Bookmaker Sharpness IndexBookmaker Sharpness Index: Which Sportsbooks Price Sharp — and Which Leave Value
Not all sportsbooks price equally well. Sharp books like Pinnacle move fast and post tight margins; softer books lag the market and regularly leave beatable prices on the board. This index measures that difference with our own data: the closing line value (CLV) our betting engine actually captured at each book, and the average margin (vig) each book builds into its odds. Higher CLV at a book means its prices sat above the sharp closing line more often — the classic signature of a soft book.
Data updated: 18 Jul 2026 · margins over the last 30 days of pre-kickoff odds
| # | Bookmaker | Avg CLVour taken odds vs Pinnacle close | Yield | Margin (match odds) | Margin (totals) | Bets |
|---|
| 1 |
| 2 | 1xBet | +2.34% | +6.8% | 1.92% | 2.72% | 155 |
| 3 | Everygame | +2.32% | +9.1% | 4.50% | 4.68% | 81 |
| 4 | Pinnaclesharp reference | -0.04% | +10.9% | 3.63% | 3.57% | 107 |
| 5 | Unibet (SE) | — | — | 4.03% | 4.91% | 10 |
| 6 | Unibet (NL) | — | — | 4.03% | 6.68% | 13 |
| 11 | Codere (IT) | — | — | 5.09% | 8.92% | 5 |
| 12 | Tipico (DE) | — | — | 5.82% | 8.09% | 6 |
| 14 | William Hill | — | — | 6.49% | 7.61% | 13 |
Method: "Avg CLV" compares the odds our value engine actually took at a book against Pinnacle's de-vigged closing line, on moneyline-type markets only (match winner / h2h) — the market family where CLV is a statistically reliable signal. It is shown once a book has at least 30 settled bets in our system. One honest caveat: this sample is conditioned on our own bet selection — we only bet where our engine sees value, so it measures how often a book leaves beatable prices, not its overall pricing quality. "Margin" is model-independent: the average overround built into a book's pre-kickoff odds over the last 30 days (minimum 500 stored price snapshots). Excluded feeds (stale exchanges, US-only books) are not listed. Yield is realized profit over stakes at that book — small samples swing hard, so read it alongside CLV, not instead of it.
We hunt these prices automatically
Our engine compares every price at these books against Pinnacle's sharp line and flags the beatable ones — every settled pick lands in the public track record, wins and losses alike.
Frequently asked questions
What is a 'sharp' vs a 'soft' bookmaker?⌄
A sharp book (Pinnacle is the canonical example) welcomes winning players, posts low margins and moves its lines quickly on new information — its closing price is the best public estimate of the true probability. A soft book courts recreational players, bakes in higher margins, and is slower to move — which is exactly why beatable prices appear there.
What is CLV and why does it measure softness?⌄
Closing line value is the gap between the odds you took and the sharp market's final pre-kickoff price. Consistently beating the close is the strongest statistical evidence of long-term profitability. If our engine keeps capturing positive CLV at a book, that book systematically posts prices above the sharp close — it's soft. We only report CLV for moneyline-type markets, where it is a reliable signal.
Why is the margin different between match odds and totals?⌄
Books shade different markets differently. Margins on main match odds are competitive because that's where price-comparison happens; totals and side markets often carry an extra point or two of vig. Comparing both columns shows where each book actually earns its money.
Can I use this table to pick where to open an account?⌄
That's the practical use, yes: books near the top of the table have historically left the most beatable prices for our engine. Remember the flip side — soft books limit winning customers, so longevity matters, and nothing here is a guarantee about any individual bet.