So you were more profitable in fcs ? ....do u feel it is easier with softer lines on the whole ? If so any idea how much example fcs turns a 56 percent handicapper into a 60 percent handicapper ?
I used to be what I considered a larger player, nickles and dimes, but for probably 15 years now it is 50s and bucks I'm trying to win. With that said, this has to have been the best year I've had in college. The bonuses at the 3 offshores I got certainly helped. I was able to meet all the rollovers and kept a little in each and came out way ahead on those. And my one MGM account, that would have some NFL action too, which is mostly live, but from what I put in and where it is pretty crazy. Oddly I am down with my local a few hundred on the year becaue of probably a total of 3 or 4 games that I played pregame NFL MLs and it didn't work out.
A lot of my success this year has been favorite money lines, which is odd because the underdog ML thing used to bring me a lot of excitement hitting those. Knowing certain college teams and playing favorite MLs on MGM and Bet Rivers were very profitable for me. Sure, I might lay like 3 or 4 to 1 in some cases, sometimes higher, but there is really only once in college FCS it bit me. Dartmouth loss at Colgate. It takes several wins to make up for a loss of that magnitude, but if you think about it, if you have a good feel on the underdogs who really shouldn't compete for wins, the favorite is going to win straight up more often than not. So I probably had maybe 3 to 6 favorite MLs per Saturday. And only the two domestic books I named offered them. Bovada would sometimes, but by kickoff they took them down. And I'd say I maybe got lucky on several live NFL MLs I did when I'd lay even 7 or 8 to 1 - those were live. I had to sweat some games, but the only ones I have lost were pregame ML favorite NFL MLs I did with my local.
That is the difference for me this year and what has led to the success.
In terms of point spreads...yes opening FCS point spreads are soft and if you have a good expectation of what teams should be able to do what, you get that opening number as quick as you can. This did not always win, crazy that some of the best sides and totals I got, like 7 pts better than the close would sometimes lose. This is where I should be smart and do more middling. I occasionally middle, but more would've been good. Especially the totals, a ton of movement and if you get the early open and they buy the other side on the close, that would've been a good strategy on many games.
For me it is all about the early opens on Saturday, the first opens. I really feel that I had a good idea what should happen and with some idea on what the opening line is compared to an early 5dimes line or maybe some of the sagarin or massey PR, when you see a line come out that you think is really good and is going to move, I would put my full amount on that. This is just basic handicapping stuff, but I had never done that before. I was always a 30 minutes before kickoff bettor with lines that had been out for 6 days. If it was a line I wasn't sure of or which way it might go, I'd take some at open and take a little more here or there as it moves, even if it moved against me, I would take some. Sometimes it moved with me and I got better lines than at open.
I was never able to get into Heritage. When this season started I did not know who would have the opening line. I assumed maybe it would be BOL or Heritage. In August I opened an account at BOL, Bovada and Bookmaker. Turns out Bookmaker was first and the best book for opening numbers. If I didn't have an account there I would not have been as successful. There were times that I had my entire balance gone at BM already and only half the lines were out. Thankfully the balance grew and by the end of the year I only had 1/2 or 1/3 out in bets when all the lines had been released.
That is the best I can explain it. My local missed me on Saturday I think, so he offered to take some FCS. I said, really you can't. Because of the openers. But he did let me play some 1H and 2Hs with him on lines I got off of maddux sports. I'd just screen shot it, and he was cool with that. I generally did well with those, maybe a couple days I lost overall on those for one reason or another.
It was a total different experience on Saturdays. Normally I'd put my entire day in, mostly by noon and watch the FBS games and maybe add a little here or there. With the FCS I was betting and watching for lines to roll out from what, 9am until probably 2 or 3 in the afternoon. I barely had time to do anything else except for watch for lines, anticipate which way they will move and spread my bets around to 6 books I used. It was so much fun. I'd have 8 games on TV and barely even look at them because I'm watching spreads. I had to tell some friends who used to come over on Saturday to skip it because I wouldn't be able to talk until probably mid afternoon. It might sound like a drag, but it was awesome.
And to add, still a sizable helping of good old situational handicapping. We all know this. But getting it right, sure team A should crush team B, but team A is in a sandwich or off a big game - not like I hit the dog in those situations, but it kept me off some of the favorites who should do whatever, but something just seems like they would be flat. The SoCon was a prime example of the ups and downs for teams this year in terms of situational handicapping. Still have to use all the tools in the tool box, but the favorite ML thing and getting the best opening numbers were the two big things that worked for me.