Strategy
Odds boost
Also called profit boost, boost
A promotion that improves the price on a specific bet above its normal number.
Books offer boosts to drive volume: a +150 parlay bumped to +200, or a 30% profit boost on a chosen wager. Some are genuinely valuable, and boosts are one of the few sources of positive expected value available to a recreational bettor.
Most are not, though. Boosts are usually applied to markets with a very high starting hold, so a large-sounding boost on a same-game parlay can still leave the bet negative. The only way to know is to compute the fair probability first and check whether the boosted price beats it.
Want the full version? Read the in-depth guide, with worked examples and the math.
See also
- Expected value — The average result of a bet per unit staked if it could be repeated indefinitely.
- Free bet — A promotional wager that pays only the profit, not the stake, if it wins.
- Hold — The share of all money wagered on a market that the sportsbook keeps regardless of the result.