What is a "sharp" bettor?

[JDSilk]

For some reason I think people around these ways think a sharp bettor is someone who does not bet with the public.

I always read articles and had my opinions that is different. To me a sharp is someone who exposes what would be considered to be soft/weak line.

Why is there this difference in opinion?

[BTO]

People like to use the term sharp, square frequently and imo its overused. It’s not always against the public but a sharp bettor does not fall for the obvious, the looks to good to be true game. Agree sharps find the weak line.

[Wellahiya]

i thought being sharp is the only way to make money... (except for being godlike lucky ofc)

if you have a matchup in that the fav wins 90% of the times and has a line of -300 and that 'sharp' bettor takes it... he plays a huge favorite... still he is sharp, or?

the key is to find such spots by knowing the sport well and determine the chances of the outcome.

the dude who introduced me to sportsbetting and gave me his helping hand send me messages teh following way:

Track XYZ, Race X, Horse #1 if the price is better than ...

and so on, no lines were released, but according to his experience and how the horses looked on the training ground, ran the last races or whatever, he gave those horses a certain value and that must be reflected in the odds... as soon as the odds were released, everyone who got those infos knew, if they had to wait for teh line to move, to pass or to buy...
...he didnt say that horse X will win... he just said how good it's chances are and at wich points the odds are better than the chances.

[BTO]

Originally Posted by eekchac

i thought being sharp is the only way to make money... (except for being godlike lucky ofc)

better long term probability, but not only way for short term