Straight Bet Explained

Straight bets are the most common type of wagers at the sportsbooks and the easiest and simplest to place. In essence, the straight bet is a single wager on an outcome in a game. Depending on the sport, there are quite a few choices you can make for placing a straight wager, we will look at the most popular further down, but the main principle of a straight bet is that it is an individual bet, unlike for example, parlay bet, where you bet a number of games at once.

As mentioned, different sports will give you the option to place various straight bets. Let’s look at some of the more popular options. Football bets give you the most options to place a straight wager, including “win outright”, “point spread” and “over-under”. The “win outright” is simply a straight bet on which team will win the game. This is by far the most popular straight bet at the sportsbooks and is not just for football, the same applies to all sports. For example, one can place a straight bet on basketball on which team will win, or baseball, or boxing match on which fighter will win the bout, etc. This is where beginners often start their betting journey, since it’s the easiest bet to place.

The point spread is another popular option for straight bets. You can read more about how the point spread works here. And finally, the over-under or “total” is yet another straight bet many people make. The sportsbook posts a prediction number of the total score (the score of one team plus the score of the other) of a football game, for example, and players make a straight bet on whether the actual total of the game is over or under the one predicted by the sportsbook.

How are the odds payouts of straight bets calculated? Rather simple, really. For every option the sportsbook posts odds on the straight bet. For example, if the odds on the Eagles are +110, it means that you will win $110 for every $100 wagered in a straight bet for the Eagles to win.

Parlay Betting Explained: How parlay bets work

We continue our betting guides with a look at one of the most popular betting options, the parlay bet. Here you can get more information about parlay betting and learn how it works.

After the straight bet, the parlay betting is the most popular way of placing wagers at the sportsbooks. In its simplest form, the parlay bet is a multiple-game wager wrapped up into a single bet. Depending on the online sportsbook a parlay can contain anywhere from 2 to 15 games, although keep in mind that all sportsbooks have a maximum payout on their parlays which could be reached with a low number of games in your parlay, depending on the payout odds of the individual games. The basic premise of the parlay is that you can multiply the odds on each of the games in your parlay, and then multiply your wager amount to the final sum, but you also have to win all games in order for your parlay bet to be a winner. If just one of the games in your parlay is a loser – your entire parlay is one, as well.

Let’s look at an example to better explain the working of the parlay betting. Let’s say there are five NFL games you want to wager on and feel strongly about the outcome of those football games. You can go the traditional route and use a straight bet to individually wager on each of the games or you can put all five of them into a single parlay bet. For the simplicity of the example, let’s assume that all five NFL games will pay out on +110 odds. If you bet $100 on each game using a straight wager and you win all – you will get $210 on each for that total of $1050 or $550 profit from a total of $500 risked. Now, if you instead “combine” all the games into a single parlay, the payout will change significantly. In parlay betting, every payout coefficient (the odds on the game) are multiplied together to give you your final payout odds. In our example, if you put the five football games in a parlay the parlay odds will be calculated as follows: +110 x +110 x +110 x +110 x +110= ~40.8 (it’s easier to do it if you convert American odds to decimal odds). And you simply multiply the final payout, in our case 40.8 to your bet. If you bet the whole $500 on the parlay and you win, the payout would be 40.8 x $500 = $20,400, or nearly $20K profit.

As you can see, the payout of the parlay is enormous, compared to the straight bet. But as always – there is no such thing as free lunch. As mentioned earlier, all games in a parlay bet must be winners, in order for the parlay to be a winner. If just one of those five games in the example above was a loser – your entire parlay would be graded as loser, as well. Clearly the more games you put in your parlay bet – the higher the payout, but also the higher the risk you are taking. Clearly parlay betting is very simple, but you should exercise caution when betting parlays, accounting for the increasing risk with every game you add to your wager.

Now, here is a good question many of you may be asking by now – what if one of the games in the parlay is a push? In general, if one of the games in a parlay bet is a push, the parlay reverts to the next lower level. For example, if in our previous instance one of the five football games was a push, the parlay goes from a 5-game parlay to a 4-game parlay, with the game ending in push simply being “removed” from that parlay.

In parlay betting summary:

  • Any one game loss constitutes a parlay loss.
  • The parlay payout odds of each individual game in the parlay multiply and the total multiplies to your bet for your final parlay odds.
  • A push “removes” a game from your parlay
  • Parlay betting offers higher payout but in exchange for higher risk
  • Each sportsbook will have a limit on a parlay maximum payout, which could be reached well before the maximum number of games in a parlay

Sportsbook Withdrawal – the verification process and documents requested

Players new to the world of online sportsbooks are often surprised to learn that there is a stringent verification process required when they submit their first withdrawal request. Many people are asking “The sportsbook sand a request for documents when I tried to withdraw winnings, what should I do?”. Of course, those who have taken the time and read the terms and conditions of the sportsbook would be aware of the verification process, but many new players omit this important piece of legal documentation and are unaware of the process. Here we will explain how the withdrawal verification works and what documents are often requested by the sportsbooks, not only for US players, but also applying to bettors worldwide.

First, let’s begin with what exactly is the payout verification and a brief overview of the process. Opening an account with an online sportsbook is easy and so is depositing, all you need is your depositing method information and the money are available to you to wager right away. But when it’s time to make your first withdrawal from the sportsbook – the customer service first requires that you send certain documents that basically prove that you are who you say you are.This is a standard procedure implemented by all online sportsbooks, so there is really nothing to be concerned about, unless you have broken the rules in some way, like using a false identity, for example. It’s just something that all sportsbooks require and the good part is that the verification process is required to be completed just once, when you make your first withdrawal.

When some players are first faced with the withdrawal requirements they are quite worried – after all they didn’t have to verify anything when they deposited money to their player account, why is the sportsbook asking for all those documents when it’s time to withdraw? The raw truth is that for the sportsbook there was no risk of losing money, up to the point when you submitted your payout request. You can lose money and be a legit player or you can lose money and use fake credentials – no money is lost for the sportsbook in either case. But when it comes to sending money, the sportsbooks make sure you are who you say you are. It’s all about risk management in this case.

Documents requested by the sportsbook

The player ID verification process upon first withdrawal from the sportsbook involves in most cases sending it copies of certain documents. A copy of a drivers license or an ID, as well as a couple of recent utility bills with your name and address are often the standard documents the online sportsbooks as for. If the player has used credit cards to deposit money to the sportsbook account, some companies may require a signed credit card verification form, as well, which is provided by the sportsbook. If you have submitted your first payout request, it’s better and faster to simply have those copies ready, because you will get the email requesting the documents as part of the verification process. You can find exactly which documents are required as part of the player identity verification by simply visiting your sportsbook and going to the terms and conditions of payouts.Once the documents have been submitted, it may take a couple of days for the verification process to be completed and your payout will be sent. Again, once you have completed the player ID verification, the sportsbooks will not ask you to do it again.

Under spacial circumstances, the sportsbook may request additional documents, but beware of some online sportsbooks that take it to a whole new level. There have been a few questionable sportsbooks lately that have been asking for BS like players taking pictures while holding their ID to their face and all kinds of other insane requests. If you’ve got such emails from your sportsbook – you landed at a rogue one – run away! No customer should every be submitted to such demeaning tactics and none of the US sportsbooks we have recommended will ever make you do such things. Something like this should be instantly interpreted as a red flag and you should clear away from sportsbooks having similar verification processed.

Fast Payout Sportsbooks

Which Sportsbook Sends Payouts Faster?

If you are an US player wagering at the online sportsbooks, chances are fast payouts are very important to you. While all the sportsbooks listed on our website are top notch and will pay you your winnings, truth is that some will send the payouts faster than others. If speed matters to you, we have ranked the sportsbooks by the time it takes to process and send withdrawals to their customers, so choose one that is higher on the list. Also keep in mind that the speed of payout will also depend not just on the online sportsbook chosen, but the withdrawal method, as well. Some payments will be send faster over one withdrawal method compared to another even at the same sportsbook, thus we have noted that, as well. So, which are the fastest payout sportsbooks:

#1 Bookmaker – the most trusted online sportsbook for US players is also the one with the fastest payouts, not much of a surprise here. Thanks to their large liquidity and bankroll, Bookmaker is able to send payouts faster than any of the top sportsbooks catering to the USA bettors. The most popular methods, as well as the speediest, are the P2P transactions, such as Money Gram and Western Union. The processing of the payout request is completed within 24 hours, which is relatively standard for the sports betting industry, although some sportsbooks make take longer. After the withdrawal request has been processed, most people report that the sportsbook will send the money within a business day or two, in the worst case. If you have some experience in dealing with sportsbook payouts you can certainly appreciate the speed. There are some well-advertised sportsbooks that can take literally weeks to send you the money, Bookmaker will do this in two day, in most cases. The sportsbook also offers checks and wires, although those payouts may take up to  week to be received, still much faster than the rest of the sportsbooks. So if you are looking for the sportsbook with the fastest payouts, look no further than Bookmaker.

#2 5Dimes – this is another online sportsbook that will send very fast P2P payouts to it customers. The processing of the withdrawal will take that standard 24 hours for customers who have completed the verification process already and US players report an average time of receiving the money afterward to be about 2 business days, still very fast in comparison with most sportsbooks’ withdrawal timetables. Check payouts are also available with an average time of 1 week to receive and other methods can also be arranged with management for certain players.

As mentioned earlier, the other sportsbooks we have listed on the website will send payouts to customers without issues, although they will not be s fast as the ones noted above. That, of course, doesn’t make them bad sportsbooks by any means and truth is that the majority of US bettors withdraw their winnings at the end of the season of their favorite sport, rather than every week, so really fast payouts are not a requirement. Still, if you are one of the bettors who hate to wait for their winnings – pick one of the top sportsbooks above and you will get the fastest payout possible.

Super Bowl Sportsbooks

Super Bowl time is upon us and bettors from all over the world, but mainly from the USA, will flock to the online sportsbooks to place their bets on  the winner of the Super Bowl or to cover the point spread. This makes it the perfect time to broach a subject often ignored by many with dire consequences – the right Super Bowl sportsbook. Something many betting websites don’t want to talk about is the awful track record of the online sports betting industry when it comes to the Super Bowl, namely, the closure of small sportsbooks after the Super Bowl.

It has, unfortunately, turned into a small tradition among the industry watchdogs to see which sportsbook will fold after the Super Bowl. What are the factors leading to this grim event year after year? It’s simple, really. Small sportsbooks with inadequate liquidity and funding will try to limp up to the Super Bowl in hopes that this big betting event will bring them enough cash to continue being in business. To add insult to injury, they will offer insane bonuses and other free bets in order to attract as many customers as possible. And, sadly, a lot of times those sportsbooks will manage to get a lot of customers. But then, it’s very likely that they will take a beating by the bettors and end up with a lot of customers demanding a payout of their winnings and not nearly enough money to cover those payouts. Faced with this type of situation the weak sportsbook will simply fold and close its doors, leaving thousands of US bettors waiting for payouts that will never arrive.

While it is mainly the sportsbook’s management fault for the unfortunate demise, some of the blame must be shouldered by the players, as well. The online sports betting situation in the US is plain ans simple unregulated. As such, extreme caution must be exercised when selecting a sportsbook, since your legal avenues for recouping money from a sportsbook are exactly none. Selecting a sportsbook with great reputation is about as good as it gets. Big sportsbooks with a lot of history behind them and plenty of liquidity should be the only array of choices one should pick from. Don’t be dazzled by big bonus offers, free Super Bowl bets and other non-essential factors. Only select the best and while the odds at some small and unknown betting site may be amazing – stick with the tried and true. You can see the top sportsbooks for US players on our home page. Sportsbooks with plenty of liquidity, stellar reputation and betting sites that will pay out your Super Bowl winnings for many years to come.