What's the deal with all of the Jazz brands lately? I see that sbr upgraded em and claims everybody has been paid that they screwed for years. Were they good and just ran into the ground by Alex Powers and now run by people with money and a clue on bookmaking, or still a **** brand of books to stay away from?

Too early to call, but SBR's reputation is obviously in the tanks, and Jazz had a lot of slow pays after UIGEA and this kept going. Not to mention offering their system to stiff books too. Probably, if a bonus or another area is okay, then this is the time to get in but I'd want to be mostly out by early November then wait to see.

edited to remove comments. Just an FYI on this rule.

Ah credit to Pinnacle. This got worked out quickly. It was only my last two deposit made while the previous ones were tied up in pending bets that needed to meet this.

2nd edit to add: When someone's balance is several multiples higher than what deposited, should be able to understand why they'd want to withdrawal early. But whatever was minor issue compared to what I initially thought it was.

Just letting everyone know I got my $1500 check from topbet and it looked pretty sketchy but it went through with no probs.

Anyone using asianconnect88.com? They are now taking bitcoin for deposit and withdrawal AND have matchbook access, along with Pinny, SBO etc. Seems perfect for US players.

I was until I went busto on their accounts and switched to another agent. Have nothing but good things to say about them.

Proceed with caution with AsianConnect imo.

Okay another topic.

There's a book offering 50/1 on odds that should be more like 8/1 or less for a long term outright market. They are the only ones covering and are adjusting the odds proportionally based on results as the season progresses and these movements are archived at oddsportal (hard to claim stale line) Problem is the book has a history of robbing players, closing accounts etc. I'm considering what is the play here. Do I not bother, do I bet tiny (just because payout would be not an amount worth stiffing), or do I just bet large and if win and stiffed play the PR game with disputes trying to make it worth them to eventually pay me.

Note: they are a shady Euro book, that does market semi aggressive having some sponsorship etc. not a book likely to disappear, but does have a history of stealing from winners.

What would you do in the above situation?

^prop you have to hit it, i mean its why you have money on a shady euro book to begin with right? chat w/customer service to confirm odds if you're really concerned. after you get down pls PM me the details

Yeah faced with the same situation again I attempt to bet as much as possible. What I actually did here was deposit and bet $100 because 1) I wasn't sure the limit 2) wasn't sure what to do. Once it took it, and I thought about it some more, I deposited and attempted to bet it again and right away the market froze and it went offline.

In the future I'll just deposit more and whatever it doesn't take use later / elsewhere on their site. But that's only when dealing with the same type of book described here.

If dealing with a might not even still be in business, or has long history of theft US book that still sometimes pays, this is where I'd bet small and just look to stay under the radar. In the spot I was in though I should have bet more.

The reason I have money in shady Euro books though is to pick off $20-$75 of EV at a time per site while making the rounds betting leagues no one really follows. In this case I didn't have money at the book though, just had seen the market on oddsportal and thought it must be stale until started watching it move for about 10 days proportional to what was happening.

have any Jazette books ever charged a % fee for withdrawals?

Apparently they just started doing this, charging 5% for withdrawals. I am not sure if the fee is only for profitable accounts or for all accounts.

Is there a blacklist for books that steal from players; especially long term winning players? I don't see how a book can stay functional if there is proof that they have stolen from winning players.

Covered in the FAQ which is linked in first post. The regulation sucks most places and isn't existent in the US market. By steal in this spot could be claim it is a bad line or can just say had same IP as someone banned (users word against there's and no where to turn etc.). Such shops can stay in business because it is a fraction of a % of people it affects, though actual sharp bettors get affected a fair % of the time, and everyone else gets good service, support, payouts or whatever.

Anyone have any issues lately with 5dimes in the USA? I've finally got a sizeable roll and want to know what it will be like as I start cashing out winnings every other month.

Where can I get help with settling a dispute with BetCoinSports.com, been using them for couple months, decent book, graded B- on bitcointalk.org, but I just had an issue this past week for the Bridgestone golf tournament, I had Kaymer over Woods for the tournament:ticket #11280

7/31/2014 6:32:47 AM

Client ID : 321
7/31/2014 11:20:00 AM
Kaymer v Woods
Kaymer : Match odds 2.26 Stake700.00
Number of possible bets:1
Total Odds:2.26
Possible Payout:1582.00

They graded it a loss, so I emailed them and got back: The wager selected was a first round wager of Kaymer over Woods. Kaymer
had 77 and Woods shot a 68, therefore it was correctly settled. Thank
you.

1st round matchups were not even listed on their site at the time I bet this, my bet was clearly for the entire tournament. Woods withdrew during the final round. thank you

Kaymer v Woods was a 1st Round Match at Pinny and all the places that copy. If they listed it incorrectly that's another issue, but assuming they were just copying it was supposed to be 1st round.

thanks for the input, they got back to me and refunded me the bet. The main heading only had Bridgestone Matchups, not 1st round, but they were very prompt the next morning and they have been solid for the few months I've been using them.

I live in US and bet mostly props, player props especially. Been betting with 4 locals for past couple years but they all recently went under, 5dimes $100 limit is so low, bovada is pretty good, been dabbling with few bitcoin sites but they currently have no player props, but they claim they will in the future. Trying to find more outs...Looks like bookmaker/betcris etc is legit they take 500/prop, was wondering if betonline, wagerweb, betusa, carbonsports are legit as well? is betusa/carbonsports the same? I talked with a rep from sportsbetting.ag, they take 1000/prop bet he said...Also if I branch out to asianconnect, will there be more options for player props as well. Thanks

just cuz sites have 500/1000 prop limits doesn't mean you will get them forever. these sites are very quick to cut your limits if you win

so most people probably already know this, but i Didnt and so it shocked me. deposited 5k on pinnacle, made a few 50$ bets here and there, want to withdraw.

They dont let me withdraw until I rill over the balance 5 times (i.e make bets totalling 25k$.) there is no way I ever bet that much, now they take 3% fee from me to withdraw. A total, disgusting joke. I am closing my account with them. this is ******ed.

Can someone in the US that uses 5dimes give me input on depositing/withdrawing with bitcoins?

Is this the easiest way to deposit/withdraw? Anyone have any problems withdrawing to BTC or with conversion rates?

Yeah, that's pretty standard across most books. They eat the 3% credit card charge when you first deposit, so it doesn't seem too unfair that they have betting requirements or withdrawal fees.

Hey Guys,

I've been betting sports for 20 years or so and playing poker full time for 6 years...I just wanted to give my 2c on sports book sites that I use and ask a few questions. Luckily i'm outside of the US so I can access the non-US sites.

90% of my gambling income comes from poker but i've been luck to be +EV in sports as well.

Sites I use.
1. Matchbook - If you're out of the US, this site is pretty much fantastic... I place about 90% of my action here.
2. Pinnacle - My #2 sportsbook...I always check lines versus pinnacle. Also has live markets but juice is pretty high. If something strange/unexpeted happens in a game i might use their live markets to lay off action etc.
3. 5dimes - Large variety of props...fun site. If you are serious about winning in the long run, opt for their "reduced juice lines" where you can bet up to $500 at reduced odds...overnight lines in baseball all great using this feature.
4. Bovada - Line's aren't great but they have some fun/ +EV promos if you're a recreational player. Not big enough for pros.

Sites to Avoid:
Too many to list, but check out sportsbookreview.com for a list and comments.
Someone before posted concerns on sbr's reputation but i've had good luck working with them through a few issues i've had with sportsbooks in the past. They are better than nothing certainly and if their are better watchdog sites out there, i'm not sure who there is?

Also, if you are gambling to make money, avoid putting the majority of your action on any site charging full odds! This will quickly eat your bankroll and it's almost impossible to win long term.

Other Notes:
Through poker i've been lucky to meet a few extremely legitimate sports handicappers. Typically they have homes in the US and abroad and have Phd level math guys building models for them. They are nice, mostly older guys that you'd never know were betting huge money on games.

I've asked the 3 guys I know for advice and this is what they have stressed to me pretty much repeatedly:

1. The lines are getting tougher to beat! The internet has essentially changed everything with the quick ability for statistical info etc. Market making has moved from vegas offshore and they emply teams of phd level stats guys that really do a good job putting out good lines, especially in the major sports.
2. Many very good, consistent winners are quitting sports gambling as a profession for reason #1
3. Keep records - know where u'r at at all times - be honest with yourself
4. Surround yourself with people you trust.
5. Gambling can be isolating! Keep a balance between gambling and real life
6. pay your taxes...
7. There are not many if any reputable people selling their picks on the internet. This seems obvious, and I agree 95% of the time but I do feel there are a very select few legitimate, and very good cappers out there who do sell their picks.

Pregame.com is a fun site with plenty of free content (I don't recommend 90% of their cappers however, it's pretty much a Scam operation but their are a few legitimate cappers on the site).

I'm curious on my part if anyone knows of any sites similar to matchbook that offer exchange type odds?

Thanks and good luck! If anyone has any questions feel free to reply or PM me.
BTW, i'm not affiliated with any site, do not sell picks or anything else like that.

Shouldn't have any problem.