Closing lines and closing line value
The closing line is Kelly's consensus at the last book update before a game starts; closing line value is how much better a bet's line was than that close.
Updated November 6, 2026
The close
For every game that starts, Kelly freezes the full-game moneyline, spread and total, and the main player props, at the last book update before kickoff or tip-off. That frozen consensus is the close. For NFL games before Kelly kept its own prices, it uses nflverse's published close, and each game names whose close it is.
Closing line value
Closing line value (CLV) is how many points, or how much price, a bet beat the close by. Over many bets, beating the close is the best early sign of an edge, because the close holds the most information the market will have. Kelly grades its own signals and every analyst pick by CLV as well as by win and loss.