Easiest way to clear sportsbook bonuses?

[Bullitos]

Hi,

I am one of those people who got interested in sportsbetting after the mansion action. I've deposited some $$ of my poker bankroll on various sites, with various bonuses, usually up to $250 or something like that. After reading all the recommended sites in this forum FAQ (which is REALLY usefull!), it still isn't clear to me what the best but easiest way to clear bonuses is.

I've read about scalping and tried to look for scalps, but this is really intensive and I feel I need a whole lot more experience to succesfully scalp. So is there another smart way to clear bonuses without losing the bonus profit to the vigorish?

greets

[Performify]

As recently covered in this thread, here's bonus whoring 101:

So you deposit $500 on BookA and $600 shows in your account. if their rollover requirement is 3x that means you need to give them $600x3 in bets so $1800 must be wagered through your account in at a minimum of three wagers to clear the bonus.

So the first day you bet $600 to win ~$570 on a -105 line on the Jacksonville -3 (for example).

You find a +100 line at BookB for the other side (Washington +3, say) and bet $570 to win $570 there.

If Jacksonville covers, you lose $570 on BookB and win ~$570 on BookA to break even and you've satisfied 570/1800 in bonus requirement. Most books go by the smaller number in your equation of to risk / to win: if you're betting $100 on a 2:1 underdog they'll credit you the amount you risk ($100) not the amount you win ($200), and correspondingly if you bet $200 on a 2:1 favorite they'd count the $100 you win towards the amount of the bonus you'd cleared, not the $200 you'd risked.

If Washington covers - which is what you want in this situation - you win +$70 at BookB and have no rollover requirements for that $70. Bang, free $70, no risk, no strings attached.

That's one effective way to do it. Of course the better lines you can find - ideally you'd want to find a profitable arbitrage situation for example - the more you stand to profit - if you could have found Washington +3 +105 in this case you could have won $100 on BookB so you would get the free $100 there if you lost on BookA (and still satisfy almost 1/3 of your rollover requirement on BookA for free if not).




That's basically it. Finding scalps and arbitrage opportunities to reduce the amount that the vig cuts in to your bonus. Its not simple or easy by any means, it requires constant work and attention to the lines. or you have to get good at predicting line moves (or find people who are and listen to them). For example, you could have secured San Diego -2.5 +109 earlier in the week which could now be arbitraged with Baltimore +2.5 -103 for a decent scalp, etc.

[Bullitos]

Thanks, I finally understand it [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[BobJoeJim]

If you want to clear the bonus safely without losing part of it to the juice then scalping is your best option, though you're right that it requires some effort and isn't anywhere near as easy as it sounds. If you just want to come out ahead, and are willing to accept the vig cutting into your bonus, you can do as Performify says, and just look for bets that are "almost" scalps... which are MUCH easier to find.

[knicknut]

Bet it all and let it ride == +EV

If you win, you won! If you lose, you don't need to worry about clearing the WR!

Win/win!

I've never heard of the "we count the base, not the risk" rule. I've always kept track of the risk, and that's always been right for me, AFAIK.

[BobJoeJim]

[ QUOTE ]
Bet it all and let it ride == +EV

If you win, you won! If you lose, you don't need to worry about clearing the WR!

Win/win!

[/ QUOTE ]
Bet it all and let it ride can be +EV (with insanely high variance and ROR) if you get an unusually high percentage of your deposit credited as a bonus, and you get an unusually low rollover requirement. At standard juice, though, you can expect to lose $1 for every $11 you wager, so a "normal" sportsbook bonus, such as 10% with a 5x rollover, is MASSIVELY -EV to clear just straight betting (whether it's 1000 small bets or 5 big bets.)

I'm sure you already know this, but I wanted to clarify for any impressionable newbs who may read your post [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

[scorer]

scalping/arbs very hard to find and i know from experience a line can change just as your looking to wager. As peformity mentioned, look for lines that are very close to each other and do it that way. Pinnacle is a must have book for this, but they hold all your money for at 30 days.

[Performify]

[ QUOTE ]

I've never heard of the "we count the base, not the risk" rule. I've always kept track of the risk, and that's always been right for me, AFAIK.

[/ QUOTE ]

http://www.pinnaclesports.com/faq.asp#Bonus
"For Cash Bonus purposes bets are defined as either the Risk or Win amount, whichever is smaller."

In plain english, if you bet on large favorites on Pinnacle, say the Cowboys moneyline this week at -450, they won't count $450 towards your bonus requirements, only the $100 you win, if you win. Its the lesser of the risk or the reward.

[brendanb438]

I think Pinny is one of the few sites that do this. Bodog is always the risk. I have layed -900 before and it has counted for the full amount. Sportsbook and family is also this way. Anyone know how BetWWTS does it?

-Brendan

[ActionTodd]

[ QUOTE ]


If Washington covers - which is what you want in this situation - you win +$70 at BookB and have no rollover requirements for that $70. Bang, free $70, no risk, no strings attached.



[/ QUOTE ]

ok...a little brainfart

how did we just win +$70?

I don't see it [img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img]