Sports Betting

How Often Live Odds Update (And Why Speed Matters)

Live odds update as fast as the data feed and the book's model can process what just happened. Guides from major operators note that lines "shift within seconds after a big play, a score, or even a timeout," and are often ahead of your TV stream. Understanding update frequency and the speed gap between your feed and the book's feed is critical for avoiding the most common and costly live betting mistake: betting into stale information.

February 18, 2026

Update Frequency in Normal Play

In practice, featured in-play markets are refreshed roughly every 20 to 40 seconds in normal play, and instantly around key events like goals, touchdowns, turnovers, or red cards.

Normal play updates:

Sharp books: Every 10-20 seconds
Major books: Every 20-30 seconds
Recreational books: Every 30-40 seconds

Key event updates:

All books: Within 1-5 seconds of the event
Markets often suspend briefly (5-15 seconds) while models recalculate
Resume with dramatically different prices

This means during routine gameplay, you have 20-40 seconds before the line changes. After a score or turnover, you have 1-5 seconds before the line moves or suspends entirely.

Want to squeeze more value out of every bet? Use Shurzy's Live Odds tool to compare lines across top sportsbooks in real time and make smarter, higher-EV picks.

Sharp Books Move Faster

Exchanges and sharp books tend to update on shorter intervals (e.g., 20 seconds or less) than slower, recreational books.

Why this matters:

Sharp books set the market: Pinnacle and Circa move first
Other books follow: They copy sharp prices with a delay
The lag creates opportunity: You can bet slow books at old prices

If you're watching a live odds comparison screen, you'll see the cascade:

Sharp book moves from -4 to -5.5 (instant)
Major books move from -4 to -5 (10-20 seconds later)
Slow books move from -4 to -4.5 to -5 (30-60 seconds later)

The gap between Step 1 and Step 3 is where value exists for fast bettors.

Read More: How Live Odds Change During Games

The Stream Delay Problem

If you're on a delayed stream (10 to 30 seconds behind), you're reacting to plays the book already knows about, so the "great odds" you see are usually gone by the time you click.

Common stream delays:

Cable TV: 3-5 seconds behind live
Streaming services: 15-45 seconds behind live
Free streams: 30-90 seconds behind live
Sportsbook live tracker: Often the fastest available

The problem: You see a touchdown on your stream 20 seconds after it happened. You think "great, I'll bet the opponent now that they're down." But the book knew about that touchdown 20 seconds ago and already moved the line. The price you see is already adjusted.

Want to squeeze more value out of every bet? Use Shurzy's Live Odds tool to compare lines across top sportsbooks in real time and make smarter, higher-EV picks.

Windows of Opportunity Are Tiny

Windows where a line is slightly off fair value are tiny, sometimes just a few seconds between an event and the next update.

Example sequence after a touchdown:

0 seconds: TD happens
1-3 seconds: Book's data feed registers it
2-5 seconds: Sharp books move the line
5-10 seconds: Markets suspend while models recalculate
10-15 seconds: Markets reopen with new prices
15-30 seconds: Follower books catch up

If you're trying to bet based on what you just saw, you're entering at the worst possible time: after the sharp money already moved the line but while casual bettors are still reacting emotionally to the score.

The edge in live betting isn't reacting to events faster. It's reading game flow better and betting when the market overreacts to variance.

Serious Bettors Pre-Plan

That's why serious live bettors use the fastest feed they can get (cable, low-latency streams, live scores) and decide in advance what prices they want, instead of thinking from scratch as the clock runs.

Pre-planning means:

Before the game: Identify situations you want to bet (e.g., "If Team A falls behind early but dominates possession")
During the game: Watch for those situations and check if the price is good
Decision time: You already know you want to bet if you can get +4 or better, so you just check if it's available and click

This eliminates the delay from:

Watching the game
Processing what happened
Deciding if you want to bet
Finding the price
Placing the bet

By pre-planning, you cut Steps 2-3 entirely. You already know what you're looking for. You just need to execute when it appears.

Want to squeeze more value out of every bet? Use Shurzy's Live Odds tool to compare lines across top sportsbooks in real time and make smarter, higher-EV picks.

You Don't Need Perfect Speed

You don't need to be perfectly real-time to use live odds, but the slower you are relative to the book, the more you're betting into fully adjusted numbers (or worse).

Practical approach for non-professionals:

Accept you can't beat the feed delay
Focus on reading game flow, not reacting to scores
Bet during lulls in action, not immediately after big plays
Use the fastest legally available stream
Pre-plan triggers so you're not thinking in real time

This won't make you as fast as sharp bettors with direct feeds, but it prevents the worst mistake: betting into already-adjusted lines while thinking you're getting value.

The Bottom Line

Live odds update every 20-40 seconds normally, instantly after key events. Speed matters because value windows are tiny and stream delays mean you're often betting into old prices. Pre-plan your bets, use the fastest feed available, and focus on reading game flow rather than reacting to scores.

The edge isn't being faster than the book (you can't be). The edge is understanding when the market overreacts and betting before it corrects, not after it's already settled at the new efficient price.