Glossary
Closing Line Value (CLV)
The closing line is the final price a book offers right before a game starts — widely considered the most information-rich number in sports betting, since it's had the most time to absorb news, injuries, and sharp money. Closing Line Value (CLV) measures whether the price you got beat that final number.
In practice
You bet a side at +150. By close, that same book has moved it down to +120 — the market shifted toward that side after you bet it. That's positive CLV: the price got shorter, meaning the market ended up agreeing with you more than it did at the time.
Why it matters here
Hit rate answers "did it win?" — mostly noise over a small sample, since a dozen coinflips can make anyone look like a genius or a fraud. CLV answers "was it right?" on every single play, win or lose, so it converges to a real signal far faster. That's why your portfolio shows CLV on every bet next to win rate — and why a flat CLV number is an honest result, not a failure.