What is a "bad line"?

[cashusking]

Pardon me but I am getting fed up with calling to get a number on the Don Best feed, having the line QUOTED LIVE and then after calling the bet having a clerk tell me "we can't give that bet to you - that was a 'bad line'". One really terrible example was a book APPROVING A BET on the net and then 5 minutes later canceling it.

I accept that honorable bettors need to let the house know when there is a really outrageous error like wrong favorite on a 7 point game or something but where does the line get drawn?

Before I blast any particular books - I would like some opinions from you all about what exactly constitutes a "bad line". How far does it have to be off under what circumstances?

[Jeff]

I love this topic. I have stated all along that there really needs to be a line "drawn".

Most rules state "obvious error". Well, how many points = obvious?

[tim]

The bettor be DAMNED!!!!!

[ShiftySheik]

I've also had some bad experiences with voided bets. It doesn't matter what we think is a bad line, it's the BM that makes the rules. If a book is going to void a bet, they better let the player know about it BEFORE game time. I challange any offshore BM reading this to post their definition of "obvious error"...then they should include that definition in their rules. In Vegas they don't have this problem. All bets stand as written.

[thechin]

not exactly, in vegas if there is a bad line, you will be "flagged" when you try and cash the ticket. happend to me years ago at caesar's palace.

[sterling]

cashusking-
We had an instance last week on January 31 in NHL Hockey.

In our internet sports book, we had the Edmonton/Dallas game listed as follows: (an obvious "typeO")

Edmonton +1/2 +125.
Dallas -1/2 -120.

The line quoted over the phone was Dallas
-1/2-145 (which was the correct line).

Any person who bet us Dallas over the net at -1/2-120 had the bet credited back to the account immediately, until the problem was corrected.

All "experienced" hockey bettors know that the Dallas(side)line offered on the net would be considered "an off line." It should have obviously been -1/2-145 instead of the "typeO" -1/2-120 (a .25 cent mistake).

Most of our bettors from bettors world are experienced bettors, like Boomer and others, and when we have an "off line" on the net, they call to let us know about it before betting it and trying to take advantage of the situation.

Hope this helps.
Sterling Management.



[This message has been edited by sterling (edited 02-09-2000).]

[ShiftySheik]

chin, Today, the Vegas book is required to cash the ticket. I heard this from a Vegas sportbook manager.

[thechin]

sheik, i stand corrected then, this was years ago, as i said. but it is hard to believe that on a cbb sat, if duke is a 26 pt. fav against rice and by some strange means, they entered the line backwards in their system and i get a dime down (remember this is vegas)on duke +26, that they will honor the ticket. i don't doubt your info., but it is hard to believe. i guess it could be up to the properties' mgmt. also.

[This message has been edited by thechin (edited 02-09-2000).]

[This message has been edited by thechin (edited 02-09-2000).]

[Don Best]

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[Underdog7]

What is a bad line? A bad line is a line that someone wagered, "jumped" on it and lose. That is a clear definition of a bad line.

[cashusking]

Ok let me give you 2 quick examples.

When NBA lines are first posted in the morning if one book has a total of 195 and another book has 197, if I bet under 197 would that be taking advantage of a "BAD LINE"?

On a college hoop halftime, if several books have 6 and another has 6 1/2 and then goes to 8 am I taking advantage of a "BAD LINE" by taking the 8?

2 different Don Best books thought so and canceled my bets in those spots. I won't name names but I thought it was WAY out of line for them to renege.

I would be happy to hear someone back the books in those spots because I was mighty heated about it at the time and hope I am at fault here. I like to believe the sportsbook are my PARTNERS and I hope they win lots so it is really frustrating when I feel like I am being shorted by a partner.

[BigMoney]

cashusking, if I understand you, you were actually quoted the line live on the same call in which you attempted to place the bet.

If this is the case, then the line should be honored. In case anyone thinks differently, suppose the same quoted line was also at the same time posted on the Don Best live feed. Suppose further that the "bad" line is only a couple of points off of the supposed "good" line.

This is simply a case of the book not wanting to honor the posted line, because of who is betting it and after seeing that the book is off of the consensus screen line a point or two. In short, this is BS.

This is one of the many reasons that I prefer betting online.

[Chester]

Cashusking, If I am correct I think that the normal is anything more than a point and a half is considered to be out of the question. For instance the Jazz being 12 if you were quoted 10.5 and made the bet got your readback and somehow managed to get off the phone I am sure that when you called back a supervisor or charter type person would be waiting to speak to you in hopes of clarifying this matter.

[WhiteShoes]

one rarely sees a difference of more than
1 point between all of the books, except
during a steam where the line moves two
points very fast. So unless you're following steam plays any line you see
off by more than 2 points will almost
always be a typo error. Jumping on
a mistake line without asking the
book directly "why the line is off" is
the question I gather.
Myself, I like to bring it up so
it won't become an issue later, though
this hardly ever occurs online at the
books I play with.
Getting a steam #
before it moves is a differnt issue
than playing mistake lines though.

[ShiftySheik]

Cashusking, A 2 point difference on a NBA total is NOTHING. In my opinion the BM was out of line for cancelling a bet on such a small difference. Even with the halftime bet, it's too small a difference to be considered a "bad line".