Model: Default vs Custom

How the Model control works

Every Fantasy pick has a fair-value estimate behind it. The Model filter chooses where that estimate comes from: Default uses the SmartStake Line, while Custom uses books and weights you select.

Open Model in the Fantasy filter bar. Under Custom, the weight ring summarizes your selected books. Choose Edit sharps to open the full book editor.

Devig Method is a separate filter and applies only to Custom. It is hidden under Default because the SmartStake Line is already a fair price. See Devigging and fair value for the methods.

Default

Default uses the SmartStake Line, a fair probability priced from a fixed pool of sportsbooks and exchanges. Its proprietary model can account for differences between the line those books quote and your Fantasy pick's line.

Qualifying two-sided prices at the pick's exact point come first. When they are unavailable, supported markets can use qualifying prices at another point to estimate fair value at the pick's point. A pick SmartStake cannot price is not shown.

Min comparison books sets how many pool books must have contributed at the point used to price the pick. It starts at 1. Raising it requires more supporting books and can reduce the number of picks available.

The pool applies its own margin and liquidity checks. Default does not use your Custom book selection, weights, or devig method.

Custom

Custom blends prices from your selected reference books using your weights and devig method. It also respects required books, league preferences, and Min sharps, the minimum number of qualifying contributors.

If those books cannot price the pick at its own point, Custom can use the source point behind that pick's SmartStake Line. It blends your qualifying books at that point, then translates the blend to your pick's line on supported markets.

This keeps the estimate tied to your chosen books. If they cannot meet your requirements at the pricing point, the pick is left out rather than replaced with the Default model's probability.

Fantasy starts with Positive EV's default sharp books plus PropBuilder and DraftKings. It saves its own configuration: changes in Fantasy do not change Positive EV, and changes in Positive EV do not change Fantasy.

Editing your reference books

Under Model > Custom, choose Edit sharps:

• Add or remove books: search by name, use the add button for a book under Other books, or remove a selected book with its remove button.
• Weights: adjust each book's slider. The ring shows your configured relative weights, not the books that contributed to every individual pick.
• Required: turn this on when a book must supply a qualifying price for a pick to appear.
• League preferences: open a book's settings to adjust its scope and minimum market liquidity.
• Min sharps: set the minimum number of qualifying books needed at the pricing point.
• Clear all: remove your selected books. Done closes the editor.

The same editor is used in Positive EV custom devig. Fantasy's pricing checks are described below.

Custom book checks

Each book needs an eligible pair of prices at the point being used. A selected book may be excluded from an individual pick because it does not quote both sides there, fails a liquidity check, or exceeds your margin ceiling.

Max vig per book limits the margin in each book's raw two-sided prices before the blend. It defaults to 10%. Clear the field to turn this ceiling off; the field then shows Off.

Positive EV's Max Vig % checks each book the same way. The two settings are separate, so changing one does not change the other.

By default, a book that reports no liquidity is not judged on size. If it reports any, both sides must have size, their combined liquidity must reach $300, and the larger side must be no more than twice the smaller side.

Setting a book's Min Market Liquidity replaces that default threshold and requires reported liquidity on both sides. The same balance check still applies.

Under Custom, the comparison table highlights the books that actually contributed to the pick. Selecting a book in your model does not guarantee it contributed to every estimate.

Line discrepancies

A line discrepancy is a pick priced from a different point than the one you would take. It can appear under either model and is not marked separately on the board.

Hide line discrepancies is off by default:

• Off: either model can include supported picks priced from another point.
• On: Default requires a qualifying exact-point price from its pool. Custom requires enough of your own books to price the exact point and meet your settings.

Hiding discrepancies can reduce coverage. It does not hide other books' different lines from an expanded pick's comparison table; it controls which picks qualify for the board.

Saving your setup

A Fantasy preset saves the model, Custom book configuration, Min comparison books, Max vig per book, Hide line discrepancies, and the other board filters. See Saved filters.

For the rest of the board, see the Fantasy overview.