How do you use Matchbook?

[nitsuj]

I've never used any betting exchanges before so bear with me if I appear ignorant.

I keep on reading good things about Matchbook on this forum and many regard it as a must have sportsbook in addition to Pinnacle. I've been following the lines for the past week or so (not accepting or making offers) and I'm not sure how its really that useful. What I have witnessed so far is just a book that puts up lines very late, with numbers similar to Pinnacle's but with much lower liquidity. Can someone enlighten me as to how Matchbook could be useful and how I would generally use it to my advantage? I have accounts with The Greek, Pinnacle, and Cris so my standards are quite high.

[remmy358]

matchbook generally has the lowest juice in the industry because players set the price. ONLY if you win, you pay 2% commission on your bet. that's the main reason why people use matchbook - low price.

you can also use the live betting to your advantage.

[KC]

how everyone doesn't bet 90% of their action at matchbook is beyond me..best book ever

[2Pac]

Matchbook interface needs some work.

[2Pac]

Great book for the big sports NBA, MLB, NFL, College Fball.

Terrible place for exotics.

[durito]

Even with the commission matchbooks odds will often beat Pinnacles.

Their huge rise in popularity in the last year though is directly linked to Pinnacle leaving the US.

If you can play at Pinnacle it's probably not a necessity to have Matchbook depending on the type of player you are. Remember, just because X is all that's available, that doesn't mean you can't offer 3X -- it will likely get matched quickly on big games.

[PLUSLINES]

I use Matchbook for Appx. 90% of my wagers and have never had any issues with them at all. For MLB I would strongly recommend them!

[bookie]

For MLB definitely, especially if they keep the one percent commission.

For other sports, if you can use Pinnacle, I agree that MB isn't crucial. By offering a line at a one cent spread you can often get a penny or two the best of the Pinnacle line even with the two percent commission--and every little bit helps.

[chriscapper]

Can someone give an example why it is so good for MLB? I HATE the juice in MLB

[bookie]

At the end of last season, they charged one percent on winning bets instead of two.

[nitsuj]

Thanks for the replies. I generally want to bet on NBA games and I find that if you are relatively sharp, and don't place huge bets, you can gain an advantage over closing lines by getting in early. Unfortunately, Matchbook puts up lines very late, so many times the earlier lines offered by Pinnacle, Greek and Cris, more than offset the lower vig that Matchbook offers when they finally put up their lines up. If you don't get into your plays early, Matchbook may be interesting but they usually don't offer much of an advantage over Pinnacle. The Greek, although having higher vig, sometimes has unique lines, which seems much more useful. Even if Matchbook does have the best line out there, there seems to be a liquidity issue. On game day with NBA games, it is not unusual to see lines having well less than $1000 available. Is it really liquid enough that I can place 3 times the listed amount and it would get filled?

[durito]

Is it really liquid enough that I can place 3 times the listed amount and it would get filled?

There are people seeding the exchange. If say $1,000 is available at -3 -103 and you bet it all. It's very likely that within a minute, there will be another $1,000 available. Or you can put up an offer (a better one if you like)