Top of the world cancels my bet

[TheBigO]

I had under 46.5 on saints game next sunday. Other places had about 42 give or take. I took over 41.5 at another sports book. Pretty good middle opportunity...or so I thought. I log into top of the world 2 hours later and lo and behold my bet is not there. I didn't even recieve an email or a phone call. They said I bet into a bad line. They said I should've called them and checked if it was ok. I feel that any line on the net is fair game. Some of you out here call that stealing some call it wrong. I understand that point of view; however, I feel that its the sportsbooks responsibility and not the players to manage the lines. I'm a sportsbettor not a babysitter and if I find a discrepency in lines I'm not gonna call up the book every time to "make sure" its ok. That would contradict the convenience that internet wagering offers.
If I didn't attempt to middle the game then cancelling the wager would of course be no loss to me. But I tried to middle and I got burned though no fault of my own. Heck since they didn't even contact me, If i didn't log in by Sunday, I would've been exposed to risk I was never willing to take. Don't get me wrong, there are obvious errors out there and then there are gray areas. However, there is no definitive rule on what constitues a bad line. The word "obvious" is too ambigous particularly in gray areas. Thus, the status quo allows sportsbooks to cry bad line any time they want and cancel wagers. Some books even do it after the game is played. This situation could rear its ugluy head if a book was receiving super lopsided action on a game and decides to cry bad line cancelling everyones wager. I'm not accusing anyone of doin this but the books have too much power with this bad line rule. Whatever happened to all bets are final. TWS wound up giving me under 42 at no juice which is an acceptible compromise but still yields me a unprofitable half point middle with avg juice of -105, again through no fault of my own. At this time I would like to recommend 2 sportsbooks in the industry that have someone beyond a 5th grade education puttin their lines up and these books will honor a funky line NO IFS ANDS OR BUTS.
#1) Cascade sportsbook. Honered chargers +3.5 when most had them at -3.5

#2) SBG Global. Had cardinals at +145 when they were -145.

These books put up wrong lines. I bet them and called them up letting them know they had a wrong line. They thanked me and let my bet stand. Now thats what I call professional. Thats what I call taking responsibility for your actions!!!! I throw this message at the entire offshore world and recommend 3 options.
1.) Define a reasonable cutoff for a bad line from the current stardust line for each sport.
2.) TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR ACTIONS
3.) GET THE F*CK OUT OF THE INDUSTRY

[sick gambler]

98% of the posters here will say you're a thief. Well I am one of the 2% that agrees with you. That's another reason why I quit gambling. It was the aggravation of having bets cancelled because a game was off by 15 cents.

Now what if you were a complete square who doesn't shop and doesn't know what the real # is. You don't have donbest. You bet under 46. How do you know that's a bad number?. You only find out after the game is over. That's bullshit! Like you said, you are not a babysitter, you are a bettor. TOW should have swallowed this bet. Had the total given to you was 21.5, then that would be obvious. Not 46. If you fu*k up on a bet and call back to cancel it because you made a mistake, will they cancel the bet. Yeah sure!!!

[KidVegas]

Please do not recommend a stiff book like SBG Global. They stiff winners.

[capt]

bog o im agree with you what bullshit its their mistake it mite make them more money even dumb shits i will never use them

[olddog]

Reversed lines are one thing--that's stealing. But a total off by 3 or 4 points should be 'eaten' by the book--shame on TWS. However, you should have waited a few hours to see if TWS was going to honor that line before you bet it off. It would have still been a good middle tomorrow or the next day.

[shoebox]

LET ME GET THIS STRAIGHT. YOU BET AN OBVIOUS BAD LINE(4.5PTS OF FROM THE REST OF THE WORLD) AND THEY GAVE YOU THE CORRECT LINE AT NO JUICE AND YOU ARE UPSET??? IF CITIBANK PUT $10000 EXTRA IN YOUR ACCT AND THEN 2 HOURS LATER THEY TOOK THE MONEY OUT OF YOUR ACCOUNT I GUESS YOU WOULD BE UPSET THERE ALSO.

[This message has been edited by shoebox (edited 10-15-2001).]

[TheBigO]

I said the compromise was acceptible. However, responsibilty needs to be taken by these sportsbooks. My bet is never final even though they claim that "all bets are final". Allowing a book to cry bad line every time they want is unacceptible. The words "obvious error" must be put into terms of a tangible value. If not, then take responsibility like a cascade sportsbook or an sbg global and eat it.

[Fishhead]

WOW.
I have to side with TheBigO on this one. THIS LINE WAS NOT THAT FAR OFF THE REALM OF POSSIBILITY. You never know how books move lines these days and this could have been a reasonable line. This one is sure a tough call but Top of World should have been more on the ball. I believe they should have honored the bet. This line was only 4 points off for gosh sakes. I feel for you BIGO

[olddog]

Shoe -true, but when I make a mistake with my bank in their favor, they let me correct it. If I hit a wrong button on my keyboard while making a bet, the bet is final. There's more than one way to look at this.

[sick gambler]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:[/size]<HR>Originally posted by olddog:
Shoe -true, but when I make a mistake with my bank in their favor, they let me correct it. If I hit a wrong button on my keyboard while making a bet, the bet is final. There's more than one way to look at this.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>


Good one, olddog. I just hope sportsbooks are reading your post and taking notes.

[count zero]

The line they pulled that TBO bet was about 10% off the "real" line. Right now I can go to SIA and get Washington + 4 tonight, which is 33.3% off the current consensus of 3. Is that a bad line?

I understand there's room for argument here, but am always amazed at the passion with which some posters attack the player in this case. When what's off in the line is the sign (-145 compared to +145), that's a mistake. This case isn't that cut and dried.

Think TBO has a good idea -- define an acceptable difference from the Stardust line or some other standard, and get this into an area where there can be some objective standards. No one gains when the potential for abuse is so great.

[shoebox]

Listen you have already established that you look to bet bad lines on the internet. You have given us 3 examples already, do it to Cascade and SBG a couple more times and than they will do the same thing. A guy like you didnt notice the 46.5 was the correct total for the game right above it(rams-jets). You bet a obvious bad line, GET OVER IT. Let me demonstrate how bad a line it was: if you were to take 46.5 and buy it down to 42(the correct line) it would cost you -210. You would have ov 42 -210. In baseball if the fav was -210 and you bet -110 would that be a bad line????? Dont answer because I already know the answer.

[TheBigO]

Shoebox..you and I could debate on what a bad line is back and forth all day long. We all have in our minds what an obvious bad line is and what is fair game and what is gray. For me and several other posters my case was a gray area given thats the game is 6 days away and its an over/under. You may disagree. Thats great. However, until a tangible cutoff from a base line like stardust or mirage is established, I will not accept a book crying bad line when it may in fact be their opinion. I put myself on the other side of the counter. There are several ways to avoid upsetting your customers. For one hire someone that has taken 4th grade math. #2, set low limits on the internet (which most books do. TWS has dime limit on the net) so If someone bets the bad line, you could eat it for those one or two people and correct it. #3, On the phone, if someone bets over a certain amt (say a dime) receive confirmation from the linesmanager if the bets is ok before giving a readback (most books i know does this allworld, wit,camelot etc...). After taking all these precautions If you still get hit up then so be it. Pay the price, punish the employee and move on. This buisness has no room for mistakes. The day I bet a +5 and the line moves to +7 and I call the book up and say "I had a bad bet", he'll laugh at me and hang up on my face (and rightfully so). All bets are final - a simple concept thats violated far too often.

[AussieVamp2]

so count, how far is a line of 3 off a line of pick, percentagewise?

[shoebox]

WHAT DOES 4TH GRADE MATH HAVE TO DO WITH THE CORRECT TOTAL FOR THE GAME RIGHT ABOVE IT BEING 46.5. AGAIN I DONT THINK A -210 FAV IN BASES PUT UP AS -110 FAV IS DEBATABLE AS A WRONG LINE. THE WAY TO AVOID THIS WOULD BE TO STOP BETTING WRONG LINES. HUMAN ERROR IS PART OF EVERY BUSINESS INCLUDING SPORTSBOOKS

[AussieVamp2]

exactly, shoebox, when international megacorporations of the multibillion variety triple check everything and don't make mistakes, then everybody else will do the same

that, or when pigs start flying backwards, or really good androids are invented (who will also make perfect lines on games too of course, so no more free money)

[selkirk]

I think the book should eat the bet. it is only off a few points on a total, not like being off 5 points on a side. at least should offer you a free bet.
thanks
selkirk

[boris]

was the bet on the 'bad' line your standard play, or load up and play the whole account on it?

If it was your standard play, then I'd let you on, no questions.

If you loaded up on it, it shows you knew it was a bad line and I'd void it, and call/email you depending on how the bet was placed.


Count - that's pathetic logic. 3pts to 4pts has to be worked out via the total for a true percentage.

[ghostly]

Why is a bet a bet in Las Vegas, but not offshore? A bet being a bet would eliminate all disputes concerning this subject.