Bestline annoucement

[ronnieseah]

wtf is steam play?????

do i call the book and ask if the game im going to play is a steam or not???? stupid right????

and how much action did the book get on the other team????
and i wonder what the book call those player who bet on the other team?

 

[MadJack]

damn! no wonder I didn't sleep well last night (tossing and turning). i DID have a dream that the site went down and i had 29,000 error messages in my email box.

anyway, i just woke up and went through both these threads.

i will try to contact magnum (the big boss) today, although he has been away from the office all week. i think he was supposed to get back in today or tomorrow.

i have to leave here at noon to run a shitload of errands so i'll answer all the questions and report what i find out from magnum when i get back late this afternoon.

i'll answer as many questions as i can at that time as well.

 

[dr. freeze]

what a dump of a book.....people should go everywhere with this story and rip them of their credibility...

then they have the nerve to say that we are agenda driven posters....

Bestline sports is a pack of liars and thieves

 

[MadJack]

now real interested as to what Jack has to say..........wonder why they are a sponsor

Why not? This is the very first complaint I have ever heard about BLS and we still haven't heard what Magnum has to say.

We can draw lots of conclusions from the one side speaking but until I hear the other side.....

Derrick definitely didn't explain himself very well and dug a little hole and people are all kicking BLS when they're down but we still haven't heard the whole story.

relax and I'll find out.

I will be here instead of running my errands, so fire away.

thanks,

jack@madjacksports.com

 

[MadJack]

WHY WOULD ANYONE HERE AT MADJACKS WANT TO PLAY WITH A BOOK WHERE THEY WILL GET BOOTED IF THEY WIN.

that isn't why he was booted. As soon as I find out, I'll let you know but I'm SURE that's not the reason.

my guess?

1- flagged as a bonus whore
2- steam player
3- hit and run player

They don't WANT that kind of action and many other books don't either.

Players aren't going to get the boot if they win. You get the boot for taking advantage of steam and bonuses.

Let's see what magnum has to say before we jump to conclusions here. Although, I agree, Derrick has given some good reasons for this kind of reaction.

Everybody, please go through the whole thread and read all of Nick Douglas's posts. He has it down pat.

 

[MadJack]

good post!

I swear I can't believe I'm about to write this, but you guys are giving Best Line too hard a time here. They are a square book. They want squares, not professionals. There are a heck of a lot of books out there like that.

You guys point to Pinnacle or Olympic as stand up books and that is true, but do you really think you are getting the same line that a professional gambler gets? Heck no. Big books will generally deal separate lines for sharp bettors and square bettors. Some books choose not to take sharp action at all. That is just the way the business works. If you are going to berate Best Line for not accepting action from sharp players then you would have a problem with a heck of a lot of books.

The problem that Derrick is still not addressing is the fact that this person was explicitly told over the phone that the bonus would be honored even after informing Best Line of his playing style. Best Line chose to offer the bonus anyway. They even had almost 24 hours to cancel the bet if they checked around and found out that they were dealing with a sharp player.

I agree fully with Derrick that this person "took a shot" at Best Line (chances are this guy is a bonus whore) but Best Line took a shot at the person, too and that is something books should not be allowed to do.

Even if you claim that you would have never offered this person the bonus had he made it clear that he was a sharp gambler, you still had more than 24 hours to cancel his wager and refund his account. If was only after his wager was decided that you decided that he was too sharp for Best Line.

Lost in all of this is that the person has claimed that he intended to wager on Sunday's action with his initial deposit of $2,500 but when he logged on he found that his bonus had been stolen from him and that the rest of his balance had been refunded by Best Line. That makes Best Line's claim that this player intended to play only one game and run hold less water.

 

[MadJack]

another good post. just trying to organize this thread by bringing all the good points together.

Nick, you are correct, but I'm still not backing down from this book. I will agree with your assumption that the guy was probably a bonus whore. BUT, the fact remains that :

1) Bestline agreed to give him the bonus

2) Bestline had 24 hours to cancel the bet

3) Bestline didn't contact him, but rather he had to check his account and see the money was missing.

Obviously all books want squares, but if you don't want a sharp player, then lower your limits for new accountees like 500 or something. Bestline talked to this guy on the phone and ok'd his playing style AND gave him the bonus. No tears shed for them, they are to blame.

And on a sidenote, everything Derrick said just made his book look REALLY STUPID.

 

[MadJack]

good post

timbo,

As I said I don't think what Best Line did is right but I don't know what else I can tell you. Oklahoma was a steam play. Here is a direct quote from Chris @ Olympic from the thread where this whole controversy started:

"Oklahoma was a steam play, everyone was on them."

If Chris @ Olympic wouldn't know, who would?

***

I still believe you guys are under the wrong impression of what offshore bookmaking is like when dealing with square players and sharp players. A "posted line" may not necessarily be a line that sharp players are allowed to bet into. Those are just the facts of life.

And the amount wagered has absolutely nothing to do with it. Some of the biggest bettors in the world are as square as can be. It is the way you bet and the results you get betting that way, not the amount you bet, that determines whether you are sharp or square.

One final note is that obviously Best Line Sports has lost more than $727 in prospective business by gyping this guy out of his bonus. That is too bad in a way. They are a good square book that offers reduced juice. You will get paid and you will get sides and totals at -108 with Best Line Sports. The only problem is, as much as I would love to recommend them, I can't do so on general principle until they rightfully pay this person the bonus he is owed.

 

[worm44]

That was the point of my Rant last night--that guy made his book look terrible Jack--That guy does not know how to talk himself and his book out of a dispute.....

 

[MadJack]

worm, i agree and am just trying to get this thread organized so we can get to the bottom of the problem here.

- magnum is the man that talked to this player, not derrick, so until i hear what magnum has to say i'm not making any judgements. i hope to talk to him today and, if not, i will get back to all after i do.

- BLS is a sponsor here because i have never heard of any complaints until this one.

- a lot of books, probably most, don't want steam players. if you don't know what a steam player is, you don't have anything to worry about. imo, there's nothing wrong with a book not wanting steam players.

- books have to be careful with players taking advantage of bonuses. there are many ways to screw a sportsbook and generous bonuses are one way.

let's see what happens after i talk to magnum or he replies to this thread.

 

[countinguy]

I don't buy into this whole steam player thing myself.

I use approx 8 to 10 off shore books at diff. times.

I have withdraw many checks from diff. accounts and I have also busted many accounts. But I look at the overall picture of my account added alltogether, I have to spread the money out to shop for the best lines. Then when a account get fatter then the others or I busted another, I have to move the money around and give a little for myself. The books are making plenty of money when I do things like this. Been working it like that for YEARS!!!

Also this dude would have not been labeled a steam player if he lost, and I have done stupid one time bets like and lost before, so I definitely know what it feels like.

Hey U Guys Remember? Hello There, he must have been a big steam player, bet his whole account every wager.

Hate to say it, but would not use this offshore here either, just because of statements made. Sounds like if u don't lose we don't want ur business.

Countinguy

 

[MadJack]

wow! guess what?

Ok, first, i had to post this but have to leave for awhile but wanted you to know what i just found out before i left.

I just talked to Magnum's partner.

1- The player is not a member of madjacks, not that that matters, but this post was a copy from a complaint from another site.

2- The player is STILL playing with bestlinesports and is happy as this matter was resolved some time ago.

3- His bonus was paid. His bet was paid. He plays there as I type.

4- He wasn't booted because the game he bet his entire opening account on was steam. It was bet about 24 hours BEFORE the steam, so steam had nothing to do with BLS booting him.

5- He was booted for being a well known bonus whore, hit and run player and scalper. BLS DOES NOT WANT THIS TYPE OF PLAYER, and neither do a lot of other books. They take advantage of the bonus system that was put in place to attract the recreational player.

6- There has NEVER been a complaint, that I have seen, on the internet about BLS, and most importantly, there has NEVER been a slow pay or no pay.

If this player still plays with BLS and is happy and there are no other complaints about BLS anywhere that can be found, why should they not be a sponsor here?

There are some slick people out there that take advantage of bonus money in many different ways. When you get caught taking advantage of a sportsbook, you're name is going to be out there and you're going to be watched. Sportsbooks are not in the business of giving away money or having money stolen from them.

I hope this clears things up a little.

jack@madjacksports.com

 

[THE HITMAN]

I play at Bestline and play the contest. Even tho I commented negatively about their thoughts on steam, I enjoy the reduced vig, & I will continue to play with them.........Derrick kept his cool, even tho he was probably frustrated at not being able to get his point across affirmatively to the 3-4 guys he replied to multiple times. Sometimes one struggles for a reply or an answer, as he did, when one is frustrated. He was being ridden very hard.
It is to their credit that no one else on this forum had any other first hand legitimate complaints to add to this post...........it was widely read,& the opportunity was there. I also think Nick is right.
The contest they sponsor pays nicely and is a positive addition to MJ's...........$30 K is a nice booty..............THE HITMAN

**and their site has less "down" time than all of my others, especially over the past few weeks.

 

[MadJack]

oh boy.

for nit-pickers.

i assumed that the issue was resolved "some time" ago because i thought it was an old post on another forum. i assumed, but was wrong, as the post/complaint was only from a couple of days ago.

The player was booted, but after discussion with management of BLS, player has agreed to rollover his account 3x before making any withdrawal. So, he put his money back in his account, was given his bonus and winnings and is currently playing there.

thanks, TS

 

[Nick Douglas]

Thanks, Jack.

 

[Penguinfan]

Our decision to boot this player was pure business, only one bet
made on Friday. Everyone bets the NFL and or College, this
player will make one bet every week and not give us a fair chance
to win it back.

The average player will play 5 to 6 college game and all their
favorite NFL teams, that is solid action weather big or small and
thats what we are looking for.

Here is the only problem I have with this entire ordeal. I understand not wanting bonus whores, completely understand that, I understand not wanting steam players, what I don't get is the above quote. I hope it was made out of context because that is the risk you take when opening a sportsbook, sorry but it is not a guaranteed form of income, there is risk involved. I go to the track often and only bet one race on the card and I have a few off-shore outs that get only 1-2 plays a week from me unless it is hockey season. Like I said I hope the above quote was made out of line or I am reading it wrong.

Penguinfan

BTW--Props to Jack for looking into this!

 

[timbo]

Quote from Chris@Olympic on 10/16/2003

Quote from Chris@Olympic on 10/16/2003

Oklahoma wasn't a steam play at all, everyone was all over them since early Big Game lines came out in early Aug Look you have one coach who can coach and one in Mack Brown who is a total clown on the sidelines.

 

[MadJack]

timbo,

what's your point??

 

[timbo]

The "fact" that it was a steam play was brought into the argument by bestlinesports, not me. That was a significant part of THEIR rationale for not honoring the bonus. Bottom line, it was not a steam play; a point I have repeatedly tried to get across.

 

[MadJack]

The bet was made 24 hours before the game. How could it be a steam play?

He wasn't booted because of a steam bet. See #4 and #5 in my post above.

thanks