Scalping between B&M and online?

[Recliner]

I'm wondering if this is a better combination than scalping between online books. I only imagine that this would work with the likes of Pinnacle or Sportsbook because they have the highest bet limits.

I tried google but didn't have much luck in finding a website that has live updates of lines straight from the Vegas casinos. Something like SBR Lines would be nice, but I'm doubtful that it exists. I just want something like that so that I can compare lines and see how feasible my idea is.

Now, because you actually have to be physically present to place the bet would it be possible to bring a laptop with wireless into the sportsbook and compare lines until you find one that you can scalp? (Hahaha, I doubt it.)

This still leaves 2 viable alternatives in my mind. The first is to get the wireless broadband for a laptop and leave it in your car so you can go into the book and check lines and make bets that way. I'm doubtful this is much better than actually being in the sportsbook with a laptop.

The last option is to have someone either at home or in a car with a laptop, not parked on casino property, or in range of the surveillance and a partner going into the sportsbooks looking for lines to scalp and talking back and forth on a cell phone.

One of the problems I can see is the lack of liquidity with the online books. If your bet wins online it is going to take a long time to get your money back out in cash to bet again, so this would require a very large bank roll to be able to make lots of bets in a timely fashion. The other problem is finding someone you can trust not to screw you out of lots of money. I'd want to be able to bet at least several thousand on each scalp and losing that would make for a bad day. The upside would be that I'd imagine you'd get some pretty sweet comps unless they banned you from the sportsbook.

How feasible are my ideas?

Well you do have get around these rules designed to circumvent you:

1 No cell phones in sportsbooks.
2 No laptops in sportsbooks or on the casino floor or the vicinity of the casino floor.

I'm not sure how update this is but
http://www.vegas.com/gaming/

has vegas lines for some different casinos.

[ohnonotthat]

No phones in sportsbooks is not enforced vigorously and if they start doing so after reading this thread walking 30 feet until you're outside the sportsbook sounds like a plan.

As to liquidity, Pinnacle pays out on the spot, as do several of the other large online books. Most charge a fee ranging from 10-35 dollars. (Actually Pinnacle's $35 is the only one I know of that's this high - the others are all $20 or less).

Barred from a Vegas sportsbook for placing bets that are nowhere near their limit on sides that will, in almost all cases, tend to help balance their books ?

- They probably won't bar you; they MIGHT insist on allowing you to scurry about town in one of their limos but be assured they will not bar you.

There is, however, one small problem.

The year is 2005; it will soon be 2006. We live in a time of a global economy AND that pesky internet thing.

Sportsbooks have computers too, and the days of the line "coming straight from Vegas" are over.

I have no figures to back this up - nobody does - but for every $1 bet in Vegas, my guess is $1,000 is bet online.

Add to this the fact that Vegas lines tend to be very "bland" AND the prevalence of -110 in Vegas (lol - u ain't getting -104 in the dessert, kid) and the plan definitely does have some flaws.

However (for those scoring at home that's two "howevers"; I am considering a "nevertheless" for my closing), as Mason pointed out in GT&OT, sportsbetting is a "no-ante" game, and as such there is no real downside to trying this idea.

Best wishes and good luck with its implementation.

Sincerely,

Chris

[playersare]

[ QUOTE ]
As to liquidity, Pinnacle pays out on the spot, as do several of the other large online books. Most charge a fee ranging from 10-35 dollars. (Actually Pinnacle's $35 is the only one I know of that's this high - the others are all $20 or less).

[/ QUOTE ]
pinnacle is $15 afaik.

[Recliner]

I thought Pinnacle gave 1 free cash out a month? I'm guessing all the books charge to prevent line shopping/scalping/middling? Otherwise I'd imagine that would cost them too much in neteller fees.

[Recliner]

[ QUOTE ]

The year is 2005; it will soon be 2006. We live in a time of a global economy AND that pesky internet thing.

Sportsbooks have computers too, and the days of the line "coming straight from Vegas" are over.


[/ QUOTE ]

That's what I'm hoping for. I basically want to use a sharp book like Pinnacle to hammer away at poorly run sportsbooks and I figure that there has to be several in Vegas that are run poorly, and lack the volume of online books which means the scalps will stay around longer and hopefully be larger.

I'd ideally like to be able to find 5-10 cent scalps on a consistent basis doing this so that I would be able to win $200+ each time I did this, and be able to do it around 10 times a month. It would be something fun and a nice way to cut down the effects of the variance from playing poker.

More likely though, I might be better off trying to code something like SBR Lines that automatically looks for scalps.

[playersare]

[ QUOTE ]
I thought Pinnacle gave 1 free cash out a month? I'm guessing all the books charge to prevent line shopping/scalping/middling? Otherwise I'd imagine that would cost them too much in neteller fees.

[/ QUOTE ]
yes, one free withdrawl per month as long as it's more than $500. Books charge for more than one w/d a month because neteller is costing them 3.9% both ways, and their operating margin is much lower than casino and poker sites. a good sportsbook shouldn't care about scalping or any other professional action. if they hang their lines correctly, a bet on either side should be +EV for them.

[dankhank]

there are people on fezziksplace who still run around vegas from book to book shopping for lines, so there must still be some value in doing it. definitely seems like the easiest way to do it is have a partner who is checking online prices from home.

i also read on fezziks once about how one of the vegas casino chains (stations i think) allows nevada residents to have some sort of software where they can login and place bets at the station books, but there's a $300 or so limit per play. when i think about how i would bet if i lived in vegas, this software is definitely one of the added benefits i'm counting.

[Jibbs]

[ QUOTE ]
No phones in sportsbooks is not enforced vigorously and if they start doing so after reading this thread walking 30 feet until you're outside the sportsbook sounds like a plan.


[/ QUOTE ]

Its been pretty vigorously enforced in every Vegas sportsbook I have ever been in. Whenever somebody as much as looks at their cell phone (like they might be messaging) someone from the book is on them telling them that they can't use it in the book.

Its a short walk to get away from the book but they will keep an eye on cell phone use as long as you have a line of sight to the book.