Low Hold Opportunities

Find markets with the lowest vig (hold) across sportsbooks — the tightest lines available.


GET /api/v1/opportunities/low_hold

Authentication

Requires API key. Pro tier or higher required. Your account must have the low_hold feature enabled.

Breaking change: The game_state field (score/period/clock) was removed from this response. Live game state is now served exclusively by the Game State endpoint and the gamestate stream channel. Join rows to game state by event_id.

Query Parameters

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
`sport`	string	all	Filter by sport(s), comma-separated (e.g. `basketball`, `football`)
`league`	string	all	Filter by league(s), comma-separated (e.g. `nba`, `nfl`, `nhl`)
`sportsbook`	string	tier-allowed	Filter by sportsbook(s), comma-separated. Tier limits enforced.
`market`	string	all	Filter by market type(s), comma-separated
`max_hold`	number	5.0	Maximum hold percentage (vig). Lower = tighter lines.
`live`	boolean	—	`true` = live only, `false` = prematch only, omit = both
`state`	string	`pa`	US state code for deep link generation (e.g. `pa`, `nj`, `co`, `mi`)
`sort`	string	`hold`	Sort field: `hold` (lowest first, default), `market`, `sport`
`limit`	integer	50	Results per page (max 200)
`offset`	integer	0	Pagination offset (max 5000)

Filtering Multiple Values

Use comma-separated values for multi-select filters:


?sport=basketball,football&league=nba,nfl&max_hold=3

Example Requests

cURL


# Low-hold moneylines under 2% vig
curl -X GET "https://api.sharpapi.io/api/v1/opportunities/low_hold?league=nba&max_hold=2&market=moneyline" \
  -H "X-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY"
 
# With state for deep links
curl -X GET "https://api.sharpapi.io/api/v1/opportunities/low_hold?league=nfl&state=nj" \
  -H "X-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY"

JavaScript


const response = await fetch(
  'https://api.sharpapi.io/api/v1/opportunities/low_hold?league=nba&max_hold=2',
  { headers: { 'X-API-Key': 'YOUR_API_KEY' } }
);
const { data, pagination } = await response.json();
 
for (const hold of data) {
  console.log(`${hold.event_name} [${hold.market_type}]: ${hold.hold_percentage}% hold`);
  console.log(`  ${hold.side1.selection} @ ${hold.side1.odds.american} (${hold.side1.books.join(', ')})`);
  console.log(`  ${hold.side2.selection} @ ${hold.side2.odds.american} (${hold.side2.books.join(', ')})`);
}

Python


import requests
 
response = requests.get(
    'https://api.sharpapi.io/api/v1/opportunities/low_hold',
    params={'league': 'nba', 'max_hold': 2, 'state': 'nj'},
    headers={'X-API-Key': 'YOUR_API_KEY'}
)
data = response.json()
 
for hold in data['data']:
    print(f"{hold['event_name']} [{hold['market_type']}]: {hold['hold_percentage']}% hold")
    s1, s2 = hold['side1'], hold['side2']
    print(f"  {s1['selection']} @ {s1['odds']['american']} ({', '.join(s1['books'])})")
    print(f"  {s2['selection']} @ {s2['odds']['american']} ({', '.join(s2['books'])})")

Response

Success (200)


{
  "success": true,
  "data": [
    {
      "id": "lh_nba_lal_bos_ml_0",
      "event_id": "evt_nba_lal_bos_20260208",
      "event_name": "Los Angeles Lakers @ Boston Celtics",
      "sport": "basketball",
      "league": "nba",
      "market_type": "moneyline",
      "home_team": "Boston Celtics",
      "away_team": "Los Angeles Lakers",
      "start_time": "2026-02-08T19:00:00Z",
      "line": null,
      "hold_percentage": 1.8,
      "side1": {
        "selection": "Los Angeles Lakers",
        "books": ["draftkings", "betmgm"],
        "line": null,
        "odds": {
          "american": 145,
          "decimal": 2.45,
          "implied_probability": 0.408,
          "fair_probability": 0.415
        },
        "deep_links": {
          "draftkings": "https://sportsbook.draftkings.com/...",
          "betmgm": "https://sports.betmgm.com/..."
        }
      },
      "side2": {
        "selection": "Boston Celtics",
        "books": ["pinnacle", "fanduel"],
        "line": null,
        "odds": {
          "american": -155,
          "decimal": 1.645,
          "implied_probability": 0.608,
          "fair_probability": 0.585
        },
        "deep_links": {
          "pinnacle": null,
          "fanduel": "https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/..."
        }
      },
      "side3": null,
      "is_live": false,
      "is_alternate_line": false,
      "is_player_prop": false,
      "player_name": null,
      "stat_category": null,
      "all_books": ["draftkings", "betmgm", "pinnacle", "fanduel"],
      "confidence": 92,
      "odds_age_seconds": 5,
      "possibly_stale": false,
      "detected_at": "2026-02-08T14:22:10.456Z"
    }
  ],
  "pagination": {
    "limit": 50,
    "offset": 0,
    "total": 87,
    "has_more": true,
    "next_offset": 50
  },
  "meta": {
    "source": "cache",
    "summary": {
      "count": 87,
      "avg_hold": 2.4,
      "min_hold": 0.8,
      "by_market": {
        "moneyline": 35,
        "point_spread": 30,
        "total_points": 22
      },
      "by_sport": {
        "basketball": 87
      }
    },
    "filters": {
      "sport": null,
      "league": ["nba"],
      "sportsbook": null,
      "market": null,
      "max_hold": 5.0,
      "live": null,
      "state": "pa"
    }
  }
}

Response Headers


X-RateLimit-Limit: 300
X-RateLimit-Remaining: 296
X-RateLimit-Reset: 1707401000
X-Data-Delay: 0
X-Request-Id: req_lh123abc456

Error Responses

401 Unauthorized


{
  "error": {
    "code": "unauthorized",
    "message": "Invalid or missing API key",
    "docs": "https://docs.sharpapi.io/en/authentication"
  }
}

403 Tier Required


{
  "error": {
    "code": "tier_restricted",
    "message": "This endpoint requires Pro tier or higher",
    "docs": "https://docs.sharpapi.io/en/pricing"
  }
}

429 Rate Limited


{
  "error": {
    "code": "rate_limited",
    "message": "Rate limit exceeded",
    "docs": "https://docs.sharpapi.io/en/api-reference/overview"
  }
}

Response Fields

Field	Type	Description
`id`	string	Unique low-hold identifier (hash)
`event_id`	string	Event identifier
`event_name`	string	Human-readable event name
`sport`	string	Sport identifier (lowercase)
`league`	string	League identifier
`market_type`	string	Market type (`moneyline`, `point_spread`, `total_points`, etc.)
`home_team`	string	Home team name
`away_team`	string	Away team name
`start_time`	string\|null	ISO 8601 event start time
`line`	number\|null	Spread/total line (e.g., `-3.5`, `220.5`)
`hold_percentage`	number	Market hold/vig percentage (e.g., `1.8` = 1.8%)
`side1`	object	First side of the market
`side2`	object	Second side of the market
`side3`	object\|null	Third side (only for 3-way markets like soccer moneyline)
`is_live`	boolean	Whether the event is currently live
`is_alternate_line`	boolean	Whether this uses a non-standard line
`is_player_prop`	boolean	Whether this is a player prop market
`player_name`	string\|null	Player name (if player prop)
`stat_category`	string\|null	Stat type (if player prop, e.g., `points`, `rebounds`)
`all_books`	string[]	All sportsbooks participating in this market
`confidence`	number	Confidence metric (0-100)
`odds_age_seconds`	number	Age of the stalest odds in seconds
`possibly_stale`	boolean	Whether odds data may have moved since detection
`detected_at`	string	When the opportunity was detected (ISO 8601)

Side Object

Field	Type	Description
`selection`	string	The selection name (e.g., “Lakers”, “Over”)
`books`	string[]	Sportsbooks offering the best price on this side
`line`	number\|null	Line value for this side
`odds.american`	number	American odds
`odds.decimal`	number	Decimal odds
`odds.implied_probability`	number	Implied probability (0-1)
`odds.fair_probability`	number	Fair probability adjusted for hold
`deep_links`	object	Map of sportsbook name to deep link URL (or `null` if unavailable)

Deep links are generated based on the state query parameter. Pass your user’s US state code (e.g., ?state=nj) to get correct sportsbook URLs for their jurisdiction.

What Is Hold?

Hold (also called vig or juice) is the sportsbook’s built-in margin on a market. It’s the difference between the combined implied probabilities and 100%.


Hold % = (implied_prob_side1 + implied_prob_side2 - 1) × 100

Example


DraftKings:  Lakers +145 (implied 40.8%)
Pinnacle:    Celtics -155 (implied 60.8%)
Combined:    101.6%
Hold:        1.6%

A 1.6% hold means the sportsbook keeps ~$1.60 of every $100 wagered on this market. Lower hold = better value for bettors.

Why Low Hold Matters

Hold %	Quality	Typical Source
< 1.5%	Excellent	Sharp books, cross-book best price
1.5 - 3%	Good	Competitive markets
3 - 5%	Average	Standard retail pricing
5%+	Poor	Props, exotic markets

Low-hold markets give you better odds regardless of which side you bet. Combined with +EV detection, they help maximize expected returns.

Low Hold vs Arbitrage

	Low Hold	Arbitrage
Hold	Low but > 0%	Below 0% (negative hold)
Risk	Normal (you pick a side)	Zero (bet both sides)
Use case	Get the best price	Guarantee profit
Volume	Hundreds available	Rare (single digits)

Low-hold opportunities are far more common than arbitrage. They represent the tightest available lines across books — ideal for bettors who want the best price without needing to bet both sides.

Three-Way Markets

For sports with three outcomes (soccer, hockey full-time result), the response includes side3:


{
  "side1": { "selection": "Home Win", "..." : "..." },
  "side2": { "selection": "Draw", "..." : "..." },
  "side3": { "selection": "Away Win", "..." : "..." },
  "hold_percentage": 2.1
}

The hold calculation extends to all three sides: implied_prob_1 + implied_prob_2 + implied_prob_3 - 1.

Best Practices

Set a tight max_hold — Use max_hold=2 or max_hold=3 to focus on the best-value markets
Pass the state parameter — Get accurate deep links for your user’s jurisdiction
Combine with +EV data — Low hold + positive EV is the ideal combination
Check possibly_stale — Skip opportunities where odds may have already moved
Use streaming — Subscribe to low_hold:detected events via SSE or WebSocket for real-time alerts
Monitor all_books — More books participating generally means more reliable pricing

+EV Opportunities — Positive expected value bets
Arbitrage Opportunities — Guaranteed profit across books
Middles — Line discrepancy opportunities
Best Odds — Find the best price across all books