Sharp vs soft bookmakers: which one is best for you?

Just as there are the professional bettors and the casual punters, there are also the sharp sportsbooks and the soft bookmakers. If you have been in the sports betting market for a long time now, you might have noticed that not all sportsbooks are the same in terms of their functions, operations and of course in terms of their offerings.

There are some bookmakers that seem to be ahead of the market and which appear to be leading the oddsmaking function by setting the lines and prices for the entire market, while others which seem to be following or adjusting their lines and prices to the market changes. Simply put, there are some betting sites that are sharp bookmakers, while others that are soft bookmakers.

Being able to recognize what type of a bookmaker every betting site is - whether this refers to betting sites in Norway or in any other part of the world - and telling the difference between sharp bookies and soft bookies can be a critical factor in your betting game and your overall betting strategy. You can better understand how the sportsbook might react to your moves, where you can find more value, where you can be more agile as well as where you can find more fun and entertainment.

Sharp bookmakers

Sharp bookmakers are those bookmakers that build strong and unique competencies in oddsmaking and in value creation for their customers. They are the bookmakers who use technological, human and knowledge resources to the best possible configuration in order to be able to deliver high value offerings to the bettors.

Sharp bookmakers move fast, smartly and efficiently. They are quick to set odds that are closer to the real probabilities of any event in real life, simply because they are fast in adjusting to any changes and alert for absorbing any dynamic moves in the market.

Sharp bookmakers don’t see bettors necessarily as their opponents in bets. They are accustomed to leveraging bettors’ knowledge, edge and capability so as to improve their own pool of resources and further strengthen their competencies.

Sharp bookmakers don’t ban or limit sharp bettors. Instead they use sharp bettors’ inputs to make their whole system more agile, more intelligent and more responsive. And in the end, they become the absolute ‘place’ for the ultimate betting experience.

Soft bookmakers

The soft bookmakers are anything but ‘dumb’ compared to sharp bookmakers. They are equally competent with the sharp bookmakers, only in a different way and in a different area.

Soft bookmakers are not so much interested in leading the odds’ market. They are mostly interested in appealing to the more recreational, occasional punters who are less likely to search for the expected value in a bet and will not so much care about the odds and prices, as for the fun and excitement of placing the bet and waiting to see it cashing out (or not!).

The soft bookmakers are the ones who usually adjust their lines and offerings based on what the market does and given that line setting is not their thing, they tend to focus on other things like marketing, promotion, big offers etc to attract customers. And they usually provide very attractive and lucrative incentives to bettors.

But because they have built their entire system, business model and profitability on delivering benefits and value to the recreational punters, they are often not as agile as sharp bookmakers, in dealing with sharp and professional bettors or heavily winning customers and for that reason they tend to put limits in the games of the users.

So, which one is better for you?

The answer depends entirely on the type of bettor that you are and on the type of betting game that you want to play.

If you are someone who likes to have fun and entertain himself or herself via sports betting, then soft bookmakers are just right for you. Their rich portfolio of bonuses, promotions and offers will certainly please you!

On the other hand, if you are someone who likes to test their betting skills and betting edge, or someone who always sees the expected value in betting then you should probably go with a sharp bookmaker. And the same is true, in case you are a professional sports bettor, who doesn’t want to be limited when unfolding your betting game.