Frequently Asked Questions

1.How do I get started with Inside The Line Sports?

Getting started is easy. On the home page, click on GET STARTED (it's the picture of the football). Follow the prompts on the "Reserve Membership" form and then click "CONFIRM". In seconds, you'll receive, via email, a confirmation of your new account, a user ID and password and a link to download the ITL Calculator and ITL Alerts. At that point you are a full member, enjoying the immediate benefits, tools and information only ITL Sports can provide. There's even a place to become a partner. If spreading the word is something you are interested in, you'll be compensated handsomely for doing just that.

2.How do I get the most timely information from Inside the Line Sports?

The ITL ALERTS will let you know, by desktop alarm or email, when the trades are posted. Simply LOG IN to your account at www.itlsports.com and you will see the most current trades, lines and prices.

3.How many trades should I expect to make on a daily or weekly basis?

The sportsbooks hire "number guys" who are the sharpest in the business. Caesars Palace, The Hilton and Bellagio have the best bookmakers right on staff and they are paid handsomely to insure that lines are strong and the house advantage is maintained. The fact of the matter is, on a slate of 55 college football games, 15 NFL games, 15 NBA and 15 NHL and 100 college basketball games in a given week, there may only be a handful of opportunities that can be identified as "good trades" and even fewer that are available once trading money starts to flow.

You should have no expectation of frequency, but should always be poised to get the alerted trades, do your account calculations quickly and get the numbers when they are available. Speed isn't necessarily paramount...but it is possible that delays in making your trades will affect your ability to get the point spread number posted by Inside The Line.

4.What if the number I see from Inside the Line isn't available when I go to make my trade?

The short answer here is "NO PLAY."

Using the Tuesday line published in the USA Today, if you are given a trading opportunity, say Boston College (-4) versus Central Michigan, but you don't check for the trades until Thursday... it is possible that, when you go to place your trade, the line has moved to (-6). This is a huge swing and means that there is heavy trading on Boston College. The bookmaker has adjusted the line to make Boston College LESS ATTRACTIVE and Central Michigan MORE ATTRACTIVE.

They have also adjusted you out of the trade. The difference here is "only" 2 points, but reduces your edge by 50%. An "edge" becomes a "tossup" and that isn't the nature of Inside The Line to provide you with a "tossup" trade.

So what do you do? Sit on your hands. Sit this one out. In other words: NO PLAY. But have no fear...there will be others. And you are in this for the long term. No single trade is ever a make or break proposition. Boston College (-4) is a position, but, at (-6) cash is the better position.

5.What if the line moves just a half (1/2) point?

A half point is no small matter. Nothing in Sports Trading can be considered "small potatoes" if it is your money on the line (or theirs). If a line goes from 7 to 7 1/2, that effectively makes a one-score football game into a two score football game. If you trade the favorite minus 7.5, they'd have to win by 8 for you to cover (instead of 7) and there's no chance for a push (aka "a tie"). That's ALL BAD. We don't like 8's. We don't like 1/2's. The number ITL puts out is your number, too. If it isn't there...NO PLAY.

6.I don't know anything about hockey. Can I skip those trades and just trade football?

In any hedge fund, the key to reducing systemic risk is diversification. This is an industry and statistical standard in the financial community. Applying the same idea to sports trading, the key is to have varied interest in varied "markets" and apply diverse techniques. At Inside The Line Sports, we use the NHL to set up the weekends' trades on college football. We use the NBA to diversify exposure to the NFL. We use over/under totals and money lines as tools to leverage some opportunities and to hedge others. Every trade that comes from Inside The Line has a statistical importance when looking at the big picture...even trades on hockey!

What's the answer? You don't have to like hockey...or basketball...or any other sport. You don't have to be knowledgeable about hockey...or basketball...or any other sport. That's our job. Your job is to (1) get the information, (2) do your calculation, and (3) trade. You'll leave the heavy lifting up to Inside The Line Sports.

Mar 11, 2010

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