This past weekend's action from a bookmaker's point-of-view
By Jimmy Mason, Director of Sportsbook Operations, www.betcom.com
Saturday and Sunday were mirror opposites of each other and we certainly hope Sunday does not set the tone for the month of May! Saturday however was a big, big day where everything just seemed to go our way. Small decisions, medium decisions, baseball and especially the two biggest basketball games?..It was just that kind of day!
First up were the Rockets who opened as -2 point favorites. Oh how easily the gamblers perceptions can change in sports betting. Just a few days ago we were getting buried in Dallas money and couldn?t give away bets on the Rockets. Saturday was the opposite though as a major Midwest handicapper ?released? Houston as his ?NBA Playoff Game of the Year?. We took plenty of Rockets money at -2, then -2 1/2, the bulk of the tickets came in at -3 and by game time we were using ? 3 ? (-115). At one point we were the lone book using -3 ? but as our linesmaker always preaches, ?We book our action, not someone else?s?. We then went to -3 ? (-115). I asked ?Why not just go to -4??. Our guy said ?Playoff games tend to be tight and I would rather tack on some vig than move the number again.?. In the end he was right as usual and the Mavericks beat the Rockets and the handicapper?s ?NBA Game of the Year? outright 97-93 to start our day off right.
Next up on Saturday the Pacers opened at -3 ? and quickly rose to -5. Our linesmaker knew that the money on the Pacers was the general public betting, but he also knew that the general public wins in the playoffs! Our ticket count was so completely lopsided that he decided to move to -5 ? even though we would be the only ones at that number. Literally within seconds of moving to -5 ?, I was informed that a couple of other books had gone to ?5 ? as well. Soon there were dozens of books at that number and we were still getting flooded with Pacer money. Our linesmaker said that -6 was the magic number at which the ?wise guys? would start gobbling up the Celtics. He moved the line to -6 and wouldn?t you know it, within seconds we had a sizable bet on the ?Celts?. He had proved his point and went back to ? 5 ?. Final score, Boston wins outright 110-79 and we make a bundle.
?May-day, May-day we?re going down!!!?. Sunday May 1st was like a slow motion plane wreck. We opened the road favorite Phoenix Suns at -4, but that didn?t last long. We were quickly at -5 and that?s where things stayed for most of the day. By game time we were using -5 1/2, but as our guy said ?We could use -8 and it wouldn?t stop the Phoenix money.? I wondered why we didn?t move the line harder if we were so heavy on the Suns? Finally curiosity got the best of me and I asked our linesman why we weren?t moving more drastically. The answer he gave me was a classic?..?Kid, when you had a day like we did yesterday, you can afford to take a shot.? The Suns ended up winning 123-115 and we got clobbered, but we came out on top for the weekend and as that same sage bookmaker said Monday morning? ?You live by the spread, you die by the spread.?
Until next week, when we?ll ?wrap? it up again??
Jimmy Mason
Get in on the action: www.betcom.com
By Jimmy Mason, Director of Sportsbook Operations, www.betcom.com
Saturday and Sunday were mirror opposites of each other and we certainly hope Sunday does not set the tone for the month of May! Saturday however was a big, big day where everything just seemed to go our way. Small decisions, medium decisions, baseball and especially the two biggest basketball games?..It was just that kind of day!
First up were the Rockets who opened as -2 point favorites. Oh how easily the gamblers perceptions can change in sports betting. Just a few days ago we were getting buried in Dallas money and couldn?t give away bets on the Rockets. Saturday was the opposite though as a major Midwest handicapper ?released? Houston as his ?NBA Playoff Game of the Year?. We took plenty of Rockets money at -2, then -2 1/2, the bulk of the tickets came in at -3 and by game time we were using ? 3 ? (-115). At one point we were the lone book using -3 ? but as our linesmaker always preaches, ?We book our action, not someone else?s?. We then went to -3 ? (-115). I asked ?Why not just go to -4??. Our guy said ?Playoff games tend to be tight and I would rather tack on some vig than move the number again.?. In the end he was right as usual and the Mavericks beat the Rockets and the handicapper?s ?NBA Game of the Year? outright 97-93 to start our day off right.
Next up on Saturday the Pacers opened at -3 ? and quickly rose to -5. Our linesmaker knew that the money on the Pacers was the general public betting, but he also knew that the general public wins in the playoffs! Our ticket count was so completely lopsided that he decided to move to -5 ? even though we would be the only ones at that number. Literally within seconds of moving to -5 ?, I was informed that a couple of other books had gone to ?5 ? as well. Soon there were dozens of books at that number and we were still getting flooded with Pacer money. Our linesmaker said that -6 was the magic number at which the ?wise guys? would start gobbling up the Celtics. He moved the line to -6 and wouldn?t you know it, within seconds we had a sizable bet on the ?Celts?. He had proved his point and went back to ? 5 ?. Final score, Boston wins outright 110-79 and we make a bundle.
?May-day, May-day we?re going down!!!?. Sunday May 1st was like a slow motion plane wreck. We opened the road favorite Phoenix Suns at -4, but that didn?t last long. We were quickly at -5 and that?s where things stayed for most of the day. By game time we were using -5 1/2, but as our guy said ?We could use -8 and it wouldn?t stop the Phoenix money.? I wondered why we didn?t move the line harder if we were so heavy on the Suns? Finally curiosity got the best of me and I asked our linesman why we weren?t moving more drastically. The answer he gave me was a classic?..?Kid, when you had a day like we did yesterday, you can afford to take a shot.? The Suns ended up winning 123-115 and we got clobbered, but we came out on top for the weekend and as that same sage bookmaker said Monday morning? ?You live by the spread, you die by the spread.?
Until next week, when we?ll ?wrap? it up again??
Jimmy Mason
Get in on the action: www.betcom.com
