Matchbook Question.

[JStennett]

Hello all,

I have a Matchbook question. I get the concept and I might be missing something and if so please do tell me. But what is stopping someone from laying odds on both sides of a wager? For example if you want to take action on the Green Bay/Chicago game you could give better odds then the books say -105 and even with the 1% commission charged for laying each bet you would still make 3% bettors get better odds, you get 3% and matchbook gets commission everyone wins. I must have this wrong because if not I do not see why someone or a lot of people aren’t doing it.

[Pareto]

Nobody is stopping you.

The problem is if the market moves and you get caught with a lot of action on only one side.

[Chopsticks]

You would only get very one sided action. I routinely give out great odds on college basketball, college football and nba and sometimes hockey, but nobody ever takes it unless it is a very good line for them. I mean a line that is 5-10 pts better than pinnacle can stay up for hours without anyone even taking $10 on it. Of course when the line moves so it is 30 pts better than pinnacle then someone comes along to take it all so they can trade out for a profit.

There are so few recreational people using matchbook that it is not worth your time to set up a book on a match. It is like a desert most of the time.

[fsutomahawk]

Yeah Matchbook used to be great, but now there is just not enough liquidity to make it worth playing at.

[Legions36]

You guys are just crazy to say that there is not enough liquidy there is plenty of money to be made there, but like anything else it could be better.

[Hareeba!]

You guys are just crazy to say that there is not enough liquidy there is plenty of money to be made there, but like anything else it could be better.

it could be a heap better
very disappointing to see offers of 6c more than Pinnacle is offering go untouched for hours and hours in NBA and NHL

[Legions36]

it could be a heap better
very disappointing to see offers of 6c more than Pinnacle is offering go untouched for hours and hours in NBA and NHL

Its just cause of the deposit and withdraw issues lately, as soon as they get these methods back everything will get back to normal.

[Kaabee]

Its just cause of the deposit and withdraw issues lately, as soon as they get these methods back everything will get back to normal.

more like if they ever do

[Jnas]

Its just cause of the deposit and withdraw issues lately, as soon as they get these methods back everything will get back to normal.

I hope so its been slipping lately. Match is a great book

[Chuck Sims]

A lot of liquidity at Matchbook. Do you know what I do when I see no liquidity? I MAKE AN OFFER!!

During NFL season I made a $3,300 offer midweek on the Bears -1 -110 vs the Jets. The offer was accepted rather quickly. $2500 on Jax -125 vs Denver on Friday was accepted. On Sunday The Greek had Jax -185.

I get all my NBA bets in. A lot of the time I get +100 or better. Occasionally I'll lay -107. Thats rare though.

We all know MLB at Matchbook is the best by far. Can't wait for the baseball season to start.

[Chuck Sims]

Over $200,000 in liquidity for the Wiz/Knicks game. I know thats peanuts for some of you but its plenty for me.

[JoeVig]

Still a definite out for folks, especially US players.

[chunnnn2010]

the liquidity is still great, just not that great as before.

[lamanax]

I love Matchbook, but hard to fund from the US. Are they having any withdrawal delays?

[coldhardfacts]

I love Matchbook, but hard to fund from the US. Are they having any withdrawal delays?

They had a problem with a processor a few weeks back (nothing unusual in this day and age) but that seems to have been fully resolved.

Just speaking from my own experience, Matchbook is as solid as they come.

[todd73nj]

They had a problem with a processor a few weeks back (nothing unusual in this day and age) but that seems to have been fully resolved.

Just speaking from my own experience, Matchbook is as solid as they come.

These threads are all so repetitive.

Chuck, plenty of ability to buy and sell pre-game. But absolutely nothing in game unless you are willing to give up 20%.

[andywend]

Chuck, plenty of ability to buy and sell pre-game. But absolutely nothing in game unless you are willing to give up 20%.

This statement is completely untrue.

Just another in an endless list of Todd73NJ's critical rants about every online sportsbook exchange on Planet Earth.

I have never seen this guy say even one positive thing about any online sportsbook which makes you wonder why he continues to patronize them with his business.

[Legions36]

Matchbook great book worth any process of moving money around to get doe in and out, so what does that tell you as this is the only book out of the many that i would go through this for.

[losemyloot]

So if you are a small player that bets like $20 a game is matchbook a good fit or is 5 Dimes better?

[Chuck Sims]

So if you are a small player that bets like $20 a game is matchbook a good fit or is 5 Dimes better?

Matchbook. It will take you longer to lose your loot there. Matchbook allows penny bets. Not bad for the small bettor.

[Legions36]

So if you are a small player that bets like $20 a game is matchbook a good fit or is 5 Dimes better?

Matchbook but your asking about two totally different things there not the same at all, as nothing is really the same as match if you think about it.

[KGambler]

Hello all,

I have a Matchbook question. I get the concept and I might be missing something and if so please do tell me. But what is stopping someone from laying odds on both sides of a wager? For example if you want to take action on the Green Bay/Chicago game you could give better odds then the books say -105 and even with the 1% commission charged for laying each bet you would still make 3% bettors get better odds, you get 3% and matchbook gets commission everyone wins. I must have this wrong because if not I do not see why someone or a lot of people aren’t doing it.

People do this. They can do it on smaller markets. For example, team totals for MLB. But you better have an automated system in place unless you want to get killed when the Pinny line moves. In other words, don't even try it.

[KGambler]

So if you are a small player that bets like $20 a game is matchbook a good fit or is 5 Dimes better?

Definitely Matchbook, unless you like to bet props and derivatives. 5Dimes has all kinds of lines that Matchbook does not... props, quarter bets, tons of boxing matches...

But if you bet full game sides and totals, MB is the best, bar none, for American gamblers.

[KGambler]

A lot of liquidity at Matchbook. Do you know what I do when I see no liquidity? I MAKE AN OFFER!!

Yeah, I don't know what these people are talking about.

I lay off bets on Matchbook. I routinely get down for thousands on NBA and NHL games. I am convinced these people don't even use Matchbook, or maybe they only make rip-off offers. How could they play there and not realize you can bet thousands on NBA at lines better than Pinnacle?

Maybe the problem is that they want to get their bets in early. This is admittedly close to impossible. The liquidity is bad until close to game time. It's also bad for certain sports (for example, NCAAB).

But if you can't consistently get down at Matchbook for prices better than Pinny, then you're doing it wrong.

[losemyloot]

I basically bet sides and totals on CFB, NFL, CBB, and NBA. I have been looking at Matchbook lately but I see a lot of -107 type of offers in CBB and I figure that maybe 5 Dimes is better since I would get -105. I guess I could put my own $20 offer out there. Is my offer too small? I figure my offers would usually be -100 just so they get accepted by someone since the amount is so small. Seems like a no brainer for someone to accept. I love the concept of Matchbook and realize now how much money I have lost over the years betting at -110.

[Legions36]

Yeah, I don't know what these people are talking about.

I lay off bets on Matchbook. I routinely get down for thousands on NBA and NHL games. I am convinced these people don't even use Matchbook, or maybe they only make rip-off offers. How could they play there and not realize you can bet thousands on NBA at lines better than Pinnacle?

Maybe the problem is that they want to get their bets in early. This is admittedly close to impossible. The liquidity is bad until close to game time. It's also bad for certain sports (for example, NCAAB).

But if you can't consistently get down at Matchbook for prices better than Pinny, then you're doing it wrong.

yeah i dont know where they see the no liquidy

[hutennis]

I basically bet sides and totals on CFB, NFL, CBB, and NBA. I have been looking at Matchbook lately but I see a lot of -107 type of offers in CBB and I figure that maybe 5 Dimes is better since I would get -105.

I'm looking at 5Dimes lines right now and see regular 20c lines (-110/-110) there for today's NBA.

Heat -3.5 -110
Knicks +3.5 -110.

How do you get -105 on 5Dimes?

It's strange, on SBR odds page the same side is -103/-107.

[losemyloot]

I'm looking at 5Dimes lines right now and see regular 20c lines (-110/-110) there for today's NBA.

Heat -3.5 -110
Knicks +3.5 -110.

How do you get -105 on 5Dimes?

It's strange, on SBR odds page the same side is -103/-107.

I am not currently with 5 Dimes just considering joining them or matchbook but my understanding is that when you sign up you have the option of taking the other bonus options or getting reduced juice. There is a max per bet with reduced juice but I am not worried about meeting those.

[hutennis]

Yep, I see it now
Thanks for your help

[KGambler]

I basically bet sides and totals on CFB, NFL, CBB, and NBA. I have been looking at Matchbook lately but I see a lot of -107 type of offers in CBB and I figure that maybe 5 Dimes is better since I would get -105. I guess I could put my own $20 offer out there. Is my offer too small? I figure my offers would usually be -100 just so they get accepted by someone since the amount is so small. Seems like a no brainer for someone to accept. I love the concept of Matchbook and realize now how much money I have lost over the years betting at -110.

Matchbook is pretty terrible for CBB. This is especially true for the more obscure conferences.

For the other sports, you are better off at Matchbook.

If you see a line as -105/-105 on 5Dimes, or better yet, Pinnacle, then you should be requesting -102 or -101 if you want to get your bet filled. The person who offers a wager is PAID 0.2% for having an offer accepted. The person who accepts a wager is charged a 1.0% commission (for most sports).

I wrote a long-ass explanation of MB's commission structure in post #77 of this thread:

http://forum.sbrforum.com/players-talk/872503-i-dont-get-why-people-dont-have-matchbook-accounts-p3.html

[KGambler]

Here, I'll paste an example from the explanation:

Let's look at an easy example. Pinny has this:

SAS -5.5 -105
NYK +5.5 -105

I want the Spurs -5.5. I look and see this on MB:

Spurs -5.5 +100 $100

Great! Someone wanted the Knicks at +5.5 and has put up a "vig free" offer. OK, actually I will have to pay a small vig due to the 1% commission on accepted wagers. I accept his $100 offer. I will be charged a $1 commission fee regardless of whether the bet wins or loses. If the Spurs cover, I win $99. If they lose, I lose $101. My vig is actually -102.02. OK, I still beat the Pinny line, so I am happy.

Let's say I am the typical penny pinching nit who complains they can never get filled on Matchbook though... I don't want to pay commission. Instead I can make an offer. I request Spurs -5.5 +101 and this shows up as NYK +5.5 -101, bumping right up against the other offer. There is no room for anyone to get in between us. We are both first in line for our respective offers. It would look like this:

Spurs -5.5 +100 $100
NYK +5.5 -101 $101

We are trying to risk $100 to win $101, which is why there is $101 available for someone to accept on the other side (they can risk up to $101). So if someone comes along and accepts our bet, we get paid 0.2% of the LESSER of the "to win" or "risk" amount. Again, $100 is the lesser amount. So we get 20 cents More importantly, we don't pay the 1% commission. We are now risking $99.80 to win $101.20. Our vig would be +101.40.

You can probably see why liquidity has declined. There is something about human nature where nobody wants to be on the ACCEPT side. They want to be the one who OFFERED the accepted bet. It doesn't matter that the guy in our example could have instantly placed a bet of -102.02, 3 points better than Pinny... The nit wants it all. He wants to get down his bet AND he wants the other guy to pay the juice. So he puts in the request of Spurs +101 to bump up against the +100 offer.

Then one of several things happens...

1. His offer gets filled. He is happy.

2. His offer never gets filled and he is mad that he didn't get his bet in. He could have had it at -102, but he still comes to SBR to complain about MB's lack of liquidity.

3. The Pinny line moves to Spurs -5.5 -110, NYK +5.5 +100. Now no one is going to touch his bet. Only a request in the area of -5.5 -105 will be competitive. You gotta offer the Knicks backers much better than -101 now. The asshole then comes to SBR to cry about how there is no liquidity on MB.

4. While the nit is away from his computer, the line moves to Spurs -5.5 +103, NYK -113. An even larger, predatory nit now sees his chance to snap up a bet which is very nearly arbable on Pinny... So the predatory nit snaps up the offer of Knicks +5.5 -101. The little nit still gets Spurs -5.5 +101.40. But Pinny has +103! Waaaaaa! The little nit now runs crying to SBR to complain about how his offers only get filled when the line moves on Pinny.

[losemyloot]

So basically to beat 5 Dimes juice on match book my offers can go in as low as -105 and when I accept an offer to beat a 5 dimes line of -105 I should accept probable no worse than about -102?

[KGambler]

So basically to beat 5 Dimes juice on match book my offers can go in as low as -105 and when I accept an offer to beat a 5 dimes line of -105 I should accept probable no worse than about -102?

Correct.

[Hareeba!]

Correct.

accepting -103 @ MB would be an improvement on -105 @ 5D
offering -105 and getting accepted at MB would be an improvement on -105 @ 5D

[KGambler]

accepting -103 @ MB would be an improvement on -105 @ 5D

For most sports they charge a 1% commission for accepting the bet. They charge this commission on the lesser of the "to win" or "to risk" amounts.

Accepting a -103 bet would result in juice of -105.05.

If you bet $103 to win $100, you would actually be risking $104 ($103 + $1 commission) to win $99 ($100 - $1 commission).

For MLB they usually set the commission rate a little lower. I think it is 0.8% for accepted wagers, but every season they announce it as a specail commission for that season.

offering -105 and getting accepted at MB would be an improvement on -105 @ 5D

Yeah, that's what me and him just said.