Sports Services & Touts; Does Almost Every New Poster/Bettor To This Hobby Fall For Them?

HacheMan · Jul 5, 2009

I'm sure you all remember the day you found this "hobby".

What you also probably noticed in the beginning are sports services you pay in exchange for "professional" picks.

It looks so easy in the beginning, with some making outrageous claims of winning & success.

The curiosity, excitement, and then temptation to purchase the picks set in.

Some actually go through with it & pay for the picks, and some don't for whatever reasons.

When you stumbled onto this fabulous sports hobby all of us here share in common, were you tempted by touts/sports services?

(<)<

onemwtheone · Jul 5, 2009

I did. You live, you learn. It finally occurred to me one day that, if these guys are so good, how come they don't just wager their own money and avoid the headaches of (occasionally) angry customers. Common sense really.

Like I said, it cost me. I learned. I've more than made up for whatever money I squandered with them.

tatehill2000 · Jul 5, 2009

ProPokerPlayer · Jul 5, 2009

I knew an older guy been betting for years....1st time he saw Jack Price on TV he thought he'd hit the motherload. He called me all excited...."man this guy is 21-4 his last 25!!!"
Took me 2 days to convince him the guy was a fraud. So everybody was a fish back in the beginning....

CarolinaKid · Jul 5, 2009

Yrs ago J FIEST and his 25 dollar blue ribbons plays here.......ck

Betsmart · Jul 5, 2009

I have been betting since I was about 13 years old. I had always done well,not making a killing but winning. About 2-3 years ago I stumbled on a service called OTL sports(stay far away), They sold my info,the calls came out of the woodwork it made me crazy. So I tried a few plays and the won. I was shocked. THen they hit a skid of losing like 10 in a row. I said WTF you guys are pros at this. What I did not know was that they were scamdicappers. Luckily it did not cost me too much.
Please stay away from any Touts

BOL

ganut · Jul 5, 2009

dave cokin got me 3 free winners then time to pay for picks 8 straight losers 1700 dollars later

doubledeuce22 · Jul 5, 2009

guilty..........

however, i used to go to prolines website, and call the same dude everyday. we'd talk for 20-30 minutes at a time about sports life vegas etc etc, and were on a pretty good basis with eachother. pretty cool we were on a first name basis and i'd ask for him when i'd call. seemed like a decent guy, kinda like an old timer.

then he'd go through who was releasing what for each day, package a couple together and go from there. I did well for a while, but in the end these guys are no better than us. I was very suprised he never tried to scam me or sell me extra shit.

jbilli · Jul 5, 2009

Before all the picks were posted on-line I paid 200 for a concensus? service and ended up losing about 800 on the best picks that they had.

OnePocket · Jul 5, 2009

You have to ask yourself if you figured out a way to beat the casinos and the locals would you advertise how you do it? Not a smart person. So there for they are BS artist out to take your money.

BAGIANT · Jul 5, 2009

I remember when a friend and I used to call the same sports phone for scores. Naturally Jack Price was the sponsor.

My friend called me up excited one day and told me it was Jack Prices birthday, and he never lost on his birthday, would I go in with him to buy his 900# picks that night.

Since I was booking a lot of this guys action, I was sort of forced to go in with him. I knew I would book this nights action especially. Sure enough Price LOST 4 out of 5 picks.

TheComputerGroup · Jul 6, 2009

I started betting sports in 1990 & before I started handicapping & doing my homework, I payed for a few services. I look at it this way, if this information they had was really good, they would be in Vegas making a living off these games. I had a guy in 1993 that gave me the parlay for 5 straight Monday night games before he wanted to start charging me, well, I decided to take the money I won off his plays & run & didnt pay him a dime. He was pissed & I didnt care but I always wondered how many more parlays was this guy capable of hitting on Monday night.

VIEJODINOSAUR · Jul 6, 2009

I have followed betting customers and sharps in the past, but NEVER a TV tout or any tout in the past...

TomGshotput · Jul 6, 2009

Starting as a teenager it didn't take me long to figure out that even if they were good, to make money on my $10 and $20 bets, the price point would have to be about $2 per game and didn't think they would negotiate down to that price. Looking back, I am pretty sure they would

Also called for a lot of free picks and learned real quick that they weren't as good as they said (since I was calling several a day, there were usually conflicting picks so never even bet a dime based on them)

I can sort of understand someone falling for it once. Have a hard time believeing there are enough returning customers that any of them can make more than a few dollars a year. Then I remember than human stupidity is limitless

Betsmart · Jul 6, 2009

These scamdicappers got it figured out. The ones that charge you a percentage. They charge 25% of your plays. What is their down side a pissed customer. There upside is that they are betting your money. Would'nt we all like to bet with someone else money and win and collect, if you lose not have to pay up. Scammers version of a ponzi scheme.
Buyer Beware!

OAKAS · Jul 6, 2009

Many years ago I used a telephone concensus service out of Saratoga Springs New York. I actually did fairly well. What I did was handicap the games for the week and then get a concensus of the games. If a game was picked by the so-called touts and I liked the game alot I would play it.
I only did College Football and never bet over 5 games a week.

Sugarbear · Jul 7, 2009

doubledeuce22 said:
guilty..........

however, i used to go to prolines website, and call the same dude everyday. we'd talk for 20-30 minutes at a time about sports life vegas etc etc, and were on a pretty good basis with eachother. pretty cool we were on a first name basis and i'd ask for him when i'd call. seemed like a decent guy, kinda like an old timer.

then he'd go through who was releasing what for each day, package a couple together and go from there. I did well for a while, but in the end these guys are no better than us. I was very suprised he never tried to scam me or sell me extra shit.

LOL. That was me. I ran the front end of Picks Online dot com for Feist back in the day and a serious number of regular clients called in each day during foots and baskets and eventually buy customized packages from me. Win, lose or draw people loved the services I provided.

You got the best of everything the company had whether it was avaliable online or not. My regulars got away with paying peanuts that others collectivly were paying millions for. FLAT OUT. One persons 5 star play can be another persons 25 or anything in between. Any time we had three or more cappers on a game it was an automatic buy or include into a personalized package.

As for scamming or selling extra shit, why would I. I had it made. People calling with credit cards in hand looking to buy games vs guys hacking it away on the phone trying to find just 1 new customer a day....my heart be still.

beejmi · Jul 7, 2009

Thought about it but never did. I have the same question as above -- how/where do they get "returning customers"? Isn't a "break even" year in reality a loser for the customer? (paid for a service that just broke even)

Sugarbear · Jul 7, 2009

beejmi said:
Thought about it but never did. I have the same question as above -- how/where do they get "returning customers"? Isn't a "break even" year in reality a loser for the customer? (paid for a service that just broke even)

Your question assumes that winning means anything or that the player wants to win money. It also assumes that a person paying a service does not play his own games or does not pay another service at the same time. In fact its exactly what they do.

So much goes into what makes the services go and the promise of winning is the least of them in the medium and long term picture.

In the end we can only sell you the information. How you mamage it is up to you. Our very own Santo understands the last statement extremly well.