Intertops, how are they?

[Zerlinco]

Leaving out the low limits, are they a good book overall?

Thanx

[SBR_John]

Been around forever. Not the greatest service and certainly not the place if you are betting more than a couple of hundred. I always liked this book and its a very good book for smaller players. Tons of betting options and reliable.

[bigboydan]

I do believe there like one of the last books U.S. players are allowed to play over there.

John pretty much said it all already. They use 20 cent baseball lines, and are not a sharp friendly type book at all.

[tacomax]

And the worst software in the history of sportsbetting. Aside from that, they're not the worst outfit out there. They have been around for years and have been paying for years. In fact, it's worth signing up just to see how bad the software is.

[Intertops]

And the worst software in the history of sportsbetting. Aside from that, they're not the worst outfit out there. They have been around for years and have been paying for years. In fact, it's worth signing up just to see how bad the software is.

Hi tacomax,

We have undertaken a complete overhaul of our platform a few months ago and are still trying to improve the site. What can we do to further improve ourselves - what are the things you don't like at all, what parts are ok?

Comments from other forum users are of course welcome too...

Thanks for your hints,
Intertops

[Mudcat]

I like Intertops. My limits there are not low at all, relatively speaking. I can bet 2200 on a baseball ML (compared to $500 at JustBet, Sportbet, many others.)

Last year I could bet $5500 on an NFL spread. That's not bad. I haven't checked that this year.

What happens is the limits start fairly low and increase as gametime approaches, reaching the max a couple hours (I'm guessing) before gametime. That's not the best approach for the player IMO. Just set your limits and leave them.

I don't mind the software either. Your log-in basically never times out there (compared to some annoyingly quick time-outs like JustBet, SportBet, many others.)

The layout is not very good. It's all spread out and clunky. It's not a tidy grid like most books use these days. You have to do separate clicks for the American league and the National League in baseball. I don't like how they leave games that have started on the board. It clogs things up, sometimes badly.

I have a theory that it is that crappy layout that keeps a lot of sharp players away, and that's why they have some good numbers. I frequently find good numbers there.

[Mudcat]

One further thought, since it seems we might have Intertops' ear.

The betting limits are only based on risk amount. So a $2200 limit can only be the risk amount and if it happened to be (extreme case) a -800 line, the most I could bet would be $2200 to win $275.

By far, the industry standard (which I prefer) is to have the betting limits reflect the base amount of the wager. So players can enter their dollar amount and indicate if that is their "risk" or "win" amount.

Know what I mean?

[SBR_John]

We need to get some player comments on the software.

I hear what taco is saying, I felt the same way. But what I guess is now the old I'top software really wasn't that bad. It just wasnt like anything else so it took a while to get used to.

[magnavox]

John pretty much said it all already. They use 20 cent baseball lines, and are not a sharp friendly type book at all.

That is false.

As Mudcat says, allow both AL & NL to be viewed at the same time, make your limits based on base amounts and don't leave the games that already started on the board. Those three things can make a hell of a difference.

[jjgold]

solid B book for $200 and under type bettors, kind of like 5 Dimes

[Mudcat]

We need to get some player comments on the software.

I hear what taco is saying, I felt the same way. But what I guess is now the old I'top software really wasn't that bad. It just wasnt like anything else so it took a while to get used to.

I'm never exactly what sure people are talking about when they talk about "the software." As I said, your time-out at Intertops last a long time. Like after a night's sleep, I am still logged in. That's great by me.

I find it crisp enough going from screen to screen. I don't remember ever having problems in that regard.

Now if the layout and other issues like dead games cluttering the board fall under the heading of, "the software," then my estimation of it drops considerably.

[jjgold]

software=
user friendly
easy to make a bet
load times
easy to see pending wagers
layout

[tacomax]

Now if the layout and other issues like dead games cluttering the board fall under the heading of, "the software," then my estimation of it drops considerably.

That was my definition of software - i.e. how the website looks, runs and operates.

Hi tacomax,

We have undertaken a complete overhaul of our platform a few months ago and are still trying to improve the site. What can we do to further improve ourselves - what are the things you don't like at all, what parts are ok?

Although I'll be going over ground already covered, I'll give my gripes.

1) The lines aren't easy to read - it gives me a headache looking at them for any extended period. Don't know if it's the font, the colour scheme or whatever but it's a pain in the arse. Or pain in the eye to be more accurate.

2) Related to point 1), not only is it hard to read it's also hard (or harder than other sites) to actually find the bet you want to place. On the NFL screen, there are 7 lines of available bets to place - it's not the easiest thing to spot which one you want. Not a big thing, might only take a second or two to find the actual line but, as with mouse clicks, any extra seconds wasted is a pain. Why not reduce some clutter by separating out the half spreads and totals which would reduce the number of lines from 7 to 3?

3) MLB - for the love of god, how difficult would it be to have all games on the same page instead of separating the AL and NL. I don't recall seeing that at other books and it is most definitely not a unique selling point of Intertops. Any site which takes an extra click of the mouse button to get to somewhere is a poorly set up site.

4) From what I recall, the default for the lines is the start times rather than the rotation number. That would be fine if you could amend it in the settings to default to the rotation number (which if you can, I've not worked out how to do it) but it's yet another unnecessary click I need to make.

5) Leaving started games on the board. If I wanted to see the score of a game, I'd go to ESPN. I'm sure that for the majority of people it's more of a hindrance than a help.

That's about it for now. These issues can be fixed pretty quickly, I would think. It's just that a number of relatively small quirks can turn you off a website.

And, aside from that, it's a pretty decent place to play. Although it's annoying to have progressively higher limits as gametime approaches, I'm sure that's part of the business model so if you play there then that's what you get. It's a bit like playing at Bodog and moaning when they put up late lines.

[stump]

i don't think its the worst software, but i don't like it.

[prop]

If for nothing else, a good reason to have an account is the they send $10 or $20 free at least a couple times per year.

[SBR_John]

Thats a good write taco and good points from mudact.

The odds were always in euro form which Im sure thats been fixed. And all the radio buttons and parlays were hard to place and called them something different like multipliers or something.

But for a guy thats never played online its no harder to learn than Pinnacles. They love small players and do a good job with them.

[greg66]

I played there 10 years ago until the cut me to $50 a game.

[aggie]

INTERTOPS,

there are now only 6 games of college football, and i CANNOT find them! the screen is cluttered with tons of games, i'm just browsing, stopping for a while and pointing with my mouse to see if something lights up -- the quickest way to find anything. this is really pathetic

[Intertops]

Thanks a lot for your comments. We will answer / comment upon every point mentioned during the next week. It is most helpful for us to get this direct feedback to improve our service.

We appreciate your comments so far and more comments are, of course, welcome.
Thanks a lot,
Intertops

[minet123]

I agree, a good book and never a problem with being paid
However it is next to impossible to figure out NFL/MLB lines if your in a rush
Intertops why are you trying to be different just set the wagering "pages" up like everyone else

[Smarpaxus]

.

I like Intertops. I've been with them for many years and never had a single problem.

In reference to the software, I remember when they made a change many years back and it was slowwwwww as hell. Much improved now.

[potsie]

I like Intertops overall, but there is a lack of reasons to choose them over another book. They are safe and offer some off the wall betting topics, but there is much for them to improve upon.

Pros

Safe
Betting selection (many categories)


Cons
COS agents who make you feel as though you are bothering them.
Late lines
Late release of totals
Low limits
lack of payout choices

[cincy_1]

MY FIRST BOOK!!!!

In any case, I stopped playing there because they didn't take phone wagers ... do they take phone wagers now?

[potsie]

No sportsbook that is licensed in Canada by the Kahnawake Mohawk territory is allowed to accept phone wagers.

[Intertops]

Thanks a lot for all your comments. We will try to do our best in order to improve our site and your input helps us a lot. I would like to go through the points in more detail:

General comments
• Good for small players – SBR_John, bigboydan, jjgold
• Not a sharp friendly book – bigboydan
• One of the last books that accept US Players - bigboydan
• Around for ages and still paying – tacomax

First of all we would like to confirm that we are geared towards small to medium players. Our limits increase as the games get nearer to reach the below-mentioned maximum levels shortly before the start of game.

NFL: Handicap $5500, to win $2200, Points $2200
MLB: Handicap $1100, to win $2200, Points $1100
NBA: Handicap $2200, to win $1100, Points $550
NHL: Handicap $2200, to win $2200, Points $1100


Bet Management
• Limits start low and increase as game time approaches – Mudcat, tacomax, potsie
• Betting limits based on risk amount – Mudcat, magnavox
• Let players choose if their amount is the “risk” or “win” amount – Mudcat
• Late release of totals – potsie

This has worked out quite well for us and also our experience is that customers want to get their big bet on only close to the game. The same can also be said for the late release of different bet options.
Mudcat and Magnavox mentioned that our limits are based on the stake only and do not take the risk into consideration. This is correct and we will see what we can do about this.
What is the general feeling about letting customers choose their “win” or “risk” amount – is that not more confusing then helpful?

Bet Display
• Baseball – American League and National League separated – Mudcat, Magnavox, tacomax
• Games that started still on the board – Mudcat, Magnavox, tacomax
• Too many lines to bet on shown on each NFL game – tacomax
• Lines are not easy to read – tacomax
• Not possible to find College Football – aggie
• Impossible to figure out NFL/MLB lines in a rush
• Sort by rotation number – tacomax

We will merge the American League and National League bet offers since that makes sense. In the medium term we will also show the results and started games somewhere else and not mix them with the active bet offers. For those customers who find it difficult to see all the lines on offer at once, we will provide an option to restrict the display to the bet types you are interested in. This should make it faster to find the bets you are looking for. But please don’t hold your breath – this will not be able to be implemented tomorrow. What is the general feeling about the rotation numbers? Do many users want to sort their bets according to this?


Miscellaneous
• Lack of payout choices – potsie
• Disinterested customer service – potsie

@ Potsie, we are very sorry if you had an unpleasant experience with our customer service. Normally we get a very positive feedback about our CS. With regards to payout options, we offer Bank wire and the Intertops Cash Card (a debit card you can use at ATMs and in supermarkets). One payout per month is free.

Thanks a lot again for all the input,
Intertops

[Stumpage]

Mudcat and Magnavox mentioned that our limits are based on the stake only and do not take the risk into consideration. This is correct and we will see what we can do about this.
What is the general feeling about letting customers choose their “win” or “risk” amount – is that not more confusing then helpful?
Intertops

I'd say at the very least, change this. If I could potentially win $550 as opposed to this being my maximum stake, I might use Intertops more often. I've been with your company since it went online in 1996, but I'll often use a different book based on that alone, being able to use the higher "win" rather than "risk" option. That would be a good place to start, in my opinion.

Very detailed write up, by the way. Good to know somebody is listening out there.

[louis]

I like intertops

The fact they are willing to come on here and carefully read everyone's comments says something about them. They are rated B+ for a reason. Overall I like them. They do not fee you to death. They are honest. They are managed well. They cut off my bonuses because I was beating them, but they were professional about it unlike other books that just cut you off and don't even tell you or discuss it.

[louis]

Intertop's casino

I would also like to say that their microgaming casino is better than any other sportsbook's offering.

[Zeroed]

While you are here Intertops, i don´t care much about websites and all that, but..do you welcome action that is not square, without limiting the players who manage to grab a good line on U.S. sports?

[kiwi]

• Limits start low and increase as game time approaches

This was correct in my case a while ago. Nowadays it seems you have restricted my limits to 80 Euro on everything. So it seems you don't appreciate winning players, could you confirm that too?

[raiders72002]

Intertops- Did you guys stop take bets from the following states?

1. Mich
2. Ill
3. Lou
4. Oreg
5. Wisc
6. Wash
7. Ind
8. Nev
9. SD
10. NJ
11. NY

[bigboydan]

Intertops- Did you guys stop take bets from the following states?

1. Mich
2. Ill
3. Lou
4. Oreg
5. Wisc
6. Wash
7. Ind
8. Nev
9. SD
10. NJ
11. NY

This should answer your question Raiders. Unfortunately your screwed, because your in IL. However, it's a good thing for me because their wanting to reinstate my limits.

Dear xxxx,

Thank you for choosing Intertops Casino or Poker.

Unfortunately per our rules and regulations no bets will be accepted in the Casino or the Poker room if placed from: Michigan, Illinois, Louisiana,Oregon, Wisconsin, Washington,Indiana, Nevada, South Dakota, New Jersey and
New York.

If you wish to wager in the Intertops Sportsbook only please indicate so and we will be happy to re-instate your limits.

We thank you for your understanding in this regard, if you have any further queries, please contact us we will be happy to assist.

Sincerely

Navida

[tacomax]

We will merge the American League and National League bet offers since that makes sense.

In the medium term we will also show the results and started games somewhere else and not mix them with the active bet offers.

What is the general feeling about the rotation numbers? Do many users want to sort their bets according to this?

I prefer to have a default of rotation numbers. But, aside from that, there should be an option where you can set the default to be whatever you want - either date/time or rotation number.

[Mudcat]

Great thread. Thanks for listening and responding Intertops. Many promising items in your response.

What is the general feeling about letting customers choose their “win” or “risk” amount – is that not more confusing then helpful?

I'm repeating myself here but no, it's not confusing at all. If anything it's a bit confusing to not have the option since it really is the industry standard. I have seen threads from people who have been hunting around at Intertops trying to figure out how to enter their bet by "win" amount.

People should probably be able to set "win" "risk" or "base" as a default if they like, but having the option is nothing but positive IMO.



Same with listing games by rotation number versus start time. The industry standard is rotation number. That's what I look for. Ideally, as taco says, the player could have the option to set one or the other as default. But if you just want to set it one way, I would vote for ROT#.



Another small point if you're interested: if you are going to merge NL and AL games in MLB (which I think would be good), the industry standard is to have NL on top.

[bigboydan]

I'd like to see Intertops up on SBR Odds if they can definitely fix the rotation issues.