Thoughts on Alternate Lines

While betting alternate lines requires precision and research, the expanded options let savvy bettors exploit sportsbooks‘ numbers for added value. By mastering the nuances around alternate spreads, totals, and props, you can amplify profits and inject creative thinking into your betting strategy.

Just remember that the key is finding smart spots for alternate lines – don‘t force them or get greedy chasing massive payouts. Used selectively, these lines let you exert more control and diversify your betting portfolio.