Getting Started with THE LINEUP

What is EV+ betting?

Expected value (EV) measures whether a bet is priced in your favor. When a sportsbook offers odds that are better than the true probability of an outcome, that bet is +EV -- you have an edge. THE LINEUP finds these edges by comparing soft sportsbook odds against fair odds derived from sharp markets and 80+ bookmakers.

One +EV bet can still lose. But over hundreds of bets, the math works in your favor -- the same way a casino has an edge on every hand of blackjack. Your job is to find +EV bets consistently and let volume do the rest.

Finding your first bet (Best Bets page)

Navigate to Best Bets in the dashboard. You'll land on the Top Picks tab -- this is where you'll spend most of your time. It shows today's highest-value betting opportunities, ranked by expected value.

Reading a bet card

Each card shows everything you need to decide whether to place a bet:

Player name -- The player name is displayed prominently at the top of the card.

Prop type, line, and side -- Below the player name, you'll see something like Points Over 27.5. This tells you the prop market, the sportsbook line, and which side THE LINEUP recommends.

EV% badge -- The badge in the top-right corner (e.g., +4.2% EV) tells you how much edge this bet has over fair value. Higher is better. Amber badges indicate 5%+ EV (strong edge), teal badges indicate 3-5% EV (solid edge).

Meta row -- Below the main info, you'll see three data points:

• Fair: 54.2% -- The true probability of this outcome, calculated from sharp market odds
• Tight market or Wide market -- How much the sportsbook odds vary. Tight markets have more reliable fair odds
• high confidence / medium confidence -- How confident the system is in the edge calculation

Sportsbook offerings -- Each sportsbook offering this bet is listed with their odds. The top row is tagged Best and shows the highest-EV option with a Kelly-calculated stake amount (e.g., Bet $12.50). Other sportsbooks are listed below with their individual EV%.

Filters and sorting

By default, Top Picks shows bets in the 3-8% EV range, sorted by EV% (highest first). This is a good starting point.

To customize, use the toolbar above the bet cards:

• Sort -- Choose between EV% (highest first), By Sportsbook, or By Prop Type
• Sportsbook filter -- Select only the sportsbooks you have accounts with (e.g., DraftKings, BetMGM). Your selection is saved for next time
• Filters toggle -- Opens additional controls:
  • EV Range -- Set min/max EV% (default 3.0% to 8.0%, adjustable from 1.0% to 15.0%)
  • Odds Range -- Filter by American odds (e.g., -150 to +200)
  • Prop Type -- Include or exclude specific prop types (points, rebounds, assists, etc.)

All filter settings persist in your browser, so you only need to configure them once.

Setting your bankroll

The first time you visit Top Picks, you'll be asked to set your bankroll. This is the total amount you have available for betting. THE LINEUP uses this to calculate optimal bet sizes using the Kelly criterion -- a mathematical formula that sizes bets proportional to your edge while protecting your bankroll.

Understanding Game Lines

Switch to the Game Lines tab for spread, moneyline, and total bets on today's games. These are displayed as game cards grouped by matchup.

Each bet row shows the team abbreviation and bet type -- for example, MIA ML (moneyline), MEM +6.5 (spread), or Over 238.5 (total). Tap a row to expand it and see the full detail.

Expanded card details

• Fair: 54.2% -- The true no-vig probability from sharp markets
• Implied: 48.3% -- The implied probability from the sportsbook's offered odds. The gap between Fair and Implied is your edge
• 3 books -- How many sportsbooks are offering this line
• Consensus: -5.5 -- The average line across all sportsbooks. This helps you see whether a specific book is offering a better number than the market
• The vs comparison in the header (e.g., vs -5.5) shows the consensus line so you can quickly see how the recommended bet compares to the market average
• A line history chart shows how the line has moved over time
• The sportsbook grid at the bottom lets you compare odds across all available books and pick the best price

Tracking your bets (Log Bet)

When you find a bet you like, tap the card to open the bet dialog. From here:

1. Review the bet details -- player, prop, side, odds, and sportsbook
2. Enter your bet amount in dollars
3. Optionally change the sportsbook from the dropdown if you're placing at a different book
4. Tap Log Bet

This records the bet in your account for tracking -- it does not place an actual wager with any sportsbook. You still need to go to the sportsbook app and place the bet yourself.

After the game, THE LINEUP automatically grades the result. Over time, you'll build a personal record that shows your win rate, units profit, and ROI. This is how you verify that the strategy is working for you specifically.

Player Projections

The Projections page shows machine-learning-projected stats for every player with a game that day. This is a separate system from EV+ -- it uses a LightGBM model trained on historical data to predict player outputs.

What you'll see

A table with columns for each stat category. For NBA: pts, 3 (three-pointers), reb, ast, stl, blk, and to (turnovers). For NHL: G (goals), A (assists), PTS, SOG (shots on goal), BLK, HIT, and SV (saves).

Each row is a player, ranked by projected output, with their team, matchup, and position.

Filters

• Search -- Find any player by name
• Position -- Filter by position (sport-specific: PG/SG/SF/PF/C for NBA, C/LW/RW/D/G for NHL)
• Confidence -- Filter by model confidence: All, Low, Medium, or High
• Stat thresholds -- Set minimum values for any stat (e.g., show only players projected for 20+ points)
• Date picker -- View projections for any date, not just today

How to use it

Compare projected stats against sportsbook lines. If THE LINEUP projects a player for 28.5 points and the sportsbook line is 25.5, that's a potential over. Cross-reference with the Best Bets page to see if that same prop shows up as +EV.

Projections are currently available for NBA, NHL, NCAAB, and soccer leagues (EPL, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga), with more sports in development.

Verify our results

Don't take our word for it -- explore the data yourself. Visit thelineup.pro/results to see the full track record. This page is public and requires no login.

You can filter results by sport (All Sports, NBA, NHL, NCAAB, MLB) and explore:

• Equity curve -- Cumulative profit over time
• Sport breakdown -- Performance by sport
• Book breakdown -- Results by sportsbook
• Prop type breakdown -- Which prop types perform best
• CLV summary -- Closing line value, which measures whether THE LINEUP is consistently beating the market before games start
• Daily bets browser -- Browse every individual bet by date

The methodology section at the bottom explains how results are verified: fair odds derived from 80+ bookmakers, all picks logged before game time, and every bet shown -- wins and losses.

Quick start checklist

1. Go to Best Bets and stay on the Top Picks tab
2. Set your bankroll when prompted
3. Check the EV% range (default 3-8% is a good starting point)
4. Filter to sportsbooks you have accounts with
5. Find a bet and place it at your sportsbook
6. Come back and tap Log Bet to record it
7. Check Results the next day to see how it graded
8. Repeat daily -- the edge compounds over volume