What is a Circled Game in Sports Betting?
As we continue to go through the vernacular that makes the intricacies of sports betting, a circled game is a game that the bookmaker is limiting the amount that can be wagered on a certain game for a multitude of reasons. All of these reasons are to make sure the public cannot make out like kings on information that they do not have yet (such as injury news, weather, or player availability information).
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In my sports betting career, I haven’t seen a game listed as circled, or with any limitations on the big sportsbooks, such as FanDuel, DraftKings, etc. With that being said, I know that there are offshore sportsbooks and other means of taking bets that were more prominent in the past, that people use that may not get information quite as quickly. Sometimes, games are also circled when there isn’t the information that will be made available, college sports at lower Division I schools come to mind for me, as some do not even have social media departments or beat reporters.
I advise that you avoid games that are considered circled on sportsbooks, which is simply the battle to get an edge requires ample information and research. The last thing that is needed is there to be a lack of information that leads to a line changing by multiple points and the game’s final result. Depending on which side you played this could have cost you the game or won it for you. I know that is not why you placed the wager, and when there are circled games, there are usually other options that the bookmaker prefers that you play.
With that being said, they are not to be avoided after the air is clear if there is value on a certain side. The lack of information on why it is circled is why it would need to be avoided.
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Josh Weil is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Josh, check out his archive and follow him @Josh_Weil.