Pick Em Games — Why Both Sides Are Priced Around -110

A pick 'em game is one where no clear favorite exists, so sportsbooks price both sides near -110. That means you risk $110 to win $100 on either team — and the house still makes money on every ticket.

What does "pick 'em" actually mean?

I saw thousands of these lines as a trader. When the book genuinely can't separate two teams, neither side gets a minus sign that jumps out. Both land around -110. You'll sometimes see the shorthand PK or Pick on the board instead of a number.

It does not mean free money. The -110 price already has the vig baked in. If you want to understand how that margin works in detail, the vig and juice on moneylines — what the sportsbook keeps from every bet page breaks down the math.

How does the -110 / -110 vig add up?

Convert each side to implied probability. For -110: 110 ÷ (110 + 100) = 52.38%. Two sides at 52.38% sum to 104.76%. The excess over 100% — 4.76%, rounded to 4.8% — is the book's combined hold. That's the tightest standard margin you'll see on a straight moneyline. For context, what is a moneyline bet? definition with real examples explains the baseline structure before the pick 'em pricing kicks in.

Compare that to a heavy favorite. A -300 / +240 split carries a much fatter margin. Pick 'em lines are where bettors face the least friction — dollar for dollar.

Where do pick 'em games show up most often?

NFL is the most common source. Divisional rematches, road teams with equal records — the line opens at -110 both ways and sometimes barely moves. NFL moneyline vs point spread betting covers why some bettors skip the spread entirely and just take the moneyline in these spots.

MLB has pick 'em games too, but baseball pricing works differently. The MLB moneyline — 20-cent lines vs 10-cent lines page explains why the vig structure there varies by book.

Should you bet pick 'em games differently?

The lower vig helps, but 4.8% still grinds you down over time. The best move is line shopping moneylines to find the best price — even a half-point difference (-108 vs -110) shrinks that hold meaningfully over hundreds of bets.

Also watch moneyline line movement and what it signals. A pick 'em that shifts from -110 / -110 to -130 / +110 by kickoff is telling you something about where sharp money landed.

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