Rotation numbers, also known as bet numbers are part of every possible bet you can make at a sportsbook. It allows you to identify a wager and place your bets without any confusion or hassles.
In this guide we reveal all you need to know about rotation numbers and exactly how they work. Read on to learn more.
What Are Rotation Numbers?
When you join an online sportsbook for the first time, you will see a board with all the available bets on it. These will be from points spreads, money lines, and totals. You will see that each bet will have a number or an “ID” associated with it. This is known as the rotation number.
Often you will find at brick-and-mortar casinos, especially in Las Vegas, they will also hand out pieces of paper listing all the available events with the rotation numbers on them. Generally, the Vegas rotation numbers will be three digits and found on the left hand-side of each team you can bet on.
Many sports bettors are also interested in the handle, vig and revenue of the sportsbook. Knowing this information will help them with making informed decisions when placing their bets.
Where Will I Find Rotation Numbers?
The rotation numbers are generally found on the boards that display the betting odds at sportsbooks. It will normally be a 3-digit number found next to the team or bet you are looking at making.
You will also sometimes find the sports betting numbers on Covers, Scores and Match-Up pages. Here the rotation number will be placed next to the name of the team.
How To Decifer Rotation Numbers
Every odds screen will look different, but they will generally be divided up into columns. It is quite simple. The rotation number will be in the first column before the team’s name. You will then have the spreads, money lines and over/under.
For example:
| Rotation Number |
Teams Name |
Spread |
Money Line |
Over/Under |
| 351 |
Carolina |
-6.5 (-105) |
-290 |
44 (-110) |
| 352 |
San Francisco |
+6.5 (-115) |
+250 |
44 (-110) |
By just looking at the team’s name it doesn’t give you a clear indication of which team it represents. For example, Carolina, it could be the Carolina Cobras playing in the NFL or the Carolina Queens playing in the NHL. So, this is where the rotation number comes in very handy.
How Are Rotation Numbers Used?
When looking at the rotation number, the first digit represents the league. In the example above, the 3 stands for the NFL so you know it is for the Carolina Cobras. The Carolina Queens were 451 where the 4 represents the NHL.
Then each team in the league will be numbered. In this case, The Carolina Cobras were number 51, while the San Francisco Sharks were number 52 and so on.
You will find the same rotation numbers used for teams at different sportsbooks, because they are generally universal.
As said, the rotation number will be determined by the league and the team in that leagues number. If Carolina were playing in the NHL, NFL and NBA on the same day and you walked up saying you want to bet on Carolina there would be a lot of confusion.
The rotation number is there to help things remain clear and organized. You can easily tell the difference between the leagues and teams by their rotation numbers. At a retail sportsbook, they use the rotation numbers to announce your bet, rather than calling out the team names and leagues.
Rotation Numbers Example
Let’s have a look at a simple example to help make things clearer for you. Hypothetically speaking, on Saturday there is a range of college football and college basketball along with the NFL betting available. Things can get very complicated if rotation sports betting numbers are not used.
All of the games will have spreads, totals and money lines attached to them and sometimes they may also have alternative odds and prop bets available for them. D/ST in Fantasy football is a bet that is becoming increasingly popular.
If we take a college basketball game between Team 1 and Team 2. The rotation number for Team 1 may be 451 and for Team 2 it will be 452. Let’s say Team 1 is a 5-point favorite and a sports bettor wants to take Team 1 -5 against the spread, they will tell the sportsbook or the agent that they want to bet on 451 against the spread and then say how much they will be betting.
Pra basketball
bets are very common
You might not find rotation numbers at all online sportsbooks. This is because of the point-and-click selection of individual bets.
How To Look at an Odds Board in Sports betting
To be able to make smart and informed decisions when betting you need to understand how the betting odds work. It may be very overwhelming at first, but it is not as complicated as it seems. There are many different bets you can make and a popular one to try out is fade betting. For the sake of simplicity, we will be referring to the same example we used above.
| Rotation Number |
Teams Name |
Spread |
Money Line |
Over/Under or Total Points |
| 351 |
Carolina |
-6.5 (-105) |
-290 |
44 (-110) |
| 352 |
San Francisco |
+6.5 (-115) |
+250 |
44 (-110) |
That example above is a pretty standard representation of the data at US online sportsbooks. It may appear slightly different, but in general it should be pretty much the same.
Firstly, in the first column we have the rotation numbers. We have discussed how rotation numbers work but it is the 3-digit number that represents the league and the team. You may not find rotation numbers at every online sportsbook, but all bricks and mortar sportsbooks, will have Vegas rotation numbers.
When you hand your bet to the ticket writer, the rotation number is what you will give them. This way all confusion will be avoided.
In the third column is ‘point spread’ information. This is the most popular bet when it comes to basketball and football. This way you can make an even-level bet, even if one team is head and shoulders above the other. This is an easy bet for casual sports bettors to predict the winning or losing margin of a particular team, rather than bringing in probability with money lines, which we will discuss next.
In the example above, we have the Carolina Cobras with a 6.5 point favorite. Therefore, the Cobras must win by 7 points or more. On the other side, the San Francisco Sharks must not lose by 7 points or more, or win overall.
The -6.5 for the Cobras simply means you take 6.5 points off their final score and the +6.5 for the San Francisco Sharks means you add 6.5 points to their final score. Whoever has the higher score after considering this in, will win the bet.
Lastly, the -105 and -115 represent the odds for the bet. Essentially you will need to risk $105 to win $100, or $115 to win $100 respectively.
The Money Line bet is in the next column and this is for those who want to bet who will win the game overall. This is a popular bet for baseball and hockey. In the above example, the team with odds represented with a “+” are considered the underdogs. That is the amount you will win when risking $100 on a bet. When odds have a “-“ this is the amount you will need to risk in order to win $100.
A convenient way of betting is to use keep picks in betslip. This allows you to keep your same selections for placing another bet without having to start from scratch.
Conclusion
After going through this guide thoroughly, you should now have a much better understanding of “what is rotation numbers in sports betting.” We have provided in depth details and examples that should help you the next time you visit a sportsbook and don’t even know where to start.
You can put your knowledge of rotation betting numbers and the odds board to good use and let us hope that it will be your lucky day.
FAQ
What are rotation numbers?
Rotation numbers are generally 3 digit numbers that you will find on an odds board at a sportsbook. It is the number that appear to the left of the team’s name. They allow you to be able to identify your wagers and place your bets without any confusion.
Where will I find rotation numbers?
You will find rotation numbers displayed on the odds board at a sportsbook. It will be the number in the left-hand column next to the name of the team.
How are rotation numbers used?
Rotation numbers are used to determine a specific league and team in that league. The first number represents the league and the next two digits represent the team. Hypothetically, for example in the number 451, the 4 represents the NFL and the 51 represents the Cobras team.
