Recreational Vs Professional

[blix177]

You see the 2 terms a lot. What are the criteria that are used to label one player from another? Because to me I see a lot of gray area in this.

If we use bet size. A recreational player from the states might wager $200 dollar a game, while a professional player from China might wager $50 dollars on a game ( a little less than a weeks wage).

Picking winners. Even a retard can get lucky and follow a successful handicapper.

Picking winners in the long run. Most book don't wait a few years before they kick you out, so there isn't a long run.

I brought this up, because I heard of book taking players money because they label them as a professional. But no book really state what is a professional, just that they are not welcome.

[HeeeHAWWWW]

Pros pick value. Recs pick sides regardless of the line.

In practice, if you bet only when a book is way out of line, it's glaringly obvious you're not rec.

[Smurf71]

You become a pro when you constantly beating the bookie you are betting with. That is what their books say. There is no justification to that. They do it cause it is more convenient for them, some of them confiscate your bankroll to cover their losses on top of everything. That is the typical handwriting of "4 losers only" books which you can find plenty out there. Exchanges are the future of this business in my opinion. Those little jumpers who are in this business to make money but don't have enough liquid or integrity to be honest to winners , they are pathetic and they eventually will fade away. The whole idea of being out there looking for losing bettors only is a joke. Yet there are still few good places to play even if you are pro ,which here probably means "not a loser". Information is the most valuable commodity in this business and with internet and computers involved beating bookies has become easy. Anybody can do it . Back in mid 90-s it was very different story.
Next few years we are going to witness progressing growth of exchange model in this industry and "4 losers only" books will eventually go by-by.

[blix177]

Smurf, I respectfully disagree on the idea that for loser book will fade away. I mean you look at C- and below books, they are a dime a dozen. And each of us know people that bet team regardless of the odds. By gf boyfriends sometimes tells me lets get the over 2nd half. I mean the line isn't even out yet! Idiots are a dime a dozen, so it should keep shady books going forever.

[blix177]

But I guess you guys are saying that anyone with a bit of intelligence might be label as a professional.
I.E. 1. you have 10 books and only buy the lines you like at the lowest price, and suddenly your a pro.
2. You read up on SBR think Tank, now your a pro.

Because from what I read on this forum there are only like 5-6 players that really does play as a pro, out of the 1000 that visit the forum. Off the top of my head I am guessing, LTprofit, fishhead, Durito.

[blix177]

Forgot justin7

[LLXC]

Professional is if you can do it for a living...consistently...

[skrtelfan]

Most books that bother differentiating between recreational and professional have an absurd definition of "recreational" that essentially means "loser" and/or "idiot." A true "recreational book" would simply have low limits and take action from more people, but even the "recreational books" would love to have an idiot who would bet two dimes on his team -7 -115 when every other book in the world has -7 at -110 or better. So the size of the bet really isn't an issue to these books.

There are some hilarious threads from maybe 3 years ago when Nine.com was labeling $100 bettors and the like "professionals," and their definition of "recreational bettor" was hilarious. They said a "rec bettor" was someone who "could bet either team once the line came out." Well, I know plenty of recreational bettors and even they generally have a pretty strong opinion about what team to take. If it's Giants/Eagles and they like the Giants, they'll take the Giants at -3.5, -4, or -4.5, but they're taking the Giants and no way would they even consider the Eagles. Then they had some analogy about a starving guy in the desert who wants a cheeseburger, and if he comes across a cheeseburger stand, he doesn't care if the cheeseburger is $5 or $7, he'll pay either price because he just wants a cheeseburger.

[skrtelfan]

But I guess you guys are saying that anyone with a bit of intelligence might be label as a professional.
I.E. 1. you have 10 books and only buy the lines you like at the lowest price, and suddenly your a pro.
2. You read up on SBR think Tank, now your a pro.

That's essentially it, yes.

Because from what I read on this forum there are only like 5-6 players that really does play as a pro, out of the 1000 that visit the forum. Off the top of my head I am guessing, LTprofit, fishhead, Durito.

I'll take un2.5 for the max on that group, thanks.

[Smurf71]

Yes that is correct. In gambling stupidity feeds the hunger of greed. If you look at Vegas those thousands of retired people stuffing their life savings into those slots , that is madness. I heard from the insider that Bellagio was built for 2.4 billion and they got their money back from slots in 18 months. Same way in sports betting. Those limey low life books with D and F ratings would vanish into the ashes of history if not for stupid squares who just throwing their money away. Takes one to know one, I was like that once myself, but I have come a long way.
If we were all smart which is not difficult to do with all the tools and info available- books would be dismantled ! Then again because of the people who are throwing their money away , sharks can swim around in the same pool and get fed. Yet that is true there are only very few of those around because it takes experience, self discipline, sharp mind and consistent nature to beat the bookies month in and month out. 99% of players will never gonna achieve that kind of level.