Everything's Daisies
Given my relatively diminutive $8K sportsbetting bankroll, I tend to chase one book at a time. I use Pinnacle as, more or less, a 'home' book, and then I chase one other book, scalping and arbing against Pinnacle. The objective is to have enough in Pinnacle to meet the rollover requirement of the other book I am chasing. It took me getting my bankroll 'stuck' twice to learn that lesson. By 'stuck' I mean that I had wagered such that it all ended up in one book before the wagering requirement had been met there. Thus it was in one book, I couldn't withdraw it (WR not met) and I had no money left to bet against it. That calls for some tough choices. I don't like tough choices. Scalping sportsbook bonus money is easy, and should remain easy. Now I only take on one book (bonus) at a time, and I make sure that I have the rollover all set aside in Pinnacle before I start. (OK, sometimes its in Netteller, vice Pinnacle, but you get the idea.)
I chose Pinnacle as my home book for several reasons. 1) Reduced juice. 2) Opinionated lines. By opinionated I mean that they are not going to always be the same as every other book - Pinnacle does not follow the consensus line as many many books do. I have to find differences in lines on the same contest between books in order to scalp and arb. Pinnacle tends to make these differences easier to find. 3) From my readings, Pinnacle seems to have a high toleration for sharps and scalps - very few bannings at Pinnacle. 4) Rated A+ at Sportsbookreview.com. 5) I once placed a wager in error. I called their CS and they let me cancel it. They advertise that all bets are final, but they let me whine my way out of a mistake, and I appreciate that.
One of the short-term goals of my sportsbook bonus chasing is to lose all my bets in the book with the bonus. That speeds the chase up, as I don't have to place enough wagers to meet the rollover. If I deposit $1K for a $200 bonus, I might have a $3,600 rollover before I can withdraw from that book. Since I can wager with the bonus before it is clear, I will hope that I can lose my first $1,200 in bets at that book. I don't really lose it, of course. That money shows up in my Pinnacle account, where I have made offsetting bets against the book I am chasing. If I lose it all from the book I am chasing, I can proceed to another bonus without having to place all the wagers to meet rollover. It speeds up my chasing and increases my earn rate.
I have had a good run at this lately. I have only had to meet the rollover in one book of the last 6 I have chased. I busted out at Linesmaker in the last week of April. Linesmaker has a running bonus where you get 5% of your losses returned as a bonus the next month if you make another deposit. As I busted $1K there, I got a $50 bonus in May for depositing $100. ($100 was my choice - they do not specify a minimum deposit to get the 5%.) I busted the $150 in one bet on an afternoon MLB game yesterday, so I moved on to Stan James. I had some money in my poker account there and I moved it to the sportsbook. Stan James Sportsbook bonus is a small £25 FREEPLAY, but as I already had money there, I figured I'd chase that £25 down. You get the FREEPLAY after you make your first bet, so I put all my money on one side, offset it at Pinnacle, and went to bed. This morning all my money is in Pinnacle. Waiting for the £25 FREEPLAY credit from Stan James.
FREEPLAY bonuses are played differently than cash bonuses. I will have to explain that difference some day, but this post is already too long, so it won't be today!