Dan 9027654 post got me thinking about my college days. My bookie lived next door in my apartment complex. I remember paper sacks of money setting around his apartment. A couple guys named Tony and Guido would come every week and pick up the sacks. Two guys you definitely didn't make small talk with. I lost alot of money in those days. we all had money on the Cowboys one game. We needed a td or fg to cover. Cowboys had ball on eagles 5 yd line with 2 minutes left. Cowboys were ahead and Landry knelt on the ball 4 downs in arow. Game over. We all lost. Buddy of mine walks over picks up my tv and throws it out the front door.

I’ve steered clear of sports betting, mainly because I’m am awfully unlucky, loosely translated, I suck at predicting sports

Your buddy was not a good pal and must have been strong! I suppose TVs were like 180+ lbs then. Unless you were watching on a 13 incher.

You cannot get mad when you lose if you bet within your limits. Yes its frustrating when a team can cover a line but chooses to just be safe and win the game or seems like they did not bet the over so they elect not to take the easy FG.

Its part of it. I do not bet with Guido's. Just two friends. They book my bets and I book theirs. No vig. We track on the season and settle up at the end. Everyone pays because you are friends and that is the code... Bet is a bet.

I'd rather bet on myself, why I play poker.

Its been 15 years or so since I did that. Winning was fun but losing not so much. Had a season where I had to drop off a couple pretty thick envelopes on Tuesday and I gave it up

The tv survived. It probably weighed closer to 200 lbs. Things were built better then. Sounds like your just betting with a friend or two. We used to hardcore gamble. I learned a hard leason. The house always wins.

The thing that has been the most effective strategy for me is just picking my spots. It's kinda like going to the horse track, you don't bet every race.
I might go a month without betting a game. This week I bet two, Georgia on the ML and Miami on the ML. After playing for 30+ years you kinda get a feel for when they are trying to set you up with a line. You either go the other way or avoid it all together.
When in doubt talk to your friends who think they know something about football and when they all say the same thing, do the opposite!

Fabulous ^

I knew and still do know a few bookies. I don't sports bet anymore. Years ago a bookie friend told me that the line had nothing to do with who was supposed to win. It is to get the same money bet on each side. Bookies make the money on the Vig.

It has everything to do with who is supposed to win, but yes the books make money no matter what because of juice

DAL vs CIN
Spread was 5.5
All week long they are taking bets. If one sides bets start outweighing the other, they move the line so people will bet the other way. Then if they are still unequal on amount per side, they call other bookies till they find one they can lay the heavy side to.

Long story short, they want $25,000 worth of bets on DAL, and $25,000 worth of bets on CIN

Then they win the juice on the losers. Usually 5-10%

The juice doesn't come from the losers, it comes from the winners' pool. The losers have already lost.

Maybe on some tricked up gambling website like FanDuel or whatever but not old school way.
If you take cows +5.5 for $50.00 and win, you win $50.00.
If you take cows +5.5 for $50.00 and lose, you owe $55.00

This is how it’s supposed to work.

Gambling never interested me... I worked too hard to throw money away... Heck look at my prediction in the BenGals v Cowboys thread... Dan

Never understood trying to ruin fishing with tournaments or sports with betting.

Only on horses.