What Does Juice Mean in Betting? Vig & Juice Explained | BookieBrawler

Juice (vig) means in sports betting, how the sportsbook makes money, how to calculate the vig, and strategies for finding reduced juice sportsbooks.

What Is Juice in Sports Betting?

<strong>Juice</strong> (also called the <strong>vig</strong> or <strong>vigorish</strong>) is the commission that sportsbooks charge on every bet. It's built into the odds and is how sportsbooks guarantee profit regardless of the outcome.

How Juice Works

In a perfectly even bet (50/50), fair odds would be <strong>+100 on each side</strong>. But sportsbooks price it at <strong>-110 on each side</strong>. This means you must bet $110 to win $100. The extra $10 is the juice - the sportsbook's cut.

If the sportsbook gets equal action on both sides at -110, they collect $110 from the losers and pay $100 to the winners, pocketing $10 (a 4.5% margin).

How to Minimize Juice

• <strong>Line shop:</strong> Different books offer different odds - always bet at the book with the best price
• <strong>Use reduced juice books:</strong> Some sportsbooks offer -105 lines instead of -110
• <strong>Use tools:</strong> BookieBrawler's positive EV tool finds lines where the odds overcome the juice
• <strong>Understand vig calculators:</strong> Use a vig calculator to see the true cost of juice