Sports Gambling 101: What Is Chasing Steam In Betting

Our Sports Gambling 101 series continues with a look at what causes betting odds to "steam." How do bettors recognize this odds phenomenon and is chasing steam advisable?

Betting strategies are as varied as the assorted wagers offered by top-rated sportsbooks. Amongst them, betting on odds that are steaming is a strategy that recreational bettors can easily follow.

What is Steam Betting?

To understand how the term "steam betting" originated, consider a water kettle heating up on a stove. When the water reaches its peak boiling point, a massive amount of steam is released and the kettle whistles loudly.

Odds that are steaming have reached a new betting line peak.

Steaming odds don’t come with a whistle, but steam refers to betting odds that change suddenly at virtually every sportsbook. Steam moves occur when sharps and/or syndicates bet heavily on one side of a betting line.

Odds that move at one sportsbook but not at any others are not considered steaming since that change is a decision made by a single bookmaking crew. As a whistle, some sportsbooks offer an option to receive notifications when lines move.

To wager on steaming odds, players must be quick when placing their bets. Major sportsbooks, which accept heavy volume and large wagers, are usually the source of steam. If they move a line from (-3) to (-4) odds, other sportsbooks often do the same. In this instance, bettors need to quickly search around at other sportsbooks to see if (-3) odds are still available anywhere. For that reason, players should have accounts with a few top-rated sportsbooks.

An example of this happened at the 2024 Super Bowl between the Eagles and Chiefs. The Chiefs opened as 2.5-point favorites and -125 on the moneyline. That line moved to Chiefs -1.5 and the moneyline dropped to even on both sides after some big bets were placed on the Eagles, among other things.

Do Steaming Odds Always Indicate a Best Bet?

Steaming odds do not always indicate which side the sharps are betting on. There are instances when wise guys bet heavily on one side to move a line so they can wager on the other side.

If Green Bay (-4.5) is a favorite over Detroit (+4.5), a syndicate may bet heavily on the Packers in an attempt to move the line to 5.5 points. Once the odds move, they will wager an even larger amount on the Lions with the new +5.5 point spread.

Pros and Cons of Chasing Steam Betting

Odds can steam on any betting option offered at a sportsbook. The term “chasing steam” refers to recreational bettors who place bets when they see a major line move.

In the Packers-Lions example above, recreational bettors may view the line move as an indicator that sharps like Green Bay over Detroit. As noted, that is not always the case, so don’t get burned by steam.

Noticing lines that steam should be part of a solid betting strategy, but they shouldn’t be wagered on blindly. 

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