Streamlining, when employed properly, is of course effective in every line of work. In the 1970s and 80s, a lot of gamblers would focus on local teams and conferences where regional information was often more accurate and punctual than what Vegas could acquire.

The Internet and the Information Age, to say the least changed that. By no means did progress eliminate streamlining, it changed the focal point.   

At one juncture, many moons ago, one of the most influential persons in moving a line was professional handicapper Doc Sports in the Big 10. His plays could move the line five, six points,” says Steve Linden, one of the high rolling founders MasterLockLine, the online betting syndicate.

Times changed and team or conference experts were no longer based on “location, location, location” but on the ability to adapt and expose which teams were the flavor of the moment to go with or against.  

Focusing on a specific team now involves ascertaining undervalued and overvalued squads and riding them until oddsmakers caught up.

Forensic handicapper Stevie Vincent says teams that inevitably become streaky spread wise are squads that have a high winning percentage but don’t blow teams out or losing teams that don’t get blown out often.

Mike Godsey, still an advisor to Joe Duffy’s Picks says he agrees, it is part of his “dichotomous ATS and SU” theory.  ”We discount 98 percent of trends, but this has proven to be the exception to the rule. Basically, if a team has a great SU record but horrid ATS record or vice versa, you ride for that to continue as it is the sign of which teams are most under or overvalued.”

Linden says of the professional handicappers they monitor, unlike last century, there are fewer who simply excel by focusing on a specific team or conference, but instead they do notice, “The elite services do consistently go for or against the same teams for extended periods.” 

With college basketball just around the corner, the number of teams undistinguished to the masses, but crystal clear to the sharpies increases multifold. Good times lie ahead for gamblers who streamline but do so a bit differently now than they did in 1986.

Joe Duffy is CEO of OffshoreInsiders.com, which features the top handicappers from the former Freescoreboard scorephone.