The new 'Trends' column in the Positive EV section on BetSmart shows you where the best value is against sportsbooks while also highlighting which players and markets have been heating up or cooling off over a recent period of time. It’s a useful way to spot patterns and make smarter picks when you're staring at a ton of betting options.

Odds on Shohei Ohtani hitting at least one home run this past Wednesday at Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati were +155 on Bally Sports. The combination of a favorable number relative to other odds plus a 41.32% probability rate helped give this market a 5.37 +EV percentage.

Last year’s National League Most Valuable Player is enjoying another outstanding season with 38 home runs. His output over the past 30 days to the day of that meeting with the Reds resulted in a 228.3% return on investment. In other words, placing $10 bets on Ohtani to go deep during that month-long stretch would have yielded a $52.50 profit.

If you're not familiar with expected value, let's dive deeper into what it means and its benefits. EV, as it's also known, tells you how much you can expect to win or lose on average every time you place a similar bet. If a bet has positive EV, it means the odds are favorable. That’s the kind of edge that adds up over time.

Positive EV (or +EV) betting is about making smart, calculated decisions using math and probability instead of emotion or hype. It’s a way to avoid bets that are rigged against you from the start and the kind that might seem exciting but are destined to lose in the long run. If you're aiming to be profitable over time, this is one of the most reliable paths to get there.

Sharp bettors rely heavily on expected value. It gives them a long-term advantage over the books. While the average bettor chases wins, they’re out there grinding edges, knowing that small +EV gains stack up in a big way.

A couple of terms are helpful to know when you’re learning to spot +EV opportunities. First is fair odds. In other words, what the odds should actually be based on true probability, not what the sportsbook is offering. If the line you’re seeing is better than the fair odds, that’s a potential +EV play.

Then there’s the Kelly Criterion, which helps you decide how much to bet based on your edge. It’s a smart bankroll management tool that keeps you from overextending when you’re confident or underbetting when you’ve got real value. The last thing to watch for is market width, which is the gap between two sides of a bet (like the over vs. under). When that gap is narrowed (usually under 25 cents), it often means the market is efficient and the bet is worth a closer look.

If you’re trying to build a sustainable, profitable betting strategy, +EV betting is essential. You might not win every time, but the numbers will work out long-term. That’s how bettors stay sharp. You can sign up for BetSmart and get 20% off with the code SMART20.