What Annoys a Sportsbook?
I have been laying low on sports betting the past few days. Just waiting for a few things to come together before I make another deposit and press ahead. In the meantime I got to thinking about online sports books and if they would take offense to my style of betting. I did some research on a few reputable sites, and from what I have read, this is what I have concluded:
No, they don't.
Not the good ones anyways. Typically the books make the bulk of their money from the action, not from bettor's placing losing bets. They profit from the juice or vigorish. Their goal is to get equal amounts of money on both sides of a line in order to have the losers pay off the winners, and the book keeps the juice. Arbitrage bettors, like me, don't really impact that model in a negative way. I am taking the line as offered, when offered.
Who then do they dislike if not arb hunters? Steam players and Sharp bettors. Steam is when a large amount of money moves into one side of a line, usually as the betting picks up just before game time.. A steam player observes this and then makes his move before the book can adjust the line to correct. He then has better odds than the book wants him to have. A sharp bettor is one who studies the game, the lines, and public (recreational bettor) trends. He usually studies the lines as they first come out, and predicts, based on his analysis, how he believes they will move in the future. If he can get a better price now, he takes it. A good sharp consistently ends up with a better price than the book wants him to have on the line.
So steam players and sharp bettors are easily identified by the books based on their betting history. The book merely needs to look at how frequently the bettor got a better price than the final line. If the bettor is consistenly getting better prices, he is likely a sharp or steam player. Books don't like those guys. They are frequently banned or have their wagering limits capped at a very low value.
I won't be calling all my books and informing them that I am mostly looking for arbs and bonuses. Some would ban me I am sure, but I don't think the books are actively searching for my ilk so they can ban me. I am likely giving them enough action at prices they enjoy to stay out of trouble for quite some time. At least, that's what I am hoping!