How to Become a Bookie

"How can I become an online bookie" is one of the most asked questions that I have been getting in the mail recently.  I am not exactly sure how people think that I know the answer to that question as I am really more into handicapping but I do know several people that are bookies and I asked them that question.

So here is the answer to becoming a bookie

Anyone can become a bookie.  As long as you have a head for numbers (and with all of the gambling software available today, that is not really an issue anymore), a bankroll that will cover all of your bets and some clients.

See how easy it is to start taking bets...

Now here is the real question, "How to become a successful bookie"

To become a successful bookie, you will need to know numbers, have a bankroll and a decent website with a good and reliable sports betting software that will allow people to place their bets and have competitive lines that you can change at will.

Having the Right Software and Betting Platform

First, you need to have the right betting platform.  Today, any successful operation will give it's bettors several ways to bet on sports.

If your clients are not able to bet on sports when and where they want, they will find another service.  So make sure that you have a good reliable software to help you out.

Buying a betting or sportsbook software is not cheap and requires a lot of maintenance as no one wants there sports betting website down 10 minutes before a game goes off.  So shop wisely an expect to spend over $100k for the software and at least $100-$200 a month on maintenance.

For the starting bookie, there is an alternative called a Price Per Player service. It's basically a service that gives you your own sports betting website and charges you per active player every week.

I have seen pay per head prices vary from $3 a week to $35 a week depending on the options you want for your players.  The basic options is just a regular sports betting website.  But you can add digital casino, live dealer casino, poker, horse racing, live betting and much more.

Some of the better pay per head companies even offer toll free numbers for your book with a customer service staff.

Having the Right Odds at the Right Moment

When most bookies first start out, it's not just a matter of taking bets but also to make sure that the betting on both sides is more or less equal as you make money not from winning the bets but from the "Vig" or the "Juice" which is the commission you charge for taking the bets. The average vig is 10% but some large sportsbook and betting operation sometimes charge 5%.

This is where being able to change the odds instantly comes in as that is a very important part of being a successful bookie.

If that is not done right and all of the betting is one sided and that side wins, you will be losing money.

More Bettors, More Money or is it More Bettors, Less Money?

Obviously, the more players you have the better the chances at making money.  Just make sure that you have the right players for your book.  If you have a lot of players that bet big, then make sure that you the money to cover their bets.

In addition, if you have a lot of players that are professional, then make sure that you have the right odds so that both sides will remain equal.

That is of course not always the truth and it all depends on how much work and the type of players you have.  I know several sports bookies that have only 50 players and are able to make a very nice living from these players.  Heck I know people that only have 2-3 clients that are able to make a living.

In the end, it is still a number's game so the more layers the better.

Hope this helps and I will try to add more details about becoming a sports bookie in my next post.

How to Bet on NBA Basketball

As we get closer to the NBA Playoffs. I thought I would write a quick tutorial on how to bet on NBA basketball for all of those that are looking for one.

Betting on the NBA or National Basketball Association is a great way to bet on a specific sport for a long time as the basketball season starts in late October and the Finals start in the early month of July. This gives sports bettors almost 8 months of sports betting action giving you many opportunities to increase your bankroll.

For those who are new to basketball betting, this basketball betting tutorial will help read the sports betting odds and show you how to be on the most three most popular types of basketball bets which are: betting on the point spread, betting on the money line and betting on the totals.  The odds examples in this articles are what you will commonly find in the best sports betting software on the market as they are easy to read and us.

Basketball Betting Tutorial

 How to Bet on an Basketball Point Spread

The most popular method of betting the NBA involves the point spread, which is a handicap the sportsbooks impose on one team to make both teams equal in terms of betting. With the point spread, the team expected to win will be called the favorite, while the team expected to lose will be called the underdog. The team expected to win gives, or lays, points to the team expected to lose for betting purposes. An example of a NBA game involving the point spread would be:

Boston Celtics +7 -110
Miami Heat -7 -110

In the example the Heat are a seven point favorite. If they win by more than seven points, you win your bet. Less than seven points your bet would be a loser. If Miami wins by exactly by seven points the bet would be a tie and wagers would be refunded.

How to bet on the Basketball Money Line

The Moneyline is a type of wager that provides different odds based on who will win the game. Money line wagers, which is a bet on the winner of the game without the point spread. Here is an example of a money line bet:

Boston Celtics +270
Miami Heat -400

If you wager on Miami you would have to put up $400 to win $100. On the other side would be a wager on Boston where you receive $270 for every $100 wagered.

The Moneyline (ML) odds can vary drastically depending on which team will play. When a strong basketball team plays a much weaker opponent, you will usually see a moneyline like this:

Team Moneyline Odds
Warriors +500
Spurs -750


This means that in order to place a bet on the Warriors, you would have to bet $500 in order to win $100. If you wanted to bet on the Spurs, you would risk $100 to win $750.

How to Bet on Basketball Totals

The second most popular method of wagering on basketball is in betting totals, also known as over/unders.

A total wager is the predicted combined score of the two teams playing. A number will be posted and bettors have the option of wagering more than the predicted total points will be scored (over), or less than the predicted total points will be scored (under).

In the example below, the total points were set at 190.5. The line will have a vigorish along with it , most commonly seen being -110.

Team O/U Final Score
Heat 190.5o -105 100
Pistons 190.5u -115 94

So if you bet $100 on the over and the total final score is 194 then you would win $95

EnergyBet.com Enters the Virtual Sports Betting Industry

EnergyBet.com, a gambling company that is located, licensed and regulated by the European Union member state of Malta has just announced that it will now start offering virtual sports betting to its customers after entering a partnership with Leap Gaming a leading provider of 3D multi-platform games.

The newly formed partnership will allow EnergyBet.com to provide the full array of Leap Gaming virtual sports products which include tennis, virtual horse racing betting, dog racing, velodrome cycling speedway and trotting. EnergyBet.com customers can expect to be playing the Leap Gaming virtual sports within the next few weeks as both companies are working overtime to ensure a smooth rollout of the new virtual sports betting products.

Both companies are very happy with the new partnership and according to Dan Fisher, the LEAP gaming Chief Commercial Officer, they are “delighted to partner up with EnergyBet.com and provide our virtual sports to their extensive footprint. EnergyBet has been meritoriously recognized as ‘A Rising Star in Sports Betting.”

 EnergyBet CEO Marcin Sapinski commented: “Virtual sports betting is one of the fastest growing markets, and offers potentially limitless growth opportunities. With such an incredible opportunity at stake, it was critical that we chose the very best virtual sports developer to work with, and in Leap Gaming we’re confident we’ve found the best.”

One such example of virtual sports gambling’s success is how Leap Gaming has made tremendous progress in the African market. Virtual sports betting in Africa or as they say, Paris Sportifs Afrique, has become one of the top money making games and several other African countries have already been licensed to offer virtual sports betting to its citizens.

Football Handicapping 101: Football Betting Trends

With the Super Bowl right around the corner, I thought that it was time to write about football betting trends to help you bet on the right football team.

While sports handicapping is an ever-evolving concept, there are some basic fundamental approaches to handicapping football, and we will review the different methods used here. One of the more popular methods to handicapping football games is by using football trends.

Many amateur sports bettors think that football betting trends and football betting systems are one in the same. While they are very similar, there is one major difference. Football betting trends are specific to a team, while football betting systems are not team specific.

An example of a football betting trend would be “The New Orleans Saints are 9-0 ATS against non-conference opponents.” ATS stands for “against the spread”, and refers to a team’s record against the pointspread. Notice this football betting trend is only relevant to the New Orleans Saints.

An example of a football betting system would be “NFL Teams are 41-17 ATS in the regular season after four or more Overs against an opponent off an Under.” Note that this football betting system is not team specific, and instead is relevant to any NFL team in this situation.

Some football handicappers rely heavily on football betting trends, while others do not put much emphasis on them. NFL Handicappers that tend to use football betting trends believe that history for specific teams in specific situations is a good indication of how that team performs in similar situations.

NFL Handicappers that do not put much stock into football betting trends believe that there are more factors involved in a particular outcome or that with roster and coaching changes being made every year, the past records accumulated by a team that isn’t necessarily the same as the current year’s team.

Regardless of how NFL handicappers use football betting trends, they are widely regarded as one of the main handicapping tools used to handicap NFL Football games.

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My Top Sportsbook for the 2016 Football Season

We are now in the NFL Preseason and today is the start of the 2016 NFL Preseason Week 2.  I dont usually do a lot of NFL preseason picks but here is one that I am fairly confident about, take Texans over Saints at -3 on 8/20/2016.

Now that this is out of the way, every football season, I choose 3-4 online sportsbooks that I will be using for the football season.  I actually keep some books only for the certain sports that way, I stop playing with a book once the season is over and once it starts again, they will usually give me a nice sportsbook bonus to start betting again with them!

So without further ado, here is my list of sportsbooks I will be using
P.S. these are not a sportsbook reviews, these are just there just my own opinions.

BetOnline, is once again making the cut for my list of top football betting sportsbook.  Year after year they have not let me down as no matter how much I win with them, they always treat me right.

Their bonus is not that big but competitive enough to drop a couple of dimes with them every year.

I am also adding Bovada this year.  They didn't make my last last year but that is because I had replaced them with 1Vice.  However, this year 1Vice didn't make it, ever since it got bought by Robbie of Americasbookie they have cut my limits, cut what I can bet on and are slow as hell with my payouts.  So this year, I am sticking with a known and trusted book for football.

For the big bonus sportsbook, this year I am going with CRSportsBet.ag.  Last year I played with them for a short period of time since it was their first season.  This year, its on my list with their 100% Cash Bonus as they have proven themselves to me that they can give a big bonus and give me fast payouts.

And last, this year I am also adding BetOWI.  Oddly enough, I had never heard of them until earlier this year and when I tried their service during the NBA finals, I was blown away.  They are giving away a 100% bonus, good service, decent lines and good banking.

If anyone has any suggestions for what my 5th and last book to use for the 2016 football season, leave me a comment!