Never thought I'd say it but...WSEX let me down

[Noreaga+]

Jay C

Before Basketball this season I had only used the interactives for Golf and Baseball. and I loved it, even with the big straddle. no problems buying and selling..

Then I tried basketball... what a disaster.. why does every single basket in the first half affect the price ? the favorite jumps out to a 2-0 lead, we better pause the event and change the price...

I gave basketball interactives a try twice, which was my mistake. I should have known the first disaster wasnt just a fluke. I tried to sell my side with 1:30 to go in the game.. it was the Okie St / Syracuse game.. I had Cuse -1.5 the lead was flip flopping all the way down to the last 5 seconds.. I tried to sell my bet ATLEAST 10 different times in the last 1:30 but everytime is said rejected because the event was paused...yet the prices were jumping back and forth. I couldnt buy or sell for the last 1:30 of a 1 point game.. it was sickening.

I emailed Calvin directly twice about it, and never got a response. I tried calling during and after the game but got transfered 4 different times and finally hung up and emailed him.

 

[Ladeda]

JC,

I would have problem with a -400/+300 straddle on the live betting. I only started playing interactives the last few weeks but every game seems to have straddles like the Mich/Tex game right now. -1900/+900 . Even worse is I've seen -8000/+1000 type straddles. Seems excessive to me, but what do I know.

 

[JayC]

Ladeda, I don't know why you would have a problem with the house having a 4.76% hold on a live event in progress. I hardly think that is excessive. Even the -1900/+900 example also has a hold of 4.76%. As odds go up absolute spreads must increase to maintain the same theoretical hold. (There is no scenario where it could ever be -8000/+1000. 98 is -4900 and 99 is -9900. The markets are never wider then $5 and those numbers generally don't come up until garbage time. Even at 94-99 which is -9900/+1570 the theoretical hold is 4.75%.)

The theoretical hold on -110 wagering is 4.54%, and that's on a line that has been hammered out and offered everywhere. WSEX is offering lines where no books are willing to go on a regular basis.

But, like any other wager, what difference does it make what the spread is as long as you like the price you are getting on your bet? Now that I look at it, the WSEX interactive line at 94-99 is better value than any parlay, teaser, or exotic wager.

Noreaga, I'm sorry you have had a lot of trouble with basketball. In your example at the end of a game with the score flipping around the spread, they will pause it when a shot goes up if it may move the price from 50 to 75 or vice versa. The idea is not to leave the 50 up there for people to grab after the shot goes in. I'm glad you enjoy the other sports.

 

[Railbird]

Maybe 4.76% hold, but 5 wide at 94-99, 94 is approx 19-1 99 is 99-1. If you bet a future that was 19-1 everywhere, and a place had that team at 99-1, most places would claim it was a bad line and cancel your wager.