Ladder plays
When a line is mispriced, its alternates usually are too.
If a book has a team's moneyline wrong, it very often has the spread wrong the same way, and the alternate spreads wrong all the way up and down. Same for totals and for player props. Betting several rungs of that ladder is a way to get more money down on one good read.
Why it works
Alternate lines are derived from the main one. A book that has mispriced the base number is propagating that error across every alternate it generates, so where the main line is +EV, the alternates frequently are too.
Over 200 bets, the difference between the best price and the worst is $670 — on the identical bet, decided by nothing but where you clicked.
The catch is exposure
Every rung is the same underlying outcome. Bet the recommended size on six of them and you have six units riding on one result, not six independent bets. That is a lot of variance for one opinion, and one bad outcome takes all of it.
Most people size down on ladders for exactly this reason — a fraction of the suggested stake per rung, so the whole ladder adds up to something you would have been happy betting on the main line alone.
The best reason to know this
Ladders are how you keep betting once your accounts are limited. If a book will only take $20 on the main line, but there are five alternates carrying value, you can get five times as much money down at the same edge. Limits cap the bet, not the ladder.
1 of 3
Why is a mispriced main line usually a mispriced ladder?
2 of 3
You bet the full suggested stake on six rungs of one ladder. What have you got?
3 of 3
Your account is limited to $20 a bet. Why does the ladder help?
One mispriced line usually means a whole mispriced ladder. Size each rung down and it's the same edge, more of it.
Terms from this lesson
Education, not betting advice. 21+. Gambling problem? Call or text 1-800-GAMBLER.