Jeff Haney scouts out the sports books with the best lines for those wishing to wager on baseball

Monday, April 23, 2007 | 7:37 a.m.

Baseball gamblers in Las Vegas can still find the much-sought-after 10-cent betting line, or "dime line," at plenty of sports books this season.

A dime line ranks among the most favorable forms of sports wagering from a bettor's perspective, as it forces the casino to work on a thinner profit margin.

Betting into a dime line, gamblers risk the equivalent of $1.05 for each $1 they're trying to win, rather than the $1.10 to win $1 that's the industry standard in most other sports including football and basketball.

In a game with both sides listed at minus-105, the casino's theoretical advantage, or "house edge," amounts to about 2.3 percent. In a game with both sides at minus-110 - a 20-cent line - the house edge is about 4.5 percent.

Especially for avid bettors, playing into a dime line rather than a 20-cent line can translate into hundreds or even thousands of dollars in a season's worth of gambling, or account for the difference between a winning and a losing year.

Seeking out the best deal at the betting window is a significant consideration for baseball bettors, who last year collectively risked more than $457 million in Nevada casinos. That figure is about 19 percent of the $2.4 billion wagered in 2006 in the state's sports books, according to the Gaming Control Board.

Casinos "held," or won, about 4.8 percent of the money bet on baseball, or $22.1 million, according to the Gaming Control Board.

It's not just big-bankrolled baseball bettors who are affected by the dime line.

Consider a casual bettor who likes to play $20 baseball parlays, for example.

Say he plays a three-team parlay in which he combines the underdog in three games in which the favorites are listed at minus-150, minus-140 and minus-130.

At a book with a dime line, he'd be playing three teams priced at plus-140, plus-130 and plus-120, so the parlay would net $222.

At a book with a 20-cent line, the three underdogs would be priced at plus-130, plus-120 and plus-110. That three-teamer would net $192 - a difference of 1 1/2 betting units for our hero.

Following is a rundown of which baseball betting lines can be found at Las Vegas sports books in 2007:

Strong dime lines

These casinos offer the best form of a dime line, keeping it intact until the price on the favored team reaches the range of minus-180 to minus-200. Only then do they "break" the dime line and convert to a 12-cent, 15-cent or 20-cent straddle.

Strong baseball dimes lines are available at Boyd/Coast properties, Cal Neva properties, the Las Vegas Hilton, Leroy's, the Palms, the Plaza, the South Point and El Cortez (whose sports books are affiliated), Station Casinos properties, and the Stratosphere/Arizona Charlie's group.

Fun facts: The Stratosphere properties offer a 15-cent line on baseball over/unders, a discount from the standard 20-cent line found elsewhere on totals. (Dime lines generally apply only to "sides," meaning a bet on one team or the other to win.) ...

The Palms regularly offers propositions on whether either team will score a run in the first inning, as well as over/unders on the runs, hits and errors amassed by both teams in a game. ...

The Hilton and Leroy's offer wagering on the result of the first five innings of games. Cal Neva offers five-inning lines, but only on selected games.

Modified dime lines

These casinos break their dime line earlier, usually once the price on the favorite reaches about minus-140 to minus-160: the Golden Nugget, New Frontier, Poker Palace, Rampart/Cannery, Terrible's, and Wynn Las Vegas.

15-cent lines

Casinos dealing a 15-cent baseball line are Caesars/Harrah's properties, Jerry's Nugget and the Venetian.

20-cent lines

Casinos dealing a 20-cent baseball line are the Hard Rock, MGM Mirage properties and Planet Hollywood.