I've seen more than a couple of posters ask about the difference between these offers and understandably so since it looks weird to have the same bet offer with different odds. For example, a team may be offered at +100 on the 3-way lines but -0.5 +105 on the handicaps, different odds yet betting on the exactly same outcome.
It looks strange but there is a good reason for it: some bookmakers like to give their players 2 options to bet on the game, 3-way lines and the handicap lines. The problem lies with the fact that the 3-way lines are offered with more juice so that when you "translate" them to a -0.5 handicap lines, you need to give more value to *both*sides to get back to a fair line.
For example, say you offer a 3-way line with 10% juice like this:
Team A +100
Team B +260
team C +200
Now the bookmaker also wants to offer a 20-cent (equivalent to 4.5% juice) -0.5 handicap line. If you make Team A -0.5 +100, which is the same as the 3-way line, then Team B automatically becomes +0.5 -120 but what ends up happening is that all of the extra value in the reduced juice ends up going to the Team B line.
The only way the bookmaker can solve his problem is by giving equal value to both lines in the translation: Team A -0.5 +105 and Team B +0.5 -115 and you end up with the 2 bet offers at different lines. Of course from a player's point of view, he is better off betting into the lines with less juice, so his selection of -0.5 +105 on the handicap line is a better bet for him.
It looks strange but there is a good reason for it: some bookmakers like to give their players 2 options to bet on the game, 3-way lines and the handicap lines. The problem lies with the fact that the 3-way lines are offered with more juice so that when you "translate" them to a -0.5 handicap lines, you need to give more value to *both*sides to get back to a fair line.
For example, say you offer a 3-way line with 10% juice like this:
Team A +100
Team B +260
team C +200
Now the bookmaker also wants to offer a 20-cent (equivalent to 4.5% juice) -0.5 handicap line. If you make Team A -0.5 +100, which is the same as the 3-way line, then Team B automatically becomes +0.5 -120 but what ends up happening is that all of the extra value in the reduced juice ends up going to the Team B line.
The only way the bookmaker can solve his problem is by giving equal value to both lines in the translation: Team A -0.5 +105 and Team B +0.5 -115 and you end up with the 2 bet offers at different lines. Of course from a player's point of view, he is better off betting into the lines with less juice, so his selection of -0.5 +105 on the handicap line is a better bet for him.