Czch Betting Stories Part 2

[PerpetualCzech]

So I arrived in the summer of 1994 and here was the first thing that greeted me as I entered my first shop:

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
(Example)
Thursday Boston-Detroit 1.6-2.1
Friday Boston-Detroit 1.6-2.1
Saturday Boston Detroit 1.6-2.1
Sunday Boston-Detroit 1.6-2.1

They would post an entire series' odds ahead of time all with the same line ... they had no idea about starting pitchers!

Well the sad part of the story is that I had very little money at the time but of course I went to work right away. After I figured out parlays were the way to play (see Part 1) I was doing well. My best friends in the world that summer were Randy Johnson, Greg Maddux, Hideo Nomo, Roger Clemens etc.

But don't forget this was in the days of no internet so it wasn't that easy (nor cheap). Prague is 9 hours ahead of Las Vegas so the daily routine was to call Vegas at 17h15 local time (when the starting lines were posted) and then run around from shop to shop to get the best lines before they all closed at 18h00. Combining the teams was no easy task either with the time pressure given that most days you had some teams with bigger edges than others and one shop may have better odds than the others on any given game. I think eventually I found a number that had overnight lines, but I still liked to sharpen them up by waiting until Stardust posted the morning ones.

They didn't catch on for 2 years. I think my saddest day in Prague was sometime in April 1996 when I realized they were starting to use odds from the internet.

But there were still more surprises to come. In January of 1998 Chance started offering Over/Under numbers for the NBA. They had already done O/U for the NHL for a while and this was around the time scoring was plummeting so there were good opportunities there (they didn't seem to adjust very well, certainly not as fast as Vegas). But the NHL didn't compare to the feast on offer for the NBA. Because of the time change, when they opened up shop in the morning, the only line they had access to from Vegas was the overnight line. For those that followed those back then (and even today maybe) you know that these lines were off the opening Stardust line often by 8 to 10 points, sometimes even more. I was getting odds of 1.85 (-117) either way on these numbers and I figured out that a 10-point swing on a number should have had odds of about -250. (5-points is about -170). Well, there was about a 10-point game available every other day and 5-point edges were a dime-a-dozen. My dream day was the last day of the 1999 season when lines tend to go way up for the games that are meaningless, but this wasn't reflected in the overnight line. 7 games had double-digit edges and I parlayed and parlayed til I could parlay no more. 6 games hit and the 7th missed by 1 point.

Chance I think caught on in the middle of last season, or found another source of odds once they knew they were getting hit, but later in the year I still noticed some good games. I'm sure there will still be good plays available next year.

I was starting to get nervous after a while because I was a huge player by Czech standards and everything was paid in cash. Being a foreigner didn't help either (I speak Czech, but with a heavy accent and poor grammar) and I know the clerks were talking about me to other players and giving them my picks. The combination of the risk carrying all the cash, them getting better with their lines and the hassle of running around from shop to shop in the Prague traffic made me lay off for the most part of last year. Still, it brings a tear to my eye thinking of the good 'ol days ...

Still got some more stuff to ramble on about but I think I'll take another break.

[bucky]

PC
Great Story. You were in a Gambler's Paradise. You were getting the opportunity to play the steam side without the adjustment in the line.
It is very interesting that there are several shops in Prague - kind of like a mini Las Vegas?

[This message has been edited by bucky (edited 07-29-2000).]

[reno]

PC, Your story reminds me of what Caliente in Tijuana used to be like. The Mexicans tried making their own betting lines, and they discovered that it is easier to make tacos.

Another place where it may still be possible to get really good lines with little competition is the Dominican Republic. There are dozens upon dozens of clueless mom-and- pop sportsbook throughout San Jose, the capitol. But you no doubt run a serious risk of being stiffed and/or robbed.

[bucky]

Reno,
What's it like in TJ now? I've heard they have sportsbooks but not on what kind of scale, etc. Ever considered Hispanic women as your second charity?

[reno]

Bucky, because of the Internet, TJ is now famous as a sex haven. Gringos pour into the town by the thousands. The top chicks are now superstars featured on websites.

Bucky, my philosophy has always been that "charity begins at home." Consequently, when I lived in Mexico and when I lived in neighboring San Diego, a very high percentage of my money would end up in the hands of economically disadvantaged young Mexican women.

I have talked extensively about sportsbetting in Mexico and TJ. Do a search of my posts, and after reading the ones pertaining to Mexico, you'll be an expert on sportsbettting south of the U.S. border.