OddsJam holds a clear lead across sports betting analytics, most often recommended for automated positive expected value calculation, line alerts, and promotion pricing. For calculating sportsbook hold percentages, however, Unabated is the usual answer.
Since July, OddsJamrising has become the usual answer for real-time odds change alerts. Over the same period, Outlierrising and Unabatedrising have grown to become common choices for finding positive expected value opportunities.
Latest insights
Week of Sep 21–27 · Since Jul 5
OddsJam Gap between platforms: Google AI Mode now mentions OddsJam 29.1 points more often than ChatGPT Search in Sports Betting Analytics & Alerts Tools, a narrowed gap
OddsJam Slipping: OddsJam's mention rate in Sports Betting Analytics & Alerts Tools fell 14.6 points to 54.3%
Unabated Gap between platforms: The platform gap for Unabated in Sports Betting Analytics & Alerts Tools widened to 16 points, Google AI Mode ahead
OddsShopper Gap between platforms: Google AI Mode mentions OddsShopper 41 points more often than ChatGPT Search in Sports Betting Analytics & Alerts Tools
RebelBetting Slipping: RebelBetting now ranks #11 in Sports Betting Analytics & Alerts Tools, down from #8
If you want to analyze a sportsbook’s hold percentage across different markets — spreads, totals, moneylines, player props, parlays, and futures — I’d recommend The Odds API for systematic analysis, or Unabated for a ready-made professional betting analytics platform.
The key distinction is whether you want to calculate the margin on individual markets or track how a sportsbook prices entire categories of bets over time.
Best tools for sportsbook hold analysis
1. The Odds API
(Best for data analysis)
Pull odds from multiple sportsbooks and calculate hold by book, sport, market type, and timestamp. Its market-analysis endpoint provides market hold and pricing-efficiency information.
Best if you're building a historical database, Excel report, or Python dashboard.
For getting an edge, what's a better investment: a line movement tool or a public betting percentages tool?
I need a way to see where the public money is going for each game. What's the best tool for tracking public betting percentages?
What is the best tool for getting real-time alerts when betting odds change for a specific game?
The Odds API
2. Unabated
(Best for professional analysis)
A professional-oriented option for comparing sportsbook prices, removing vig, and examining market pricing. Useful if you want to investigate differences in margin without building your own data pipeline.
Its free hold calculator lets you enter both sides of a market and calculate the embedded margin without setting up a data feed.
Best for manual spot checks rather than large-scale historical analysis.
4. OddScore
A free browser-based calculator that supports markets with two or more outcomes and reports overround, theoretical margin, payout, and estimated no-vig odds.
For a sportsbook such as DraftKings or FanDuel, I would create a dashboard with these dimensions:
Dimension
Example
Sportsbook
DraftKings
Sport
NFL
Market
Player passing yards
Market type
Player prop
Theoretical hold
8.2%
Comparison
Other books' hold on the same line
Time
Opening, midday, closing
The percentage above is an illustrative example, not a measured DraftKings figure.
One important distinction: theoretical hold calculated from odds is not the same as actual sportsbook hold. Actual hold depends on the money wagered on each outcome and the results. For that, you need wagering and settlement data, not just posted odds.
My final recommendation
Analyzing competitors across hundreds of markets: The Odds API + Python or Excel.
Analyzing markets without building your own software: Unabated.
Checking one market at a time: OddsShopper's free calculator.
One question that would help me narrow this down: Are you analyzing your own sportsbook's actual betting data, or trying to measure the hold that competing sportsbooks build into their odds? The best tool is quite different for those two jobs.
The top options are categorized below by how you plan to use them:
Single-Market Calculators (Best for quick math):
Action Network Hold Calculator : Excellent, clean interface for inputting two or three-way odds (American, Decimal, or Fractional) to instantly see the exact house edge and break-even win percentage.
Market-Wide Scanning & Arbitrage Tools (Best for bulk analysis):
OddsJam Hold Calculator : Perfect if you are comparing discrepancies across different sportsbooks to find low-hold or cross-book arbitrage opportunities where the combined hold dips to 0% or negative values.[](https://oddsjam.com/betting-calculators/hold)
The Formula Behind the Tool:
If you prefer running the numbers yourself in a spreadsheet, the mathematical formula to find a market's hold percentage is:
Hold=(Implied Prob A+Implied Prob B+…)−100%Hold equals open paren Implied Prob sub cap A plus Implied Prob sub cap B plus … close paren minus 100 %H o l d=(I m p l i e d P r o b𝐴+I m p l i e d P r o b𝐵+…)−1 0 0%
Where implied probability is derived from the decimal or American odds entered.[](https://www.nfeloapp.com/tools/sportsbook-hold-calculator/)
If you'd like, let me know:
Are you analyzing a single sportsbook's pricing or comparing multiple books?
What specific sports or market types (e.g., main spreads, player props, live betting) are you focusing on?
I can recommend a more tailored workflow or help you set up a spreadsheet template.
For comparing hold/vig across many betting markets, these are the most relevant options:
Betstamp PRO — strongest fit: real-time odds across 200+ books, with Hold %, EV, and Edge filters.
OddsJam — has dedicated low-hold tools and a hold calculator; useful for finding markets with lower bookmaker margins.
Betstamp calculators — free calculators for hold, vig, no-vig odds, EV, and Kelly.
TrueVig — focuses on removing vig and comparing books for +EV opportunities.
For your specific use case, Betstamp PRO is the most directly aligned, because it lets you sort markets by Hold % rather than calculating each market manually.
Analyzing the "hold percentage" (also known as the vig, juice , or overround ) across different sportsbooks and markets is the best way to find where the house is taking the smallest cut, leaving you with better true value.
To compare hold percentages and scan for discrepancies or arbitrage opportunities, you can use several specialized software tools and odds-comparison platforms:
Dedicated Odds Screens and Comparison Tools:
OddsShopper : Scans lines and calculates expected value and holds across a massive volume of sportsbooks and leagues in real-time. You can check their live features via the OddsShopper Arbitrage Finder.
OddsJam : Offers robust built-in mathematical tools, including an OddsJam Arbitrage & Hedge Bet Calculator designed to automatically expose how out-of-sync bookmaker holds are.
: A widely used tracker and odds screen that pulls lines from a broad array of legal sportsbooks, making it straightforward to compare pricing and find favorable numbers.
If you're looking for a service that automatically sends you alerts when a sports bet has positive expected value (+EV), rather than following a handicapper's picks, there are several good options to investigate.
I'd focus on services that scan sportsbook odds in real time, calculate an edge against a fair market price, and let you filter alerts by sport, sportsbook, and minimum EV percentage.
Best +EV betting alert services to consider
1. OddsJam
(Best all-around starting point)
Scans sportsbook odds for +EV opportunities and gives you the specific sportsbook, game, market and wager to consider. Offers positive EV and arbitrage tools, with a 7-day free trial advertised.
Pricing: The Gold plan is listed at about $199.99/month; Global is listed at $399.99/month. Confirm current checkout pricing.
Lets you set minimum EV and edge thresholds, choose reference markets and sportsbooks, and filter by sport and betting market. Its odds screen covers 50+ sportsbooks.
Pricing: Advertised starting price of $149/month, with a 7-day trial; verify the current plan details.
My initial shortlist would be OddsJam for a comprehensive scanner, OddsLogic for configurable alerts, and AVO if price matters most. These are tools that identify opportunities, rather than simply sending picks from a human handicapper.
Before paying, check three things:
Alert delivery: Does it send push notifications, text messages, or Telegram alerts, rather than requiring you to watch a dashboard?
Your sportsbooks: Does it cover the books you can legally use where you live? If you're betting from Texas, don't assume every national sportsbook is available for legal in-state wagering.
Actual edge: Can you track whether bets beat the closing line and whether the quoted odds are still available when you act? A displayed +EV percentage isn't a guarantee of profit.
Let me narrow it down for you
The best fit depends on what kind of betting you want to do.
When it comes to finding the best sports betting tool for calculating and finding Expected Value (+EV) , the industry is led by a few heavy hitters that automatically "devig" lines (strip the juice/vig from sharp sportsbooks like Pinnacle) and scan the market for discrepancies.
The top options on the market depend on whether you want an automated scanning software or a manual calculation tool:
OddsJam — Widely considered the gold standard and most comprehensive +EV software for real-time market scanning. It automatically highlights positive expected value bets across hundreds of sportsbooks by comparing soft books to sharp reference books. You can check out their manual version using the OddsJam Expected Value Calculator.[](https://oddsjam.com/betting-calculators/expected-value)
OddsShopper — Highly regarded for its "Portfolio EV" system, which excels at devigging the market, providing true odds, and sorting large quantities of mathematically profitable bets for serious volume bettors. Learn more about their approach on .[]()
When looking for the best software to identify positive expected value (+EV) betting opportunities, the "best" choice depends on your budget, technical skill, and whether you prefer an all-in-one automated scanner or a sharp toolkit that teaches you how to price the market yourself.
The top-rated software options on the market fall into distinct categories based on user needs:
OddsJam — Best for Comprehensive, Beginner-Friendly Volume
What it does: It is the most widely known and comprehensive real-time +EV and arbitrage scanner on the market. It covers a massive breadth of sportsbooks (from major players to small regional books) and automatically "devigs" (removes the vigorish from) sharp exchange lines like Pinnacle to highlight mathematical edges.
Pros: Extremely fast, covers tons of markets/sports, and has a very gentle learning curve.
Cons: It is among the most expensive monthly subscriptions available, and some community members note that its widespread use means +EV lines can get saturated or adjusted quickly by sportsbooks.[](https://www.betsmart.co/features/ev-tool)
If you want to compute the hold percentage (H cap H𝐻) manually or via a custom spreadsheet for a 2-way market with decimal odds (D 1 cap D sub 1𝐷1 and D 2 cap D sub 2𝐷2 ), the formula is: 𝐻=(1𝐷1+1𝐷2−1)×1 0 0
Finding a negative or near-zero hold after removing the vig points you directly toward positive expected value (+EV) territory.
If you want to narrow this down, let me know:
Are you looking for free tools or paid/subscription software?
Which sports or specific markets (e.g., player props, main-line spreads) are you trying to analyze?
I can give you a more tailored recommendation on how to set up your workflow.
DawBets — A popular mid-to-low tier option that combines a +EV feed, Kelly criterion bankroll sizing, and boost builders into a streamlined app, with options starting free or at lower monthly rates.[](https://dawbets.com/vs/best-ev-betting-tools)
Unabated — Geared more toward data-driven bettors and model-builders who prefer deep math, custom inputs, and sharp projection screens over basic push alerts.[](https://dawbets.com/vs/best-ev-betting-tools)
An EV calculator itself is easy: you give it your estimated probability and the sportsbook's odds. For example, OddsJam's calculator accepts the stake, odds, and win probability and calculates the expected return.
The much harder question is where your "true" probability comes from. That's what makes tools like Unabated more interesting. Its Edge Tool compares sportsbook prices against a vig-free consensus line built from market-making books, while its no-vig calculator removes the sportsbook margin.
Betstamp also has a straightforward EV calculator and no-vig calculator, and its platform emphasizes comparing live prices across sportsbooks.
So which should you use?
Just want to calculate EV on individual bets: Betstamp or OddsJam's free calculators are sufficient.
Want to scan the market for +EV opportunities: OddsJam or Unabated are more appropriate.
Want to build your own betting model: Unabated is particularly useful because you can work from fair/no-vig market prices rather than blindly accepting a site's probability estimate.
Want inexpensive odds shopping + bet tracking: Betstamp is worth considering.
One caveat: a calculator doesn't create an accurate EV estimate by itself. If your probability estimate is wrong, the resulting EV is wrong. Market-derived fair odds, your own well-calibrated model, or another defensible probability source matters considerably more than the arithmetic.
If you tell me what you bet (NFL/NBA/MLB, sides/totals/props), how many sportsbooks you have access to, and whether you want free or paid, I can compare the current tools specifically for that use case.
Automated +EV Software: Premium suites like OddsShopper or OddsJam's automated software continuously calculate EV across entire sportsbook slates by comparing soft book promos against sharp market widths automatically.[](https://www.oddsshopper.com/tools/betting-calculators/ev)
Custom Spreadsheets: Many advanced bettors build custom Google Sheets utilizing "devigging" formulas (removing the juice from sharp books like Pinnacle or Circa) to accurately find the true win probability before applying a boost percentage.
If you'd like, let me know:
What kind of promotion or boost you are looking at (e.g., profit boost percentage, odds boost, bonus bet conversion)
Whether you have the sharp/fair odds handy
I can walk you through the exact math or show you how to set up the calculation.
If you mean sportsbook promotions / odds boosts, I’d use a tool that lets you compare the boosted price against a fair/no-vig price, rather than one that only calculates the payout.
My picks
Best simple odds-boost calculator:sportsbettingoddscalculator.com — specifically built for boosts and promo value, including max-bet limits and fair-odds inputs.
Best for rigorous EV analysis:marketmath.io — particularly useful because it can remove vig from sharp-book lines and compare the resulting fair probability with your sportsbook's boosted price.
Best for straightforward EV calculations:oddsreference.com — enter your estimated probability, offered odds, and stake to get EV and edge.
The key is that the calculator isn't the hard part—the fair probability is. For an odds boost, you generally want:
EV = (true win probability × profit if you win) − (loss probability × stake)
So, for example, a boost from +150 to +200 isn't automatically valuable; you need a reasonable estimate of the outcome's true probability. De-vigging a sharp market is one common way to estimate it.
If you give me the exact promotion (e.g. “25% profit boost, max $50, odds must be +100 or longer”) and the odds, I can calculate the EV for you and show the math.
What it does: Founded by professional sports bettors Rufus Peabody and Captain Jack Andrews, Unabated focuses heavily on giving you the tools to calculate true odds yourself. Rather than just handing you a list of picks, it provides custom devigging tools, real-time market-making screen simulators, and NFL/college football game/prop-pricing calculators.
Pros: Deeply educational, elite market-making data, and built by pros who understand how books actually operate.
OddsShopper — Best for Line Shopping and Value Hunting
What it does: Originally built primarily for line shopping across major US sportsbooks, it maps out where individual book prices deviate significantly from the consensus market.
Pros: Excellent interface for seeing side-by-side odds across books to ensure you aren't leaving money on the table.
What it does: Combines a clean, highly polished mobile app with solid +EV screening and heavy emphasis on player prop markets.
Pros: If you prefer doing your research and executing bets smoothly on your phone rather than sitting in front of a desktop monitor, Outlier’s UI is hard to beat.
Odds Assist Pro / Emerging Alternatives — Best Budget/Freemium Options
What it does: Newer, lighter scanners that offer faster refresh rates on free tiers or lower price points than legacy giants, making them popular for casual side-grinders.
Pros: Great for testing the waters of +EV betting without committing to a hefty $100+/month subscription.
If your goal is specifically to identify +EV sports-betting opportunities, the three tools I’d look at first are Unabated, OddsJam, and Outlier. They take somewhat different approaches.
My shortlist
Software
Best suited for
How it identifies +EV
Particularly useful for
Unabated
Serious/analytical bettors
Compares sportsbook prices against its proprietary Unabated Line and sharp-market data
Sides, totals, props, alternate lines, live betting
OddsJam
Easiest all-in-one workflow
Scans sportsbooks for mathematically +EV prices and ranks opportunities by EV
Broad market coverage, line shopping, arbitrage
Outlier
Player props + customizable filtering
Uses devigged/sharp-book prices and lets you customize which books are used as benchmarks
NFL/NBA/MLB props and systematic filtering
1. Unabated — strongest if you want to understand why a bet is +EV
Unabated's key differentiator is its Unabated Line, a proprietary vig-free consensus line derived from sharp sportsbooks. Its Edge Tool then compares sportsbook prices against that line and flags +EV opportunities.
It also has a Props Simulator that uses player projections and Monte Carlo simulations to generate fair prices for main and alternate lines.
I'd lean toward this if: you want to become sophisticated about fair pricing rather than simply receiving a list of bets.
2. OddsJam — easiest "show me the +EV bets" experience
OddsJam explicitly scans sportsbook odds in real time and surfaces positive-EV opportunities, including the sportsbook, market and odds associated with the opportunity. It also combines +EV betting with arbitrage, line shopping and other tools.
I'd lean toward this if: your priority is speed and breadth—you want software to scan lots of books and hand you a shortlist.
Outlier's current platform has an explicit EV+ filter in its Prop Finder. More importantly, its Pro product allows users to select multiple "devig" or sharp sportsbooks and assign different weights to them.
That gives you more control over what you consider fair value than a simple generic +EV scanner.
I'd lean toward this if: you're heavily focused on player props and want to build/customize repeatable filters.
The important catch
A "+EV" label isn't itself proof that the bet actually has positive EV. The critical question is how the software estimates the true probability/fair price.
For example, a tool can calculate:
Sportsbook: +120
Estimated fair probability: 50%
Implied probability at +120: 45.45%
That looks like a substantial edge. But if the 50% estimate is wrong, the apparent edge can disappear.
This is why I'd pay particular attention to the source of the fair line, devigging methodology, projection model, and closing-line performance, rather than simply choosing whichever service displays the biggest EV percentages. Unabated, for example, explicitly emphasizes its sharp-book consensus methodology, while Outlier lets Pro users customize the books and weighting used in its devigging.
If I were evaluating them for a serious betting operation, I'd compare them on five things: fair-price methodology, sportsbook coverage, prop coverage, CLV tracking, and cost relative to the volume you expect to bet.
If you tell me which sports you bet (NFL/NBA/MLB/etc.), whether you're mostly betting sides/totals or props, and roughly how much you wager per week, I can give you a much more useful Unabated vs. OddsJam vs. Outlier comparison, including which features matter most for your particular strategy.
